PREVIEW: 2023 SAXO SCANDINAVIAN FILM FESTIVAL

The 2023 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival programme has unveiled a specially curated programme of the best new cinema from the Nordic region, featuring films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Recognising the festival’s status as a major cultural event is the announcement of Saxo Markets, the leading Danish trading and investment specialists, as the 2023 naming rights partner.

Opening the festival is the Australian Premiere of LET THE RIVER FLOW (Ellos eatnu – La elva leve; pictured, above), Audience Award winner at the 2023 Göteborg Film Festival, and starring proud Sámi, Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen. Based on events that have inspired a generation of young Norwegians, writer/director Ole Giæver’s elegant drama follows a young woman drawn into a protest against a dam that may flood Indigenous Sámi land.

Program highlights include GODLAND (Volaða land; pictured, right), Icelandic writer/director Hlynur Pálmason’s follow-up to his breakout hit A White, White Day, a stunning historical drama that follows a Danish priest’s pilgrimage across a largely unexplored Iceland in the late 1800s; Finland’s leading auteur Aki Kaurismäki new tragicomedy FALLEN LEAVES (Kuolleet lehdet) starring Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen, is the tale of two lonely strangers who meet by chance one Helsinki night, in search of the love of their lives.

The ever-popular Scandi neo-Noir, thrillers and psychological dramas are repped by Danish director Fenar Ahmad’s highly anticipated sequel to box office smash Darkland, DARKLAND: THE RETURN (Underverden II) starring Dar Salim as an anti-hero re-entering the Copenhagen underworld undercover; Karoline Lyngbye’s SUPERPOSITION, a supernatural-tinged thriller in which a couple tree-change from Copenhagen to the Swedish forest, hoping to reignite their relationship; and COPENHAGEN DOES NOT EXIST (København findes ikke), Martin Skovbjerg’s complex psychological drama, in which a young man agrees to be locked in an apartment and interrogated by his missing girlfriends’ father. 

From Sweden comes Johan Storm’s SHADOW ISLAND (pictured, right), a thriller about an aspiring meteorologist in search of the truth about his father's passing, resulting in an intense maelstrom of paranoia and mystery; Karin af Klintberg’s fascinating documentary THE KING (Kungen), a thought-provoking and poetic film about Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, who became the world’s youngest monarch.

Crowned best Nordic film at the 2023 Göteborg Film Festival, UNRULY (Ustyrlig) is Malou Reymann’s unsettling 1930s-set drama inspired by real-life events from the notorious women’s institution on the Danish Island of Sprogø that taught compliance to ‘morally deficient’ girls. And Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken’s MUNCH gripping, sumptuous dramatisation of Edvard Munch's life, depicts four defining periods in the Norwegian artist’s life, providing an intimate insight into a distinctive and unique artistic mind.

Scandi cinema hits include Icelandic smash WILD GAME (Villibráð) featuring Aníta Briem, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Hilmar Guðjónsson in Elsa Maria Jakobsdóttir’s entertaining comedy of manners; the newest instalment in the highly popular Grump films from Finnish filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki, THE GRUMP: IN SEARCH OF AN ESCORT (Mielensäpahoittaja Eskorttia etsimässä) in which an ageing widower travels to Germany to buy a 1972 Ford Escort but ends up settling accounts with his past; and, Danish director Paprika Steen’s ensemble laffer FATHERS & MOTHERS (Fædre & mødre) about the challenges of parenting school-aged children.

An impressive roster of retrospective classics, presented in a strand called ‘Scandi Screams’, is led by a 15th anniversary screening of Tomas Alfredson’s LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Låt den rätte komma in); Ali Abbasi’s Oscar-nominated BORDER (Gräns), featuring the extraordinary Eva Melander as customs officer ‘Tina’; the director's cut of Ari Aster’s MIDSOMMAR, featuring a breakout performance from Florence Pugh; Nicolas Winding Refn’s subversive Viking epic VALHALLA RISING, starring Mads Mikkelsen (pictured, right) as a pagan warrior who joins a group of Crusaders; RARE EXPORTS, Jalmari Helander’s inventively macabre dark Christmas fantasy; and, André Øvredal’s adventurous fusion of folklore and found-footage fantasy, TROLL HUNTER (Trolljegeren), which follows a government employed troll hunter, responsible for maintaining the troll population.

The 2023 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival will take place from 13 July to 9 August. Session and ticketing information can be found at the event’s official website.

PREVIEW: 2023 CHILDREN'S INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

From May 27 at sites in Sydney and Melbourne, the Children's International Film Festival (CHIFF) returns for its fifth year, showcasing a program filled with family friendly films. In 2023, all-age audiences will enjoy cinematic adventures high in the Himalayas, amongst the fascinating world of art, with friends old and new, and in both vivid live-action and stunning animation.

