Most Inspirational Travel Film
Australia
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Screenplay: Baz Luhrmann and Stuart Beattie
Producer: Baz Luhrmann
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
UK release: 2008
Australia: what's the story?
The second-highest grossing Australian film of all time follows the fortunes of English aristocrat Sarah Ashley, who arrives in Australia in 1939 to join her husband on his ranch, only to find he has been murdered. Finding her manager is in league with the neighbouring landowner, and helping him to steal her cattle, she and her drover, known simply as Drover, must drive her cattle through the wilderness to sell them to the army before their enemies can get their hands on them. Slowly Sarah and Drover fall in love, and bring up the Aboriginal boy Nullah as their own - but the three face the triple threat of the attacking Japanese forces, Sarah's enemies, and the authorities' attempts to take Aboriginal children away from their families.
Who's in Australia?
Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and David Wenham, plus Brandon Walters as Nullah.
Where's it set?
The film is set entirely in Australia - a country which every Briton seems to want to visit, and with good reason. Some are attracted by the white-sanded beaches, some of the world's best surf and the year-round diving opportunities - the wondrous Great Barrier Reef is an unbeatable experience. Others are drawn to the Kakadu National Park, home to a variety of habitats and wildlife unique to the area, or the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, another superb natural attraction, where you'll find Ayers Rock. For the urbanites, there's cosmopolitan, cultured Melbourne and glamorous, good-looking Sydney, both awash with bars, restaurants, art galleries, museums and cultural attractions.
Filming in Queensland and Western Australia wasn't always glamorous, however - Nicole Kidman fainted while on a horse after the temperature soared to 43C, and shooting had to be rescheduled when torrential rain - the first in 50 years - reduced the set to mud.
What do the reviews say about Australia?
Film website Rotten Tomatoes praised Australia's "lavish vistas and impeccable production." News of the World reviewer Robbie Collin added: "The jaw-dropping, picture-postcard camerawork will have your eyes scouring each scene for every last delicious detail." Claire Sutherland, in her review for Australian newspaper the Herald Sun, described the film as "a love letter to the Australian landscape and our history."