The Australian Feature Film Summit 2022

Showing all posts about Australian film

The Australian Feature Film Summit 2022

28 March 2022

The Australian Feature Film Summit (AFFS) takes place in Sydney on Thursday 12 May 2022, with the goal of bringing all involved in the feature film production process, including exhibitors, distributors, producers, and investors together for the first time.

The mission of the AFFS is to harness the current success of the Australian feature film sector and strategise how to make more commercially successful and culturally relevant films going forward.

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Australian film, film

Flicker Fest 2022, showing at Bondi Beach

4 January 2022

Flicker Fest, the world’s favourite short film festival (if I may say so…) takes place this year at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, from Friday 21 January, to Sunday 30 January 2021. This year’s event seems to have a Great Gatsby feel… dig out your glad rags, and get ready to party hard.

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Australian film, film, film festivals

Setting Sun Short Film Festival 2022

2 December 2021

Entries are open to filmmakers to submit work for the Setting Sun Short Film Festival taking place online, and hopefully onsite at the Sun Theatre, in Yarraville, Victoria, from 5 to 12 May 2022. To be eligible, films must have been made between 1 December 2019 and 31 March 2022. Submissions close on 31 January 2022.

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Australian film, film, trailer

Going Down, a 1982 film by Haydn Keenan

2 November 2021

Made in 1982 and filmed on a micro-budget over the course of a few days, Going Down, directed by Australian filmmaker Haydn Keenan is a gritty, no holds barred, slice of life glimpse of a night out on the town in Sydney. While the pacing and narrative technique reminded me a little of something like American Graffiti, Going Down is far more in your face.

Karli (Tracy Mann) is about to fly to New York. Her friends Jane (Vera Plevnik), Jackie (Julie Barry), and Ellen (Moira MacLaine-Cross), take her out for one last night of revelry before she leaves. The result is chaotic. Parties and bars are gone to, drugs are taken, sex is had, and a large sum money is lost. In the middle of it all, one of Karli’s friend’s tries to find sex work, as the girls, individually and collectively, make their way around the inner suburbs of a now barely recognisable Sydney.

Check out a snippet of the film here (NSFW: profanity, drug references).

Margaret and David, At the Movies, Hayden Orpheum, Sydney, 2011

4 November 2011

Last Wednesday night, 2 November 2011, Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, two of Australia’s best known film critics, spoke at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, in the Sydney suburb of Cremorne. The special event was part of celebrations marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of their working partnership.

Usually referred to as Margaret and David, the pair presented The Movie Show on SBS Television from 1986 until 2004, and since then At the Movies, on the ABC.

Their association with film isn’t restricted to television work though. Stratton writes reviews for The Australian newspaper, and lectures in film history at the University of Sydney. Pomeranz, meanwhile, is known for her work with anti-censorship lobby, Watch on Censorship.

I’ve seen both at various film events in recent years. I saw Pomeranz speak with Stephen Frears, director of Tamara Drewe, earlier this year. Stratton, whom I occasionally see at some of the preview screenings I go to, interviewed Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, who starred in 2001: A Space Odyssey, in September 2006, also at the Hayden.

And after twenty-five years they certainly have much to say about the film industry, both in Australia and overseas. Not all of their thoughts are positive though. Both feel the rise of multiplexes have drained the movie going experience of its charm, something I agree with. That point comes into clear focus, particularly, at a place like the Hayden, which is certainly no multiplex.

Both were also critical of the work of many directors in France, Italy, and the United States, previously influential centres of filmmaking. Stratton went so far as to suggest a correlation between a society’s lack of imagination and its decline. However they had much praise for the work of Eastern filmmakers, particularly those in Japan, Korea, and China.

It’s difficult to ignore the contribution Pomeranz and Stratton have made, individually and collectively, to the Australian film industry, to say nothing of forging a successful professional partnership for so long. Despite this, I am often baffled by the ratings they accord to some of the films they review.

In my opinion, some decidedly poor efforts have received high-praise. On other occasions, their individual ratings of a film are at odds with each other. One, say, awards a film four stars (out of five), while the other offers two stars. Still, when it comes to film, it is, as Stratton says, all a matter of taste. It should be noted I still read the transcripts of their show each week regardless of my qualms.

