Last week saw The Sapphires premiere to Australian audiences at the Opening Night of the Melbourne International Film Festival. It was a gorgeous evening of tears, cheers and laughter enjoyed by thousands of excited festival-goers.

However for a handful of industry folk the party was almost over before it began! En route to the red carpet from a gorgeous hotel rooftop, the unthinkable happened. Our lift stopped, and wouldn't start. The cars were waiting, the red carpet had begun- and sixteen of us were trapped. Oxygen running low, temperatures soaring. Waiting for the drop.

After a fifty minute roller coaster ride of emotions, we were finally freed by a (far too relaxed) mechanic. It was a close call. There were no casualties and although we missed the red carpet, we arrived just in time for speeches.



Our after party was held at the Regent Theatre's suitably fabulous Plaza Ballroom. Jessica Mauboy performed a killer set on stage while 1,200 party-goers danced with cocktails in hand. It truly was a fantastic night of celebration. Tomorrow night we do it all over again at the State Theatre in Sydney - can't wait!

Keep an eye out for some videos from the evening, including some of Jess' performance!