Entertainment news and reviews
Another film screening at this year’s Monster Fest is the comedy horror Crabs. This week Subculture’s Dave Griffiths sat down and had a chat to the film’s director Pierce Berolzhemier about the film.
Don’t forget to grab your Monster Fest tickets at www.monsterfest.com.au and you can listen to the full interview with Pierce below:
One of the films screening at Monster Fest 2021 is Danishka Esterhazy’s new film Slumber Party Massacre. This week she sat down and spoke to HEAVY Cinema’s Dave Griffiths about the film.
Don’t forget to grab your tickets from www.monsterfest.com.au and you can listen to the full interview below:
MONSTER FEST returns to Cinema Nova from December 2 – 12 to celebrate their 10th Anniversary with 10 Days of the latest and greatest genre and cult cinema programming from around the world along with Filmmaker Q&As, Panel Discussions and Special Events.
Opening Monster Fest 2021, RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY, directed by Monster Fest alumni Johannes Roberts (THE STRANGERS – PREY AT NIGHT, 47 METRES DOWN) and starring Kaya Scodelario (CRAWL) and Robbie Amell (THE BABYSITTER), this instalment returns to the very roots of the RESIDENT EVIL franchise.
With equal lashings of laughs and gore, Danishka Esterhazy‘s satirical slasher SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE can join a short list of films that includes THE BLOB (1988), HOUSE ON HAUNTED HIL (1999) and MANIAC (2012) as rare reimaginings that genuinely work and arguably eclipse their original source.
Devon Sawa (IDLE HANDS), Michael Jae White (DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE) and genre legend Bruce Campbell (EVIL DEAD) lead a motley crew of embattled retail employees who must rise against bloodthirsty bargain-hunters in Casey Tebo’s BLACK FRIDAY.
Kiah Roache-Turner & Tristan Roache-Turner‘s highly anticipated follow up to 2014’s WYRMWOOD, WYRMWOOD APOCALYPSE follows Rhys (Luke McKenzie, WENTWORTH), a soldier who in a dystopic zombie-infested Australia, has dedicated his life to tracking and capturing survivors for the Surgeon General in hopes of finding a cure.
As if puberty weren’t enough, imagine discovering at such a formative age that you’re also a witch, such is the case for Izzy (Zelda Adams), in the Fantasia Film Festival award-winner, HELLBENDER, the latest work from the auteur family of filmmakers John Adams, Zelda Adams & Toby Poser (THE DEEPER YOU DIG).
From Oscar-winning visual effects artist and filmmaker Phil Tippett, comes his highly anticipated masterwork MAD GOD, an experimental stop-motion extravaganza set in a Milton-esque world of monsters, mad scientists, and war pigs.
Every year Monster Fest attempt to program at least one film in which the violence, gore and obscenity is that visceral and extreme that it may give even the most seasoned Monster Fest patron pause. This year, that film is THE SADNESS, fresh from its Fantastic Fest win for ‘Best Horror Film’, Rob Jabbaz‘s debut feature sees a nation fall as a rampant plague turns it citizens into depraved, unconscionable and ruthless sadists.
What do you get when you cross two New York City hipsters, a surprisingly affordable apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Jeffrey Epstein’s ghost? Dasha Nekrasov‘s Berlinale award–winning THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST, a giallo-infused and conspiracy-fuelled pitch-black comedy.
NOVA STAR is the long-awaited and highly anticipated fifth feature from Monster Fest alumni Daniel Armstrong (TARNATION), an intergalactic comedy that sees Mack, a space janitor, tasked with saving the universe from Kill-Bots, Space Pirates, Bounty Hunters and an evil Space Queen who plans to flush the entire cosmos out of reality through a black hole.
Passion, hope and destiny collide when two men from opposite sides of the world work together to bring Wakaliwood’s unique blend of action and comedy not only to screens throughout Africa but to the wider world in Cathryne Czubek & Hugo Perez‘s crowd-pleasing documentary ONCE UPON A TIME IN UGANDA.