Rounding out the evening was a preview screening of Tomas Alfredson’s new film Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy, which is scheduled for release in Australia in January 2012. This is something I will write more about at another time.

Originally published Friday 4 November 2011, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.

Jucy, a film by Louise Alston, with Francesca Gasteen and Cindy Nelson

14 March 2011

Jucy, trailer, a comedy/drama, is the second feature of Queensland filmmaker Louise Alston (All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane). Alston teams up again with Leaving Brisbane writer Stephen Vagg to tell a story that is — coincidentally — inspired by the actual lives of its two stars, Francesca Gasteen who plays Lucy, and Cindy Nelson as Jackie.

Collectively they are Jucy, their variation possibly of the media penchant of naming celebrity couples by one-word nicknames, such as TomKat, in the case of Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes. Jucy screened at the Ritz Cinema, in Sydney, on Thursday 10 March 2011, as part of this year’s Australian Film Festival.

Jackie and Lucy have been best friends forever (BFF) since they met at school as teenagers. Now in their mid-twenties, they have — on an emotional level at least — changed little since those days. Although they don’t live together, they otherwise live out of each other’s pockets, and work together at Trash Videos, which Jackie manages.

Lucy lives in the family’s opulent harbourside apartment. Her mother has taken off to Tuscany indefinitely with a new boyfriend, leaving Lucy with younger sister Fleur (Nelle Lee). Fluer is somewhat of a control freak, who appears to have her life in order, and has taken it upon herself to sort out Lucy. This by way of ultimatum: “get a real job, or finish your degree, or move out of home!”

Tired also of the taunts served up by the people they socialise with, where they are variously referred to as “straight lesbians” or “friends with emotional benefits”, Jackie and Lucy decide things need to change. Each sets a goal in order to prove themselves to their peers. Jackie will find a boyfriend, while Lucy will seek out the job of her dreams.

And the stage production of Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, being planned by the amateur theatre group they belong to, looks like the way both can realise their goals. Should the show succeed, Lucy believes an acting career awaits, while Jackie has a soft spot for the play’s star, Alex (Ryan Johnson), and thinks the feeling is mutual.

Jucy lifts the lid on co-dependent relationships, platonic or otherwise, and peers inside. Here are often murky situations — to say the least — where reality is distorted — to say the least — to the point that nothing else matters. Career ambitions, relationships with other people, and any semblance of a normal life, go out the window in the name of remaining faithful to the “other half”.

Jucy ventures into some heady territory, yet keeps the tone light, and for the most part upbeat. This through the on, and off, stage antics of the Jane Eyre production, and Lee’s comedic carry on as Lucy’s domineering sister. Here’s a story that demonstrates even super close BFF’s can — sometimes — remain best friends without appearing “creepy” to the outside world.

Originally published Monday 14 March 2011, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.

Summer Coda, a film by Richard Gray, with Rachael Taylor, Alex Dimitriades

19 October 2010

Summer Coda, trailer, is the debut feature of Melbourne born filmmaker Richard Gray, and something he’s been working on since 2004. Gray lives and breathes film, working part time in cinemas while at school, and later studying the medium at the Victorian College of The Arts.

Set predominantly in the Mildura fruit growing region of the Australian state of Victoria, Summer Coda is the story of two people, Heidi (Rachael Taylor), and Michael (Alex Dimitriades). The two become drawn to each other, but are initially reluctant to reveal too much of themselves.

The Sydney premiere of Summer Coda took place on Monday, 18 October, 2010 at the Dendy Opera Quays, Circular Quay. This followed its Australian, and International, premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 4 August 2010.

Although born in Mildura, Heidi’s lived in the American state of Nevada with her mother since age seven, after her father moved in with another woman. Now in her late twenties, news about him — the first she’s heard of her father in many years — prompts her return to Australia.

Travelling on a budget, Heidi takes to hitch-hiking to reach Mildura after flying into Melbourne, and eventually thumbs a ride with Michael, an apparently easy-going and happy orange grower. Their first exchanges are tense and guarded, but after a somewhat eventful evening in a pub, they begin opening up to each other.

