In a jarring homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Phoenix, Glen Falkenstein finds that like so many of the great director’s thrillers, Phoenix is all about the ending. Set shortly after the end of the Second World […]
Category: Festivals
The Lost Aviator
“When I first went into the story I thought he was guilty for sure.” Writer/director Andrew Lancaster addresses a crowd of conspiracy theorists, romantics, historians, family and friends at the Australian premiere of his documentary […]
Joburg Youth Story Unravels At Sydney Film Festival
Visiting South African filmmaker, Sibs Shongwe-La Mer discusses the inspiration behind his confronting debut film, Necktie Youth. “I hate Joburg (Johannesburg), it was more an ode to my friends, to where I was from, nothing […]
GRANDMA
Imagine if Lily Tomlin was your grandma? Tomlin plays grandma, girlfriend, mother and outward misanthrope Elle Reid in this charming, female-centric comedy-drama which screened this week as part of the Sydney Film Festival. GRANDMA kicks off […]
The Emperor’s New Clothes
A Russel Brand-sized headache “There’s nothing in this film you don’t already know.” Comedian and self-styled activist Russel Brand kicks off his documentary about greed, the financial crisis and whatever else he’s angry at this […]
The Smell of Us
“He’s a peacock who drags his little ass through Paris.” So a mother unflatteringly teases her son Math (Lukas Ionesco), a teenage escort for older men, before proceeding to mount him and demand affection. Larry Clark’s […]
Vincent
Vincent manages to be a very sweet film that goes down like a savoury treat; simple, easily consumable and ultimately satisfying. Writer and director Thomas Salvador also stars in this film as the unassuming protagonist, Vincent […]
99 Homes + interview with Director Ramin Bahrani
Director Ramin Bahrani sat down with ScreenHub to discuss his new film 99 Homes, one of the most promising entries currently screening at the Sydney Film Festival. Set in Florida amidst the US mortgage crisis, in preparing […]
Last Cab to Darwin
“We knew from really early on that we needed to do the trip, we had about 18 flat tyres – it was an extraordinary adventure.” Last Cab to Darwin follows Rex (Michael Caton), a Broken Hill […]
DEATHGASM
Rarely ever has a film’s title been put to better use. DEATHGASM (because lower case is for wusses) is a New Zealand comedy-horror flick where new kid in town/metal-head Brodie (Milo Cawthorne) forms a band […]
Sherpa – Dizzying Heights
Premiering over the weekend, Australian documentary, Sherpa, is the only documentary vying for the Sydney Film Prize at the Sydney Film Festival. “I watched the Sherpas on many a cutting room floor for Everest films… […]
The Daughter Wows at Sydney Film Festival
Enfant terrible theatre director turned filmmaker, Simon Stone, makes a splash with his first film, The Daughter, which is vying for the lucrative Sydney Film Prize. “A group of actors made this more human than […]
Gayby Baby Premieres At Sydney Film Festival
“Four years ago when Charlotte [Mars] and I started making this film we couldn’t imagine that our country would be debating marriage equality when we released it” Gayby Baby director Maya Newell addresses a sold-out […]
Slow West
New Zealand doubling as 19th century Colorado? Yes, and done brilliantly and humorously, in Michael Fassbender’s latest film, Slow West. “Let’s drift” Macabre cinema can best be described by that old steak pun – it’s […]
Madame Bovary
The kind of film a teacher might show their class if they were really desperate for an adaptation, Madame Bovary is a lacklustre and all-round disappointing period drama. Based on the debut novel by French […]
Far from the Madding Crowd
Having seen Far from the Madding Crowd at this year’s SFF, Glen Falkenstein concludes that sometimes, casting just works. Heiress Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) takes over a large farm and property in the latest Thomas […]
Australia and Ireland Partnering on Film
With the imminent release of Strangerland, Glen Falkenstein takes a look at the production partnership between Ireland and Australia. Co-operation between the Irish and Australian film industries is set to reach a milestone this year, with the release […]
Best of Enemies
More than a documentary on the public rivalry between liberal intellectual, Gore Vidal, and conservative heavyweight, William F. Buckley Jr, ‘Best of Enemies’ is a boxing match played out through rounds of televised debate and […]
Festival Report: Irish Film Festival, Sydney
The inaugural Irish Film Festival took place in Sydney 26 – 29 March 2015 with several Australian premieres. Glen Falkenstein sat down with the festival’s director, Dr Enda Murray, on the closing night to go […]
Irish Film Festival Wraps In Sydney!
The inaugural Irish Film Festival hit Sydney on the weekend with several Australian premieres. The Irish Film Festival’s director, Dr Enda Murray, worked in conjunction with the local Irish community to export some home-grown cinema […]
TRYGVE WAKENSHAW: KRAKEN
Physical comedy at its finest – a glare, a contortion or sideways glance from this one-man show was enough to have the audience rolling around in laughter. The star barely spoke – instead getting the […]
