Wake in Fright

One of the finest Australian films ever made and a merciless portrait of human degradation. Ted Kotcheff sends his protagonist, John, to a desolate outback town ruled by alcohol, gambling and raw impulses. Known from Kenneth Cook’s novel, the place resembles the deepest circle of hell – where, as one of the locals of Yabba remarks, “water is only used for washing.” Wake in Fright shocks with its vision of a world driven by corruption and primitive desire. The film is also notorious for its brutal kangaroo-hunting scenes, which Kotcheff (then a vegan, now a vegetarian) filmed by joining a group of licensed hunters during a nighttime hunt. The footage remains controversial to this day, serving both as a stark warning about the declining population of these iconic animals and as a powerful contribution to the debate on the ethical limits of filmmaking.

Daria Sienkiewicz

Ted Kotcheff (1931–2025) – Canadian film director and producer of Bulgarian descent. Associated with the Australian New Wave (Wake in Fright), he also directed major Hollywood productions, including First Blood, the film that launched the Rambo franchise. He won the Golden Bear for The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz—the first Canadian film to receive the award.