Heidi soon reaches her father’s home and meets Angela (Susie Porter), the woman he abandoned her mother for. Angela, meanwhile, is wary of Heidi, believing she’s only after money. Heidi also learns she has a half-brother, Lachlan (Reef Ireland), who’s ten years younger than her.

Feeling less than welcome at her father’s home, Heidi goes to Michael’s orange orchid, and takes a job helping with the summer harvest. After bonding with the regular, and sometimes rumbustious, gang of fruit pickers who help out on the orchard each year, she learns of a tragic event in Michael’s past that he’s kept from her.

Summer Coda is a drama that may burn a little too slowly for some viewers. An action film this is not. Instead the storytelling is meticulous and deliberate, preferring to leave engaged watchers to piece together what is happening. There is little to fault in the performances, especially of the leads, Taylor, and Dimitriades, who here is worlds removed from the hotheaded Nick Poulos of Heartbreak High.

It was Gray’s intention to focus on the cinematography and soundtrack, something the beautifully filmed sequences from across the film’s settings in Melbourne, Mildura, and Reno, Nevada, attest to. But this might frustrate some viewers, who could perhaps walk away from Summer Coda believing it sacrifices substance for style.

Originally published Tuesday 19 October 2010, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.

The Waiting City, a film by Claire McCarthy, with Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton

12 July 2010

The Waiting City, trailer, the second full length feature of Sydney and Los Angeles based Australian filmmaker Claire McCarthy, has the distinction of being the first Australian produced movie to be filmed entirely in India. The story recounts the experiences of Fiona Simmons (Radha Mitchell), and husband Ben (Joel Edgerton), who travel to the city of Kolkata to adopt a baby girl.

While outwardly happy, the couple are as different as chalk and cheese. The “always on” Fiona continues working on client cases — through her mobile phone and laptop — as if she never left the office. This is in sharp contrast to the laid back, somewhat aimless Ben, who easily strikes up rapport with the locals through his music.

The adoption process, which the couple expect to be a mere formality — they only booked their Kolkata hotel for two weeks after all — turns out to be far more daunting than anticipated. Instead Fiona and Ben find themselves confronted by a rigid, and manual bureaucratic system, replete with delays and hold-ups, that are unexpected and unexplained.

Despite the reservations of others, particularly Krishna (Samrat Chakrabarti), a hotel worker with a direct manner whom they befriend, there is no doubt Ben and Fiona are eagerly awaiting the finalisation of the adoption process. The want nothing more than to take Lakshmi, their adoptive daughter, home to Australia.

But Ben’s chance meeting with the younger Scarlett (Isabel Lucas), a fellow musician from Australia, brings to light the first hint of trouble in his marriage with Fiona. This leads to a series of rifts between the two, which at one point sees the pair staying in separate hotels.

The growing discord between Ben and Fiona gradually results in the reopening of old wounds, and the uncovering of a long held secret. Their marital woes come to a head during a trip to Bhopal, Lakshmi’s birth place, leaving the couple questioning whether they should even be together, let alone adopting a child.

McCarthy is in no hurry to tell her story allowing us to take in the enthralling destinations that are Kolkata and the other places Ben and Fiona visit. Mitchell, who blends seamlessly into her role as the hopeful mother-to-be, together with the ever versatile Edgerton, put in stand out performances.

Visually, The Waiting City is a delight to watch, thanks to the work of cinematographer Denson Baker, whose soft, hazy camera work beautifully renders the locations. His use of close shots meanwhile, projects the bewilderment and turmoil first time travellers to unfamiliar places experience.

The Waiting City is more than a journey to exotic lands though, it is one of self discovery and coming to understand what you really want from life. To adapt a line from a well known quote, perhaps the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself first.

Update: I recently interviewed director Claire McCarthy about the making of The Waiting City.

Originally published Monday 12 July 2010, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.

Q&A with Claire McCarthy director of The Waiting City

30 June 2010

Fiona (Radha Mitchell), and Ben (Joel Edgerton) sit together on a bench, in a scene from The Waiting City, a film by Claire McCarthy. Fiona has curly hair and is wearing a blue top, while Ben has short hair and a serious expression, ans is dressed in a light-colored shirt. Behind them, a white cross adorns the wall.

