Blueback + Q&A

Teenaged Abby (Mia Wasikowska) befriends a magnificent blue groper in Robert Connolly's powerful feature.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Robert Connolly (Paper Planes), the film focuses on teenaged Abby, who befriends a magnificent wild blue groper while learning to dive, beginning her life-long journey to save the world's coral reefs. When the quiet reef at her coastal hometown starts to attract commercial fishing operators, it's not long until she realises that the fish she calls a friend is under threat. Taking inspiration from her activist mum, she takes on poachers and developers to save her friend. Showcasing the extraordinary beauty of the world's oceans and wildlife, Blueback is an empowering coming-of-age story.

Join us in ACMI Cinemas for a post-screening panel discussion on the importance of portraying the blue groper through puppetry, rather than relying on CGI, and why this decision lifted both the film's emotional impact and the performances from the actors who swam alongside Blueback.

Browse the rest of the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry program here.