Filmmakers Sarah Appleton & Phillip Escott explore the origins, impact and legacy of a sub-genre of cinema that despite its popularity and strong box office, rarely gets it due, in the gripping documentary THE FOUND FOOTAGE PHENOMENON.
BAFTA-winner Paul Andrew Williams‘ BULL is a brutal, subversive and wickedly suspenseful story of a wronged man (Neil Maskell, KILL LIST) who returns home after a decade-long absence to seek revenge on those who double-crossed him and left him for dead.
Following on from sold-out screenings at TIFF, Fantastic Fest and Beyond Fest, Ruth Paxton‘s A BANQUET is an unsettling, thought-provoking and hyper-tense psychological thriller about mother attempting to cope with a sudden and terrifying change in her daughter’s behaviour.
OFFSEASON is the latest offering from prolific genre filmmaker Mickey Keating (DARLING), that follows Marie (Jocelin Donahue, DOCTOR SLEEP) who ventures to a remote island to see to some family business but soon realises that may never be able to leave.
Australia has had many entries in the found footage sub-genre but to date none have equaled the sheer scale and genuine scare of 2011’s critically acclaimed THE TUNNEL. Now ten years on, go behind-the-scenes of the film that helped redefine a sub-genre globally and discover not only how the film was made but the impact its had since its release in THE TUNNEL: THE OTHER SIDE OF DARKNESS.
When two cocky door-to-door salesman happen to call upon the wrong household, what ensues is an escalation dark comedy of the highest order in director Josh Wallace‘s KEEPING COMPANY.
Filmmakers Samuel Gonzalez Jr. & Bridget Smith‘s THE RETALIATORS craft a refreshingly original and unsparingly brutal tale of a pastor on the hunt to find his daughter’s murderer/s but will his faith in God prevent him from extracting the revenge he rightly deserves.
Horny jocks, battle-hardened nerds and hot milfy mums abound in Pierce Berolzheimer‘s CRABS, a loving ode to the OTT eco-horror movies of the 70s and 80s.
Kevin Kopacka‘s DAWN BREAKS BEHIND THE EYES is an experimental horror with the gothic chills of Mario Bava and the visceral excess of Lucio Fulci that sees a couple inherit a rundown castle from which they find time and reality shift around them.
Twists and tension collide in writer/director Christopher Donaldson‘s DITCHED, that finds an ambulance crew besieged by a mysterious and malicious presence in the woods.
Adam Stilwell‘s sophomore feature, THE FREE FALL, is psychological horror that follows Sara (Andrea Londo, NARCOS) who wakes from a coma to a life she doesn’t remember and perhaps is best not to.
Following a robbery, an expectant mother searches for her family’s stolen dog but soon finds her hunt leading to the seedy and dangerous underworld of illegal dog fighting, in Samuel Galloway‘s MUTT.
THE DUNES is a psychological thriller from writer/director Martin Copping about a journalist who returns to his hometown to investigate a disappearance but encounters a mysterious figure who threatens his very own existence.
Josh Conn‘s survival thriller CROW VALLEY follows Benny, who after suffering from a hit and run, wakes to find himself in a cabin with a woman whose grip on reality and edge of sanity is slowly slipping away.
They say you can’t go home again and for Lily she will soon wish she hadn’t. Filmmakers Paul Anthony Nelson & Perri Cummings‘ APPARITIONS is a multi-layered suspense horror that explores fear, family and identity.
Zeke Dixon-Kitt‘s debut feature THE LONESOME ROOM is a single-location thriller that follows an author suffering writer’s block who finds herself trapped in a scenario not too dissimilar to one from her novels.
If there were any good to come out of Melbourne’s seemingly never-ending lockdowns, it may just be that it afforded the time to search, discover and assemble Cameron McCulloch‘s thought-to-be-lost debut feature, SCAM. Shot in the early 2000s, this loving ode to and entry in a bygone era of crime capers centres around Kim (Kesti Morassi, WOLF CREEK), a small-time scam artist looking to level up in the underworld, which is unfortunately run by her disapproving father.
