In case you missed it, Cleverman was the breakout sci-fi series of 2016 that put original and unique Australian storytelling on screen. It premiered to US audiences on SundanceTV only the day before the Australian release.
Cleverman received notable glowing reviews:
Cleverman is clever in many senses: it’s thought-provoking near-future science fiction delivered through pacy storytelling with an indigenous twist, but it’s also witty as well as bittersweet.
Sight and Sound, BFI, UK
Cleverman has a rough immediacy in its pacing and cinematography that helps to make up for its deficiencies elsewhere, and if you have an appetite for sci-fi conspiracy thrillers, it’s worth sampling.
New York Times
The multiple, long arcs become legible, and sort themselves out satisfactorily in the end, if not in any way surprisingly.
LA Times
The exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image goes behind the scenes of the production. Visitors can view some original set pieces, props, costumes and character sketches for the ‘Hairies’ developed by Weta Workshop, New Zealand. Unfortunately these sketches and drawings are not accompanied by explanatory text – or seem to outline the flow of the creation process. At the front of each discrete section however, audio pods give a general outline. Television screens play behind the scenes interviews and stunt sequences.
The series prompted a comic book series and illustrations from the book are on show.
It’s not a big exhibition – it would while away 1-2 hours if you watch all of the video displays.
About Cleverman: The Exhibition
The exhibition is on at ACMI, Federation Square Melbourne until 22 April 2019.
Open 10am to 5pm daily. Admission free.
Cleverman, series 1 and 2 are available on ABC iview for the duration of the exhibition.
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