Australian director Claire McCarthy’s latest film The Waiting City is a portrayal of an Australian couple Ben (Joel Edgerton), and Fiona (Radha Mitchell), who travel to Kolkata, India, to collect a baby they have adopted. But delays in finalising the process, together with the disorientation of an unknown city and unfamiliar culture, begin to take a strain on their marriage.

The Waiting City has the distinction of being the first Australian made movie to be filmed entirely in India. Recently Claire McCarthy (Instagram page) took some time out to answer a few of my questions about the making of her new film.

Q: To what degree did your experiences of living in India, and working in orphanages there, have in inspiring the film?

A: A great deal of the film is based on real life situations, friends and interview subjects although it is most certainly a work of fiction. The film is an amalgam of many formative experiences in my life.

Beginning with working in the slums of Kolkata with Mother Teresa’s nuns with my amazing sister Helena and at a turning point shooting a music video on the sweltering banks of the Ganges with my husband-to-be Denson Baker ACS as a test run for the real film, The Waiting City in many ways is an expression of many of my loves; of people, music, food, culture and importantly, of the city of Kolkata.

The documentary I made (called Sisters) also undeniably became a jumping off point for research and development of the fiction screenplay of The Waiting City and gave me insight into the people behind adoption as well as the people and city of Calcutta. I have gleaned so much inspiration from so many very remarkable and inspiring people who have allowed me to interview them and have shared their stories with me.

The inspiration for this story is personal, researched, observed and imagined.

Q: The Waiting City was filmed entirely in India, and accordingly we see nothing of the life of Ben and Fiona in Australia. Why was that?

A: My intention was to allow Fiona and Ben’s history to gradually bubble up to the surface through their experiences in India. This felt like a more elegant solution to expose the characters, and us the audience, to the world of India and that in doing so force them to question their lives and choices about themselves and their relationship.

Q: Aside from your past association with Kolkata, why did you choose to make this city the main setting for the story?

A: The personal connection I had with Kolkata was a big factor in setting the film in this city. It was crucial that the film had a unique rhythm, texture, colour palette and sense of exoticism that we as a Western audience had never seen before. Kolkata is a perfect for this as it has such a unique look and feel and so many contrasting locations and settings.

It was important that through the journey into this city that the main characters would be forced out of their comfort zones to be truly present experiencing each other and the city. The film is really inspired by the beauty, textures and unique rhythms of the city of Kolkata.

As another character in the film too Kolkata forces our main characters to really think about their projections and judgements and to look at their own lives back in Australia from a different vantage point. So it was an aesthetic, strategic, emotional and personal reason to shoot in the city of Kolkata.

Q: What for you was the biggest challenge in filming completely on an overseas location?

A: It was crucial to me that the team became like a family in the making of The Waiting City. We never wanted to be considered a ‘foreign’ film as such and were resistant to the idea of just coming into India and taking over the town. We wanted the film to be a collaborative process with a blending of ideas and resources.

This was one of the biggest challenges of the film; finding the time to ensure the creative process was not lost under the freight train of production pressures. The film is a very fine example of high level planning, collaboration and cultural exchange between incredible Australian and Indian creatives and technicians.

Q: Adoption is a key part of the story, were there any thoughts you wished to convey here, especially on the adoption of children from developing nations?

A: As a filmmaker it’s not my intention to be for or against adoption, it’s more to raise questions about what it means to take a child away from their culture and whether or not bringing them to another culture is a good or a bad thing. In the work I did in orphanages and the research I did about adoption, the one consistent factor I found was the protracted waiting period to receive a child.

Over and above the adoption process itself, the possibilities interested me of what might happen to a couple whilst they were waiting to receive their child.

So I began to look at that emotional stranglehold for both the parents and the child, which was of primary interest to me as a filmmaker over and above the adoption process itself. I started to consider that in waiting for a child a couple would inevitably be pulled in so many different directions and vulnerabilities would be exposed within their relationship.

So in the film the adoption process forces the relationship of the couple under a microscope and causes them to address other issues as well: motherhood, fertility, mortality, gender politics, different expressions of families and journeys to parenthood, spirituality and desire.

Thanks Claire.

Update: some behind the scenes video footage of The Waiting City just to hand.

Originally published Wednesday 30 June 2010, with subsequent revisions, updates to lapsed URLs, etc.

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