Monster Fest dare you to experience producer Andy Warhol & director Paul Morrissey‘s BLOOD FOR DRACULA & FLESH FRANKENSTEIN as a Double Feature on the big screen with all-new 4K Restorations from their original camera negatives.
In honour of its 10th Anniversary, Monster Fest is pleased to host a celebratory screening of the Australian found footage classic THE TUNNEL, that finds a tv crew on the hunt for a story that quickly becomes clear is hunting for them.
Alright you Tapeheads, listen up! Monster Fest is pleased to premiere VIDEO HOARDERS SEASON 3 in its entirety, all five episodes back-to-back up on the big screen. Series creator and host Rob Taylor is headed north…North America, Canada in fact, as he raids the VHS stashes of some serious Canuck collectors and gives us an inside look at their convention scene too.
When you think of canine companions as seen in cinema, instantly you are reminded of loving and loyal best pals however in the horror film, dogs serve a very different purpose. Film critic and author Lee Gambin will take you on a walk through the history of Dog-Horror cinema with his lecture THEY’RE NOT PETS ANYMORE: DOGS IN THE HORROR FILM.
Following on from Lee Gambin’s fascinating talk, Monster Fest is beyond excited to showcase three of the finest examples of Dog-Horror ever made with our DOGSPLOITATION MARATHON. The films themselves are, at present, a closely guarded secret but suffice to say there will be enough gnashing of teeth, slobbering jaws and high-pitched barks to satisfy all comers. And if that’s not enough, intersperse between the screenings will be a little thing they like to call MONSTER FEST TRIVIA.
FROM SHORT TO FEATURE: THE CREATIVE JOURNEY OF BUTTON MAN presents not only the Worl Premiere of the BUTTON MAN Short but will also be a Filmmaker Q&A and Panel session to discuss the journey of the film so far and the next steps the filmmaking team will take to get the feature to market.
As always Monster Fest are thrilled to bring you the very best Short Films from around the world. With one Short playing prior to all Feature programming and two dedicated sessions of Shorts this year: MONSTER FEST SHORTS & MONSTER FEST STUDENT SHORTS.
And no Monster Fest would be without Dick Dale’s TRASHARAMA. Bursting at the seams with gross-out horror, bad taste comedies, sick n’ twisted animations, science-fiction scat and other genres not even invented yet, Trasharama is Monster Fest tradition and not to be missed. Trash ain’t trash when it’s in Trasharama!
Finally Monster Fest have a SURPRISE SESSION. We’ve been working furiously behind the scenes to bring you a super special addition to this years’ program. Take a leap of faith and grab a ticket now or wait until all is revealed, either way they guarantee it’ll be worth it.
| TICKETS:
VIP Pass – $330 Andy Warhol 4K Double Feature – $30 The Saturday Afternoon Dogsploitation Marathon – $30 INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS Adults – $20.50 |
| WHEN: Thursday 2nd of December – Sunday 12th of December 2021 WHERE: CINEMA NOVA 380 Lygon St Carlton VIC Ph: (03) 9347 5331 |
Filmmaker Matthew Morden chats to Subculture about his brand new doco Wanting To Fly which is currently screening as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.
Take a listen to the interview right here:
A dejected bartender and an aging drag queen fight to survive the eccentric and hostile nightlife of a corrupt city, as a masked maniac slaughters young gay men and drains them of blood.
An ode to the wicked work of John Waters, festival fave Death Drop Gorgeous – Seattle Queer, Chicago Horror, Wicked Queer, VideoScream and over 20 more festivals worldwide – features divine work by directors Michael J. Ahern, Christopher Dalpe, Brandon Perras-Sanchez, and a superlative cast headed by Wayne Gonsalves, Payton St. James, Brandon Perras-Sanchez, and Christopher Dalpe.
DEATH DROP GORGEOUS is released on Digital by Dark Star Pictures September 10.
