Ah, Oscars season, when the thoughts of every young culture sub-editor and writer turns to “how the hell am I going to put an Australian hook on this?” Turning up for duty on Hacksaw Ridgididge was our dear former colleague Luke Buckmaster, faced with getting 800 words out of the Aussie haul: fourteen nominations, and one Oscar, for sound mixing on Hacksaw Ridge, which is mostly turning up the volume on explosions to drown out the dialogue by Aussie writer Andrew Knight.  

After that, well: “The late and great Australian costume designer Norma Moriceau was honoured in the in memoriam segment”, and two actors from best-foreign-language-nominated, Australian-produced Oceanian film Tanna were described as “the dancers from Moana” by Jimmy Kimmel. Bucky, like that skinny kid in that one Aussie film that won something, you have charged up the hill without weapons and somehow survived. We salute you, brother. Now break out the field hospital morphine – Guy Rundle

Peter Fray

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