The untold story of Nevil Shute's famed novel On The Beach and the film of the same name.

Acclaimed British-Australian novelist Nevil Shute's best-known work, On The Beach is widely considered one of the most significant anti-war novels of the 20th century. Written in the aftermath of the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it convincingly anticipates the impact of global nuclear proliferation.

Eternity (MIFF 1994) and Night (MIFF 2007) director Lawrence Johnston's Fallout explores Shute's writing and the background behind the book that journalist Gideon Haigh calls the most important Australian novel ever. From its adaptation by Stanley Kramer into the award-winning film shot in Melbourne to Shute's prophetic vision of "man and machine out of control", Fallout is both a unique and relevant look at a remarkable slice of Australia's history and a timely rallying cry about global security issues in the post-Fukushima age.

World Premiere.

Lawrence Johnston is a guest of the festival.

D/S Lawrence Johnston P Peter Kaufmann, Lawrence Johnston Dist Rough Trade Pictures Pty Ltd TD DCP/2013

Read an extended Senses of Cinema dossier on Fallout here.