Now in its 22nd year, the ST. ALi Italian Film Festival presented by Palace returns to cinema screens this September with the best new Italian films as well as classic gems of Italian cinema screening nationally in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Byron Bay from 21 September.
With a focus on contemporary cinema that tells the stories from today’s Italy, plus a selection of classics honouring the country’s filmmaking tradition, this edition features a sensational line-up of much-loved stars and exciting emerging talent.
The first highlights of the ST ALi Italian Film Festival offer a glimpse into the programme which celebrates Italian cinema and filmmakers at their very best:
The Festival will open with the Australian premiere of THE TIES (Lacci) which opened last year’s Venice Film Festival. Daniele Luchetti’s sumptuous marriage-in-crisis drama spans a 40-year period in Naples and Rome, and boasts an all-star cast including Alba Rohrwacher, Luigi Lo Cascio, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Laura Morante and Silvio Orlando.
The Australian premiere of 2021 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight winner TO CHIARA (A Chiara) is the latest film by Jonas Carpignano (Mediterranea, A Ciambra). A CHIARA tells the gripping story of a 15-year-old girl from Calabria whose family life starts to unravel when she discovers her beloved father may have criminal ties.
In HIDDEN AWAY (Volevo nascondermi), Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear winner Elio Germano delivers a powerhouse performance in this multi award-winning biopic about the troubled life of celebrated artist Antonio Ligabue.
Marco Giallini (Perfect Strangers, God Willing) is back – alongside Vincenzo Salemme and Giuseppe Battiston – with THREE PERFECT DAUGHTERS (È per il tuo bene), a comedy hit that sees three friends hinder the love affairs of their daughters.
The Closing Night film of the 2020 Venice International Film Festival, dramatic thriller YOU CAME BACK (Lasciami andare), stars Stefano Accorsi as a man who finds himself torn between the past and the future.
The ST. ALi Italian Film Festival is the biggest Italian film festival in the world, so don’t miss your chance to see the best films the country has produced in the last year, accompanied by a ST. ALi coffee, vino, or aperitivo, as we celebrate la dolce vita and the magic of cinema.
Festival Director Elysia Zeccola said, “We have been bringing Italian stories to Australian cinemas for over 20 years. Never has it been more important to provide a much-needed escape and the chance to become immersed in another world. We are thrilled to have ST. ALi’s continued involvement and the introduction of two fabulous new venues – we can’t wait for Spring to arrive!”
Salvatore Malatesta CEO and Creative Director of ST. ALi said, “We’re proud to return as naming rights partner of the ST. ALi Italian Film Festival which is the next best thing to being in Italy and for now, our only option!”
The full programme will be announced in September.
The 2021 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival is planned to take place nationally from 21 September – 17 October, in the following cities:
Melbourne 21 September – 17 October, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema, The Astor and Cinema Nova
Canberra 22 September – 17 October, Palace Electric
Sydney 23 September – 17 October, Palace Norton, Palace Verona, Chauvel Cinema and Palace Central
Byron Bay 24 September – 13 October, Palace Byron Bay
Brisbane 28 September – 17 October, Palace James Street, Palace Barracks
Adelaide 29 September – 17 October, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
Perth 30 September – 17 October, Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX
For information and updates, please visit italianfilmfestival.com.au and sign up or follow us on Facebook @ItalianFF and Instagram @ItalianFilmFest for all the latest news.
In light of the Western Australian Government’s recent 4-day lockdown order, the Opening Night and following day of programming for the 24th annual Revelation Perth International Film Festival has officially been cancelled.
Patrons who held tickets for this Thursday 1 July’s Opening Night and any of the film screenings held on Friday 2 July will be fully refunded.
Revelation looks forward with optimism to lockdown lifting on Saturday 3 July, and the festival continuing until 11 July as planned.
“The program picks up as soon as lockdown lifts – we come out of lockdown ready to rock on Saturday 3 July (for the moment),” says Festival Director, Richard Sowada.
