Standing Up for Sunny

Standing Up for Sunny is a 2019 Australian film comedy written and directed by Steven Vidler, and starring RJ Mitte, Sam Reid and Matt Nable. It won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Indie Film.

Synopsis
An isolated man with cerebral palsy is railroaded into helping an unassertive comedienne, and finds love and acceptance through stand-up comedy.

Cast

 * RJ Mitte as Travis
 * Sam Reid as Mikey
 * Matt Nable as Male Interviewer
 * Barry Humphries as himself
 * Ella Scott Lynch as Felicity
 * Philippa Northeast as Sunny
 * Italia Hunt as Gordo

Production
Filming took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 2018.

Release
The film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2019.

It was also shown at CinefestOZ to a packed audience in September 2019.

The general release date was 5 December 2019.

Reception
Standing Up for Sunny received favourable reviews from Australian critics.

Andrew F. Peirce of The Curb said, "It’s so rare to see a film that shines this brightly, and it’s so rare to see one that gives people with disabilities the chance to be funny".

Matthew Eeles of Cinema Australia called the film, "Tender, clever and very, very funny".

Julian Wood at Filmink said, "The film is certainly amiable, and the low budget gives it a sense of immediacy and authenticity".

Isobel Sanby at Newsworthy gave the film four stars and stated, "What Standing Up for Sunny communicates is that it is not just representation on screen that needs to be addressed, it is accessibility holistically".

Awards and nominations
Standing Up for Sunny won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Indie Film in the 10th AACTA Awards.