Fincina Hopgood Fincina Hopgood i(A12145 works by)
Gender: Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 'Bubbling' the Fourth Age in the Time of COVID-19 Jodi Brooks , Fincina Hopgood , 2021 single work essay
— Appears in: M/C Journal , vol. 24 no. 1 2021;

'Each year the Australian National Dictionary Centre, based at the Australian National University (ANU), selects “a word or expression that has gained prominence in the Australian social landscape”. In 2020, “iso” took out first place, with “bubble” following close behind. On the Centre’s website, Senior Researcher Mark Gywnn explains that “iso” was selected not only for its flexibility, merrily combining with other words to create new compound words (for instance “being in iso”, doing “iso baking” and putting on “iso weight”), but also because it “stood out as a characteristically Aussie abbreviation” (Australian National Dictionary Centre).' (Introduction)

1 Wakefield — New ABC Series Looks at Mental Health and Treatment from the inside Out Fincina Hopgood , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 6 April 2021;

— Review of Wakefield Kristen Dunphy , Sam Meikle , Joan Sauers , Cathy Strickland , 2021 series - publisher film/TV

'From the comedy-drama of Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me, to the documentary series Changing Minds filmed inside a psychiatric hospital, the ABC has a track record of collaborating with mental health organisations and people with lived experience to create compelling, compassionate stories about mental health.' (Introduction)

1 23 Reasons Why and Netflix's Commercial Imperative : Disrupting Screen Portrayals of Mental Illness and Suicide in Australia Fincina Hopgood , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture , vol. 8 no. 1 2019; (p. 85-100)

Examining the global media controversy and debates surrounding the first season of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why (2017—present), this article focuses on the Australian context and identifies key issues in these debates through a discussion of current media guidelines far responsible portrayals of mental illness and suicide. The article presents a survey of media and academic responses to 13 Reasons Why, including contributions from people with a lived experience of mental illness and suicide. It argues that the way forward for screen portrayals of mental illness and suicide is for screen producers to collaborate with mental health organizations in the development and exhibition of these stories.' (Publication abstract)

1 The Laughter and the Tears : Comedy, Melodrama and the Shift Towards Empathy for Mental Illness on Screen Fincina Hopgood , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Screen in the 2000s 2018; (p. 165-189)
Analyses five Australian films (both textual analysis and production history) with a focus on their empathetic presentation of mental illness and their deployment of melodrama and comedy.
1 Of Mothers and Madwomen : Mining the Emotional Terrain of Toni Collette’s Anti-Star Persona Fincina Hopgood , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: American–Australian Cinema : Transnational Connections 2018; (p. 91-114)
1 Walking in Her Footsteps : Migration, Adaptation, and the Mother’s Journey in Romulus, My Father Fincina Hopgood , 2016 single work criticism
— Appears in: Adaptation , March vol. 9 no. 1 2016; (p. 22-34)
'Philosopher Raimond Gaita’s acclaimed and much-loved memoir of his childhood in 1950s rural Victoria, Romulus, My Father (1998), was adapted for a feature film in 2007, starring Eric Bana and Franka Potente. Gaita worked closely with the film’s director, Australian actor Richard Roxburgh, and scriptwriter, English poet Nick Drake, throughout the scripting process, and wrote an extended introduction to the published screenplay. While speaking highly of the film’s production team and admiring the finished film in this introduction, Gaita’s subsequent writing in After Romulus, a collection of essays published in 2011, reveals his unease with the film’s portrayal of the character Christina, based on his mother who suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness and committed suicide at the age of 29. This article examines the dialogic relationship between the three texts of memoir, film, and essay and their attempts to empathetically imagine the life of Christine Gaita.'
1 Shooting Dialogue as Action : An Interview with Fred Schepisi Fincina Hopgood (interviewer), 2011- single work interview
— Appears in: Fred Schepisi Dossier
'In this interview, Schepisi discusses his approach towards adapting novels and plays for the screen, and his working relationship with actors. He also discusses his career-long collaboration with cinematographer Ian Baker, and the frustrations and disappointments of projects in America and Australia that were never realised.' (From author's introduction)
1 Performance Anxiety : Shine (Scott Hicks, 1996) Fincina Hopgood , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , 14 March no. 58 2011;
1 An Angel at My Table Fincina Hopgood , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Making Film and Television Histories : Australia and New Zealand 2011; (p. 189-193)
1 Matters of Life and Death : 'Matching Jack', 'Little Sparrows' and 'The Tree' Fincina Hopgood , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Metro Magazine , no. 166 2010; (p. 10-15)