Holding true to this year’s theme of Distant but Connected, Revelation will be moving along in the virtual world, broadcasting talks and panels from this Thursday 1 July. Details will be posted on the festival website and social media channels.
“Our first talk will be with Cooper Raiff – director, producer, writer, editor and star of the sensational SXSW award winning film Freshman Year,” Sowada says.
To all our comrades in the arts in WA right now, all for one.
Palace invites you to go north this midwinter with the Scandinavian Film Festival. The full 2021 programme has been unveiled, a superb showcase of the best new Nordic cinema, and will be screening nationally at Palace Cinemas from 6 July to 4 August 2021.
This year’s specially curated selection encompasses films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, including ten directed by women, with many screening for the first time outside of Europe.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, THE EMIGRANTS (Utvandrarna) will close the Festival. The Emigrants follows a struggling farming family in mid-19th Century Sweden who decide to embark on the arduous journey to new hope in America. Starring the late Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann, The Emigrants was nominated for five Oscars® and won Golden Globe awards for Best Actress (Liv Ullmann) and Best Foreign Film. The Closing Night screenings will feature a celebratory Scandi cocktail in tribute to acting great Max Von Sydow who passed away in March 2020.
The Festival will open with WILDLAND (Kød & Blod). Set in Denmark’s underbelly, Jeanette Nordahl’s striking Scandi-noir follows an impressionable teenage girl who is placed in the care of her estranged aunt (an incredible Sidse Babette Knudsen), the head of a family crime syndicate.
Sidse Babette Knudsen also stars in THE EXCEPTION (Undtagelsen), alongside Danica Curcic, Amanda Collin and Lena Marie Christensen. The Exception is an electrifying Copenhagen-set psychological thriller about four colleagues at a NGO, who suspect each other after a series of mysterious death threats.
Stellan Skarsgård and Andrea Bræin Hovig star in HOPE (Håp), a stunningly acted relationship drama about a creative couple by director Maria Sødahl, that was Norway’s official submission to the 2021 Academy Awards.
A luminescent Laura Birn stars in HELENE, a captivating portrait of Finland’s most acclaimed painter of the early twentieth century, Helene Schjerfbeck.
While TOVE is a fascinating depiction of the life and personal relationships of Finnish visual artist and author Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins.
Laura Birn also appears with Swedish star Christian Hillborg (The Last Kingdom, The Bridge, Fleabag) in the GAMES PEOPLE PLAY (Seurapeli). A group of old friends gather at an idyllic Finnish seaside villa to celebrate a surprise birthday, where old feelings and power struggles rise to the surface.
Musical comedy A PIECE OF MY HEART (En del av mitt hjärta) also stars Christian Hillborg opposite Hollywood star Malin Akerman who plays successful businesswoman Isabella. She returns to her hometown where she learns that her teenage love (Hillborg) is getting married in this Swedish box office sensation.
Weddings also feature in films from Denmark and Norway. PERSONA NON GRATA (Hvor kragerne vender) is a black comedy about uncomfortable family relations following a cosmopolitan Copenhagen writer who returns to her rural hometown for her brother’s wedding.
While DIANA’S WEDDING (Dianas bryllup) is a bittersweet tribute to love, telling the story of Norwegians Liv and Terje and the unconventional, stormy marriage they embark on the very same day as Diana Spencer and Prince Charles exchange vows in London.
This year’s Special Presentation is TIGERS (Tigrar). Crowned Best Nordic Film at the 2021 Göteborg Film Festival, Tigers is the enthralling true story of Swedish football wunderkind Martin Bengtsson, a former Inter Milan player, who lifted the lid on a world where everyone has a price tag.
Rising Norwegian star Josefine Frida Pettersen (Skam) shines in Jorunn Myklebust Syversen’s provocative new drama DISCO about a young evangelical dance champion whose faith is tested, prompting her to search for radical solutions.
Also from Norway, BEWARE OF CHILDREN (Barn). This multi award-winning and critically acclaimed drama traces the dramatic aftermath of a tragic event in a middle-class suburb of Oslo, examining society’s reaction when crisis strikes amongst children.
