Buddies (1983 film)

Buddies is a 1983 Australian comedy/drama film directed by Arch Nicholson and written by John Dingwall. Dingwall won the Best Original Screenplay AFI Award for the script. The film was not a great success in 1983, as no Australian distributor wanted to release it, but Dingwall took it around the country's cinemas himself, where it was well received.

Plot
Young miners Mike and Johnny work in the gem fields of central Queensland around Emerald. Conflict arises when their pick-and-shovel operation is threatened by a large scale bulldozer operator.

Cast

 * Colin Friels as Mike
 * Harold Hopkins as Johnny
 * Kris McQuade as Stella
 * Simon Chilvers as Alfred
 * Norman Kaye as George
 * Lisa Peers as Jennifer
 * Bruce Spence as Ted
 * Andrew Sharp as Peter
 * Dinah Shearing as Merle
 * Dennis Miller as Andy

Production
John Dingwall wrote the script and decided to produce it himself. He raised the money with the help of Rex Pilbeam, a former mayor of Rockhampton. Most of the money was raised in Queensland, including investment from the Queensland Film Corporation. Shooting took place on location in Emerald, Queensland and lasted six weeks.

Box office
According to Dingwall, the film tested extremely well with audiences but there was a difficulty in marketing it. Buddies grossed $81,777 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $215,891 in 2009 dollars.

Awards and nominations
At the 1983 AFI awards Buddies was nominated in the Best Achievement in Sound, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Simon Chilvers), Best Actress in a Lead Role (Kris McQuade) and Best Original Music Score (Chris Neal) categories. John Dingwall won the Best Original Screenplay AFI Award for the script.