'A mother of three grown daughters learns that her cancer has returned, so she gathers everyone together for one last Christmas at the family home in Perth; a woman is suddenly widowed when her husband suffers a heart attack, leaving her with four children to support on a rural property in south-east Queensland; a young mother, living a comfortable existence in inner-city Melbourne, is doubly devastated when she learns of her husband's infidelity shortly after her nine-year old son is diagnosed with leukaemia. These plot synopses for, respectively, 'Little Sparrows' (Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen, 2010), 'The Tree' (Julie Bertuccelli, 2010) and 'Matching Jack' (Nadia Tass, 2010) suggest all three films are maternal melodramas. Each film is distinctive, however, in its approach to subject matter that might otherwise be dismissed as sentimental or mawkish. With diverse production and funding bases ranging from micro-budget independent ('Little Sparrows') and art-house co-production ('The Tree') to mainstream studio distribution ('Matching Jack'), this trio of new Australian films tackles the universal themes of death, grief and parenthood. In their search for audiences at home and abroad, these films combine the specificity of their locations with the cross-cultural appeal of their stories.'

Source: Abstract.

1 [Review] Alvin Purple [and] The Piano Fincina Hopgood , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , April no. 54 2009; (p. 207-211)

— Review of Alvin Purple Catharine Lumby , 2008 single work criticism ; The Piano Gail Jones , 2007 single work criticism
1 Lighting the Lamp : Jane Campion's Bright Star. Fincina Hopgood , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: Metro Magazine , December no. 163 2009; (p. 10-15)
'The article reviews the film "Bright Star," starring Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish, directed by Jane Campion.'
1 Capturing the Pain Within Fincina Hopgood , 2007 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 8 september 2007; (p. 21)
1 Screening History Fincina Hopgood , 2005 single work criticism
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , January - March no. 34 2005;
Notes on the 12th Biennial Conference of the Film and History Association of Australia and New Zealand Canberra, Australia, December 2–5, 2004
1 Great Directors: Jane Campion Fincina Hopgood , 2002 single work column
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , September-October no. 22 2002; Senses of Cinema , October no. 92 2019;
Jane Campion is Australasia’s leading auteur director. As recipient of the Palme d’Or (1993), the Silver Lion (1990) and an Academy Award (1994), she is also one of the most successful female directors in the world.  These statements are not made innocently. They are intended to draw attention to issues of nationality, of auteurism and art cinema, and of gender. In relation to these issues, Jane Campion is the subject of extensive critical discussion. The Piano (1993) – her most successful film, both critically and commercially – was the catalyst for debates about what constitutes ‘national cinema’ and ‘women’s cinema’. In the case of the former, the genesis of the film and the mix of creative personnel involved proved problematic: the film was funded by a French company, Ciby 2000; the script – developed with Australian government funding through the Australian Film Commission – was set in New Zealand; the director was New Zealand-born but Australian-trained; it was produced by an Australian (Jan Chapman); the stars were two Americans (Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel) and one New Zealander (Anna Paquin); and it was filmed on location using a New Zealand crew and local extras.  In discussions focusing on the nature of The Piano as ‘women’s cinema’, some praised the film for its exploration of female desire and sensibility, while others criticised it for aestheticising female masochism and presenting a universalising view of femininity at the expense of New Zealand’s indigenous population.  The Piano also exemplified the changes in art cinema during the 1990s, with the rise of the ‘crossover’ film. It powerfully demonstrated the potential for art cinema to cross over into mainstream awareness and commercial success, with its unprecedented box office takings and several Oscar nominations (winning Best Original Screenplay for Campion, Best Actress for Holly Hunter and Best Supporting Actress for Anna Paquin).' (Introduction)
1 Hotel Sorrento Fincina Hopgood , 1995 single work review
— Appears in: Cinema Papers , June no. 104 1995; (p. 50-51)

— Review of Hotel Sorrento Richard Franklin , Peter Fitzpatrick , 1995 single work film/TV
1 Untitled Fincina Hopgood , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: Cinema Papers , October no. 101 1994; (p. 66-68)

— Review of Hammers over the Anvil Peter Hepworth , 1992 single work film/TV
X