Danish production ANY DAY NOW (Ensilumi) is a celebration of the quietly humane; an Iranian family in Finland await a decision about whether they will be granted an official asylum status in Hamy Ramezan’s personal first feature.
While the deeply moving 2020 Göteborg Film Festival opener PSYCHOSIS IN STOCKHOLM (Psykos i Stockholm) is a surreal drama about a mother and daughter who embark on a trip to Stockholm, yet their plan is derailed when the mother begins acting strangely.
Also from Sweden is a very different mother-daughter relationship at the heart of CALL MUM! (Ring Mamma!). Niki has just turned 35 and is suddenly forced to come to grips with all her relationships and past choices in life in this charming comedy from the director of She Monkeys, Lisa Aschan.
Based on his eponymous play, Ragnar Bragason’s THE GARDEN (Gullregn) stars acclaimed actress Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir (Woman at War), alongside Trapped star Sigrún Edda Björnsdóttir in a dark comedy of self-reflection that delves into xenophobia in Iceland.
Iceland’s entry into the 2021 Academy Awards, AGNES JOY (Hæ, hó Agnes Joy) is a tale of intergenerational struggle in a picturesque setting that was a winner with audiences.
In Iceland’s #1 box office hit comedy of 2020, THE LAST FISHING TRIP (Síðasta veiðiferðin), it’s The Hangover meets Sideways as six friends depart on their annual fishing trip leaving their wives, work and worries at home!
In GRANDMA HOFI (Amma Hófí) a pair of senior citizens, fed up with the conditions in their retirement home, decide to rob banks so they can afford a small apartment. Stars Icelandic comedy royalty Edda Björgvinsdóttir (Under the Tree) and Þórhallur ‘Laddi’ Sigurðsson (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty).
The specially curated programme of films and events includes a Dansk Cocktail presented by Copenhagen Distillery Gin, Sparkling Screenings presented by Marimekko plus Carlsberg and Nordic flavours at selected events.
Tickets are now on sale at www.scandinavianfilmfestival.com.
The 2021 Scandinavian Film Festival will take place nationally from 6 July – 4 August, in the following cities:
Sydney: 6 – 28 July, Palace Norton, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinemas
Canberra: 7 – 28 July, Palace Electric
Melbourne: 8 – 28 July, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino and Pentridge Cinema
Adelaide: 13 July – 4 August, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
Perth: 14 July – 4 August, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square
Brisbane: 15 July – 4 August, Palace James St, Palace Barracks
Byron Bay: 16 July – 1 August, Palace Byron Bay
The 24th annual Revelation Perth International Film Festival returns from 1 – 11 July presenting a curated program celebrating independent filmmakers and boundary pushing storytellers.
The theme of Distant but Connected is reflected not only through the epic program featuring content from 21 countries, but also through the Festival’s specially commissioned artwork from acclaimed Augmented Reality artist Marc-o-Matic.
“It may be a long time before we see international screen artists physically again, but at the very least in the interim, Rev can provide a vibrant conduit to global conversations and relationships,” says Festival Director, Richard Sowada.
“After commissioning 4 short VR works last year and mounting a VR games conference with XR:WA, the commissioning of this artwork continues to embed this convergence and experimentation into every fibre of our Festival,” Sowada continues.
The full line-up of over 35 feature films and documentaries, plus a comprehensive selection of shorts, is online and on sale now at www.revelationfilmfestival.org.
The Festival opens with FRESHMAN YEAR (USA), Grand Jury Prize Winner at the 2020 SXSW (virtual) Film Festival. Produced by Jay Duplass, this romantic comedy announces a bright new star of American indie drama in writer, director and lead actor, 24-year-old Cooper Raiff, who plays Alex, a lonely Texas freshman studying in LA having difficulty navigating college life.
Other standout offerings from our mates in the States include the compelling and intense relationship drama, THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS, which follows a middle-aged man who is desperately trying to keep his family of six together during a separation from his wife; and SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, where first-time feature director Lance Oppenheim takes us inside the manicured façade of The Villages – America’s largest retirement community, dubbed the Disneyworld for retirees.
