The drama, the passion, the diamantes! Paul Mercurio stars as Scott Hastings, an ambitious dancer who comes from a long line of champions. Ditched by dance partner Liz (Gia Carides) after his his refusal to follow traditional steps loses them a competition, Scott is going to have to risk it all with rough-diamond beginner Fran (Tara Morice) if they want a shot at the crown jewel of ballroom dance: The Pan-Pacific Grand Prix.

Baz Luhrmann’s breakout film has been lovingly restored by the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia from the original print negative, and the art and artifice of this classic exercise in excess have never shone so brightly. Strictly Ballroom is both silly and sublime, a heady combination of camp and sincerity that somehow snuck into Cannes (twice!). Character gems Barry Otto and Bill Hunter give it everything they’ve got, but the big glittery heart of this film is the commitment and chemistry between Morice and Mercurio as they approach romance and the Fruity Rumba with equal passion.