What is The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert about?
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian road comedy-drama about two drag queens and a transgender woman who travel from Sydney to Alice Springs in a bus named Priscilla.
The film was written and directed by Stephan Elliott. It starred Terence Stamp as Bernadette, Hugo Weaving as Tick and Guy Pearce as Adam, who perform drag shows across the outback.
The journey passes through outback towns, including Broken Hill and Coober Pedy, and ends at Kings Canyon, where the characters climb to the rim in full costume.
Oscar-winning costumes
Costume designers Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Gardiner famously wore a dress made of American Express gold cards to the ceremony.
The film became a cult classic, and its soundtrack of disco hits, including songs by ABBA and Village People, became hugely popular. It was adapted into a hit stage musical in 2006, which toured internationally.
It was praised for bringing LGBTQ+ characters into mainstream cinema with humour and warmth, though some scenes have been criticised in later years for their portrayal of other characters. Broken Hill hosts the Broken Heel Festival, a drag celebration inspired by the film.
Did You Know?
The Palace Hotel in Broken Hill, which appears in the film, is famous for its painted murals.