Closer to home, our friends across the ditch give us THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING (NZ), a female-led drama starring Essie Davis (The Babadook, Miss Fisher & The Crypt of Tears) as a mother-of-two with a sketchy past and the world against her; and from our very own back yard we have the theatrical version Warwick Thornton’s NITV series, THE BEACH (AUS); WOMEN OF STEEL (AUS), a documentary about a group of women from Wollongong who took on mining giant BHP; THE LAST HORNS OF AFRICA (S.AF/AU), which takes us inside a hidden rhino orphanage and on a journey alongside those who are putting their lives at risk to protect this endangered species; and WE’RE NOT HERE TO F**K SPIDERS (AUS), a tense, claustrophobic drama created from surveillance footage.
There’s even a film chronicling a very special relationship between an amusement park employee and an actual amusement park ride – JUMBO (FRA/BEL/LUX); and a 4-K restored version of Dennis Hopper’s 80’s masterpiece, OUT OF THE BLUE (CAN), which premiered 40 years ago at the Cannes film festival.
Design enthusiasts will revel in AALTO (FIN), a documentary on the life and work of one of the greatest modern architects, Alvar Aalto; and KENNY SCHARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE (USA), which provides an in-depth insight into the visionary and brilliant American painter and iconic street artist.
Street art is also a central theme in THE BEST BATTLE (CHIL); a documentary exploring Santiago’s political street art during the 2019/2020 estallido social (social blast) that marked the remembrance of the 1973 coup. And you can go inside the movement that has come to be known as the alt-right with WHITE NOISE (USA) or experience the private rituals and celebrations of Australians recreating Pagan traditions for the southern hemisphere with UNDER A PAGAN SKY (AUS).
Dive into the history of the underground lesbian scene that emerged in the 80s in London with the documentary REBEL DYKES (UK), produced by founding member of the British/Irish girl group Bananarama, Siobhan Fahey; enjoy a cinematic portrait into the legendary musical innovator DELIA DERBYSHIRE (UK), the English musician, composer and pioneer of electronic music who created the music to iconic science-fiction TV series Doctor Who; or take in the story of Karl Marx’s youngest daughter, Eleanor, via feature film MISS MARX (ITAL/BEL).
The Scandi’s deliver (as always) with MEANWHILE ON EARTH (SWE/DEN/EST), a documentary about the funeral industry; END OF THE LINE: THE WOMEN OF STANDING ROCK (US/FIN), where a group of indigenous women risk their lives to stop the Dakota Access oil pipeline construction that desecrated ancient burial and prayer sites; OH, IT HERTZ (NOR), where musician Laurie Amat takes a journey into the ways in which sound affects us. Spurred on by a conspiracy theory involving Joseph Goebbels and the Nazi’s – where, during an international conference in 1939, the Nazi’s changed the music tuning globally by changing the tone of the tuning fork for all musicians worldwide. They did this because they thought it would make the masses aggressive and more easy to manipulate and this is the pitch we listen to today; and feature film NIMBY (FIN), which stands for Not In My Back Yard and follows a lesbian couple living in Helsinki who are considering coming out of the closet.
Perth’s international party icon TOMAS FORD asks you to HAVE A BATH WITH ME? on Saturday 3 July in a night that promises to deliver an immersive cinema experience full of hyper colour musical adventure.
GET YOUR SHORTS ON! and the City of Vincent Film Project provides the opportunity to support some of WA’s talented emerging filmmakers on Wednesday 7 July and Revelation’s WESTRALIA DAY on Saturday 10 July at The Backlot continues to shine a spotlight on locally-produced short films and long form content.
WIFT AUSTRALIA presents WIFT V-FEST on Sunday 11 July, showcasing the work of women in the film industry both in-front and behind the lens; and Rev’s unique creative experiment BLIND DATE falls on this same day, and is bound to be something special as we bring together musicians and filmmakers.
