Latest news with #RefusedClassification
The Age
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
How a saga about banned erotic film has become an unlikely comedy hit
When Alexei Toliopoulos chanced upon a decades-old repeat episode of The Movie Show on an idle weekday, he had little inkling it would lead to one of the most talked-about comedy shows of this year's festival season. Not only did the 2003 episode see Margaret Pomeranz wax lyrical about 2 Fast, 2 Furious, it also saw her and co-host David Stratton urge viewers to take action over the classification board's decision to ban the Larry Clark-directed Ken Park. Pomeranz would later try to stage an illegal screening of the movie at Balmain Town Hall before police intervened. Now, Toliopoulos – best known for his comic investigative podcasts and TV appearances on the likes of Question Everything – has teamed up with Aunty Donna member Zach Ruane to explore the headline-making saga. Blending energetic comedy, audiovisual elements and verbatim theatre, Refused Classification is compelling – hard to describe, but easy to enjoy. 'It's an iconic story in Australian film history,' Toliopoulos explains. 'Going back to it, I couldn't believe how vivid it was, and how much it had stuck with me.' While a lesser show may have become didactic about the value of the film or the dangers of censorship, Ruane says the pair wanted to leave space for the audience to draw their own conclusions. 'I love the notion that if you can convey anything in a very simple, clear way, there's no reason to make it as art. Art lives in the ambiguity.' Toliopoulos dons a silver wig and a chunky necklace to channel his hero, Margaret Pomeranz, while Ruane – better known for his wild-eyed, manic sketch comedy – plays the buttoned-up Stratton.
Sydney Morning Herald
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
How a saga about banned erotic film has become an unlikely comedy hit
When Alexei Toliopoulos chanced upon a decades-old repeat episode of The Movie Show on an idle weekday, he had little inkling it would lead to one of the most talked-about comedy shows of this year's festival season. Not only did the 2003 episode see Margaret Pomeranz wax lyrical about 2 Fast, 2 Furious, it also saw her and co-host David Stratton urge viewers to take action over the classification board's decision to ban the Larry Clark-directed Ken Park. Pomeranz would later try to stage an illegal screening of the movie at Balmain Town Hall before police intervened. Now, Toliopoulos – best known for his comic investigative podcasts and TV appearances on the likes of Question Everything – has teamed up with Aunty Donna member Zach Ruane to explore the headline-making saga. Blending energetic comedy, audiovisual elements and verbatim theatre, Refused Classification is compelling – hard to describe, but easy to enjoy. 'It's an iconic story in Australian film history,' Toliopoulos explains. 'Going back to it, I couldn't believe how vivid it was, and how much it had stuck with me.' While a lesser show may have become didactic about the value of the film or the dangers of censorship, Ruane says the pair wanted to leave space for the audience to draw their own conclusions. 'I love the notion that if you can convey anything in a very simple, clear way, there's no reason to make it as art. Art lives in the ambiguity.' Toliopoulos dons a silver wig and a chunky necklace to channel his hero, Margaret Pomeranz, while Ruane – better known for his wild-eyed, manic sketch comedy – plays the buttoned-up Stratton.
