Craig Boreham and Dean Francis are Sydney based filmmaking friends who first met in Berlin while attending the Berlinale International Film Festival. They have since collaborated on several film projects and attended a bunch of film festivals. They'll be
blogging through the festival as they see as many films as possible so this morning, they sat down over a couple of coffees and mapped a preliminary path through this year's program.
Craig - So this is very cool. We've been given the task of checking out the Sydney Film Festival Guide and mapping out some possible ways through it. For the uninitiated ... what is so great about a film festival? Why shell out the bucks and leave the safety of the couch and the home theatre and brave the winter city streets? We've been to a few festivals Dean, what do you reckon are the things that make them great?
Dean - The moments that have most changed my life have occurred at film festivals. Ever since my pre-teen years of sneaking into the Astor Cinema for the St Kilda film festival (when it was truly experimental) I've always revelled in the feeling of being surprised, entertained or confronted by the multi-layered conversation that occurs between filmmaker and audience in the festival setting. There is something sacred about being amongst the first to experience a film. If cinema is equal parts production and reception, it's as if your reaction were somehow etched into the conversation of the very filmmaking itself.
Craig - So probably the most important thing is that you can't see most of these films anywhere else. Some of these films will get a cinema or DVD release here in Australia but a lot won't. It's your one chance to see current cinema from all over the globe.
Dean - Foreign films often need to have raked up serious box office mojo to be distributed in smaller markets like Australia and as we all know, majority rules isn't the most healthy paradigm when it comes to quality cinema. I remember raving to friends about Lorrie Colyer's feature debut
Sherrybaby which I saw take out the grand prize at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic only to be gutted to realise that that its domestic box office takings were so poor that it would never see the light of day in Australia [Ed's note: released on DVD in Australia by Madman].
Craig - For sure. And getting amongst it. There's no better place to be on a cold wintery night but hunkered down with a glass of red wine and a couple of friends and a thousand other movie fans at the beautiful State Theatre watching the best there is on offer together.
But before we get to that the first thing to do with any festival guide is to make a list of stand out films that grab your attention. So with that in mind we have compiled our initial attention grabbers.
So, in no particular order:
Happy Go Lucky (official competition - opening night film)
Mike Leigh's process - of auditioning "characters" instead of actors and then building drama though improvisation - always yields interesting results. The performances he achieves have a naturalism about them that can be quite abrasive but always challenging. This is a must see session and is followed by the Opening Night Party. If tickets for Opening Night are too pricey, there is a repeat screening in a day session as well.
My Winnipeg docu-fantasia (Official Competition)
It's always interesting when films blend genres and the program description of this film almost sounds too bizarre to be true. We're intrigued.
The Square (official competition)
Nash Edgerton's background as a stunt performer will hopefully guarantee that this feature debut is a cut above most local flicks in terms of compelling action - something Aussie films often miss the mark on. This is a debut many years in the coming and here's hoping it will be part of the "new wave" of gripping Australian films.
Newcastle (Australian)
Dan Castle's first feature got rave reviews at Tribeca. Apparently it's a coming of age film without cliché, which would be unusual and exciting if true. Newcastle is a very cinematic setting so it'll be interesting to see how its presented.
Stop Loss (official competition)
The new film by Kimberly Peirce (
Boys Don't Cry) with Hollywood hotties Ryan Philippe and Channing Tatum and Australia's Abbie Cornish. An Iraq war story told from the soldier's perspective.
Where is Winky's Horse (Kids' Films)
One for the kids. The prequel of this film was the most popular film at last years SFF, so this one's bound to be a hit with the younger set. But that said, sequels often miss the mark. Only one way to find out...
Glass: A Portrait of Phillip in Twelve Parts (Australian)
We saw this film at the Directors Guild Conference and found it completely compelling. It's a very intimate portrait of a complex artist who has been such an enigma for so long. It's also very easy to watch - the aurally stunning sound-scape makes it a very immersive experience.
River of no Return (Australian)
Darlene Johnson's previous documentary portrait of David Gulpilil was honest and intimate and made for very compelling viewing. Very interested to see how she presents Frances Djulibing, the star of many films including Darlene's transfixing short film Crocodile Dreaming.
Funny Games (World Views)
The Austrian version of
Funny Games has to be one of the most terrifying and violent films we have ever seen, despite the fact that most of the violence is purely psychological. Naomi Watts is the star and a producer of this remake which was somewhat unusually remade by the original director, Michael Haneke for an American market.
Glass Lips (World Cinema)
This film came about from 33 videos created for an art installation. It's always interesting when art instead of narrative is the starting point for a film, so the results should be exciting.
Hope (World Views)
Written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz, writer of
Three Colors trilogy and other films by Krystof Kieslowski. Another work in three parts,
Hope is the final piece in the
Heaven, Hell, Purgatory trilogy. If you like slow-paced, pretty to look at and thought provoking this could be the one for you.
Import/Export (World Cinema)
All I have to read is the first line of the program ("in the frozen industrialwasteland of rural Ukraine...") to know this film is for me. I'm way into the cinema of mystery and no one does it better than the Eastern Europeans. This kind of filmmaking takes it's time and often steers clear of the fast cutting of American cinema, immersing its audience in an atmospheric experience.
Married Life (World Cinema)
I'm a huge fan of Noir, especially when it's not sent up by the filmmaker. I hear this film is stylishly realised but packs an emotional punch and I'm interested to see Pierce Brosnan in a more serious role.
Green Porno (Digital Innovators)
Screens with
My Winnipeg. Isabella Rosellini dresses as male insects and indulges in insect sex acts and eats poo in these short movies made for mobile phones. What other reason do you need?
Standard Operating Procedure (Apocalypse Again)
Errol Morris has tackled topics such as miscarriages of justice, capital punishment and now torture at Abu Ghraib by US prisoners. He paints documentary subjects in such a complex mannor and this doco has stirred no small amount of controversy since it's US Premiere.
New Romainian Shorts (Short Cuts)
A good short session is always a lot of fun and promises a diversity of ideas. This package of award winnng Romanian shorts looks set to deliver from a part of the world making some big waves in the international filmmaking community.
Phase IV (Revivals and Restorations)
How can you go past a rare sci-fi treat with marauding ants? The only featurelength film directed by the noted title designer Saul Bass apparently relies heavily on visual storytelling with very little dialogue.
Grace Is Gone (Apocalypse Again)
Apparently John Cusack was motivated to make this film in response to the banning of images of flag covered coffins returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. His character, an ex-military man forced to rethink his feelings of the war after his wife is killed and he is unable to tell their young daughters.
Battle in Heaven (Take 3)
According to the program this film opens and closes with scenes of felatio which speaks of a bold provocative approach to say the least. Director, Carlos Reygadas is known for presenting the banal in a magical light.
Reel shorts (short documentaries)
Love documentary, but short on time? This is the perfect session for you. Seven short docs from all over the world in one sitting. Choice!
La Zona (Inuevo Mexico)
"Menacing urban thriller set in an exclusive gated community in Mexico City". Yep sounds completely, intriguing and with a bunch of awards under its belt sounds definitely worth a look.