The Office Picnic

The Office Picnic is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Tom Cowan. It was entered into the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.

Plot summary
A group of public servants go on an annual picnic. Two of them, Peter and Elly, disappear.

Cast

 * John Wood as Clyde
 * Kate Fitzpatrick as Mara
 * Philip Deamer as Peter
 * Gaye Steele as Elly
 * Ben Gabriel as Mr Johnson
 * Max Cullen as Jim O'Casey
 * Anne Tait
 * Francis Flannigan
 * Bryon Kennedy
 * Graham Richards
 * Elaine Smith

Production
Cowan got the idea to make the film while walking through the bush during shooting of a documentary in the Victorian countryside. He says he was also influenced by the novels of Patrick White and the films of Antonioni.

The film was shot on 35mm using a budget in part funded by the Experimental Film and Television Fund. It started in January 1972 but the money ran out during filming and there was a hiatus until filming resumed in April. The shoot took fifteen days in all.

Release
The film was successfully previewed at Toorak and for a time it looked as though it would be distributed by British Empire Films but in the end most commercial screenings were arranged by the director.