Amongst all of this, Rev continues to present a selection of panels, discussions and industry workshops – more details available at www.revelationfilmfestival.org.
And Rev’s online streaming platform RevStream (formerly REVonDEMAND) showcases first class films in the comfort of your own home year round.
These are just some of the highlights of the 2021 Revelation Perth International Film Festival program which continues to redefine what a film festival can be, even during the most challenging of cultural times.
Revelation is supported by the Australian and West Australian governments through Screenwest, Lotterywest, Screen Australia and the City of Vincent.
Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI, has today unveiled the internationally acclaimed exhibition Disney: The Magic of Animation, celebrating nearly 100 years of the iconic studio’s creations. Shown for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere as part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, a Victorian Government initiative delivered through Visit Victoria.
Curated from a staggering 65 million original artworks housed at the Walt Disney Animation Research Library in Los Angeles, 500 carefully selected pieces – including sketches, drawings, paintings and concept art – comprise this once-in-a-lifetime exposition, which pulls back the curtain on the magic that goes into making some of the world’s most iconic films.
These rarely seen works highlight the detailed development of Disney’s most beloved animations – from Mickey Mouse’s first talkie Steamboat Willie (1928), through to the groundbreaking Fantasia (1940) and the universally celebrated Frozen (2013) – while highlighting the extraordinary evolution of animation techniques which the studio pioneered. The Melbourne iteration will also debut never-before-exhibited artwork from the Studio’s newest release Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).
“We’re delighted to open Disney: The Magic of Animation – our first major exhibition since reopening our transformed museum,” said ACMI Director CEO, Katrina Sedgwick OAM. “Disney has enchanted audiences across the world, with the universal fondness for beloved classics just as strong as the enthusiasm for modern masterpieces. It’s so special to be able to bring an exhibition to Australia that will resonate so strongly with audiences of all ages and all cultures and will be a source of joy for so many.”
“Part of The Walt Disney Company’s local and loved strategy is to create new opportunities to share our unique and global stories with local audiences. This is at the heart of everything we do to entertain, connect and inspire. We are incredibly excited to share the Disney: The Magic of Animation exhibition with the people of Melbourne at the iconic ACMI museum, in the centre of the city. Bringing this exhibition to Australian shores invites guests to connect with the depth and breadth of our stories, and beloved characters in a more relevant, and meaningful way. We hope that those who attend will be delighted and inspired by the artistry showcased, bringing to life our Disney stories and its magic, here in Australia,” said Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company Australia & New Zealand.
“We are so excited to be opening our exhibition at ACMI and sharing these treasures from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library collection with Australian audiences. The exhibition features behind the scenes production artworks which were created during the development of our Disney animated films. Guests will have a rare opportunity to see how the film makers and artists develop our stories and work through different ideas and concepts along the way to creating the films we know so well. The artworks are inspiring and touching and show the diversity of artistic talents that go into the making of our films. We hand selected these artworks from our collection of over 65 million works, to give guests the special experience of going behind the scenes at the Walt Disney Animation Studios,” added Kristen McCormick, Art Exhibitions & Conservation Manager of Walt Disney Animation Research Library.
“From Mickey Mouse to The Lion King, no matter your age – the wonderful world of Disney has reached us all, I encourage Victorians to visit this Australian-first exhibition at ACMI this winter. Disney: The Magic of Animation is set to be a blockbuster – not only will we see Victorians filing in to see it, it will also attract visitors from around the country which is exactly what we need as Victoria continues its recovery,” said Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson.
Lauded across the globe, from Paris to Tokyo, Seoul to Singapore, Disney: The Magic of Animation is a remarkable compilation of artworks by the creative team of artists and film makers at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. It will spark joy, curiosity and nostalgia in visitors young and old.
The opening of Disney: The Magic of Animation is the first time a major exhibition has taken place since the museum’s $40 million redevelopment, backed by the Victorian Government.
Disney: The Magic of Animation opens at ACMI today. Tickets can be purchased online at acmi.net.au