Screening at Ritz Cinemas, Randwick and in Melbourne at the Classic Cinemas, Lido Cinemas and Cameo Cinemas until June 12, the CHIFF program features 21 Australian premiere titles and one retrospective feature tailored to young filmgoers aged from 3 years old and up. The 2023 festival line-up includes films in English, as well as two French films with English subtitles.

"The high quality of contemporary cinema and television for kids these days is a huge motivating force behind the Children's International Film Festival,” said Festival Director Thomas Caldwell, “We are back with delights from all around the world to entertain, engage, and mesmerise children from 3-years-old to young teens. Australian children no longer have to miss out on amazing stories of alien visitors, fairies and trolls, and our old friends the Moomins."

Among the many highlights in this year's program is The Tiger's Nest, directed by Brando Quilici from Italy. This epic adventure, set and shot in the majestic Himalayas, tells the story of a young orphan boy, Balmani, who rescues a tiger cub from ruthless poachers.

Moominvalley: Lonely Mountain, directed by Darren Robbie from Finland and the UK, is another standout in the 2023 program. Based on Tove Jansson's beloved works, this Australian Premiere features three brand new episodes from the acclaimed series. With the voices of Rosamund Pike, Matt Berry, and Jennifer Saunders, Moomintroll and his daring companions take the audience on a series of exciting adventures.

Icarus and the Minotaur is a beautifully animated retelling of the myth of Icarus that was Luxembourg’s submission for the Best International Feature Film category of the 95th Academy Awards in 2023. Other noteworthy films in the festival include Maika: The Girl from Another Galaxy, a Vietnamese science-fiction comedy; Billy and the Cowboy Hamster, a series based on the popular books by Catharina Valck; and, Alma's Way, a U.S./Canadian animated series created by Sonia Manzano, who positively impacted the lives of generations as Maria on Sesame Street.

The program caters to kindy-age tots with fun international animations. In Hug Me-The Movie (pictured, top), Teddy and Papa Bear embrace change on a quest for honey in the Golden Land; in Rosa and the Stone Troll, fearful flower fairy Rosa overcomes her fears to rescue her adventurous butterfly friend Silk; and, Pim & Pom at the Museum (pictured, right) is a playful animation series consisting of 13 episodes that take children on a discovery journey through the fascinating world of art.

And back in cinemas after 25 years is George Miller’s Babe: Pig in the City. Upon its initial release, the sequel to the Oscar-nominated global blockbuster was considered a bit of a  misfire. But subsequent generations have turned the film into a stand-alone beloved film with critical opinion now firmly on its side.   

Ticketing and session details can be found at the 2023 Children’s International Film Festival Official Website.

PREVIEW: 2023 FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA

Daring, unconventional, cutting-edge cinema is returning to Melbourne and Sydney with the 2023 edition of the Fantastic Film Festival Australia (FFFA). Running from April 14-30, FFFA has a panoramic celebration of new and provocative films locked in place for the more courageous filmgoer.

With a line-up of 27 features, the Festival is offering its biggest program yet. From animated cowboys to queer magical realism, s**t-stained deathtraps to outback horrors, this year's program of often weird, occasionally wonderful screening options will unfold alongside Q&A panels, live performances, a scratch-and-sniff movie experience, music video blind dates, and the bold and bawdy ‘nude session’.

According to Festival Director, Hudson Sowada, "This year's program pushes the limits of storytelling and challenges conventional notions of reality. We're excited to showcase such an eclectic range of films, and we encourage audiences to take risks and embrace the strange."

Opening Night honours go to writer/director Nida Manzoor’s Polite Society, a distinctive genre mash-up that premiered earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival. The crowd pleasing film follows Ria Khan (Priya Kansara, in a star-making performance), a martial artist-in-training on a mission to save her sister Lena from an arranged marriage.

International features set for Australian Premieres include the biggest grossing film in Belgium last year, Zillion (pictured, above), chronicling the odyssey undertaken by a computer genius who creates the biggest discotheque in the world; Holy Shit!, a gross-out comedy and survival thriller set entirely in a Portaloo packed with explosives; and, the latest in the Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Rise, which will unfurl at a midnight showing.

Australian films in the 2023 line include The Survival of Kindness, an allegorical journey across a plague-ravaged wilderness by legendary filmmaker Rolf de Heer, who will be in attendance for a Q&A at the first Sydney screening; Sam Curtain’s Beaten to Death, a savage cat-and-mouse game set in remote Tasmania; Blur, a Giallo-style psycho-horror with supernatural mystery and ghastly practical effects from filmmaker Andrew Miles Broughton; and, Zac Cooper’s The End of History, which follows Australian techno producers Darcy and Pat's pursuit of creative greatness in changing and challenging Berlin.

Venturing beyond the traditional cinema experience is the world's first scratch and sniff session, called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Stink-O-Vision. Audiences are taken on a olfactory journey through the sewers of New York City, accompanied by a menu of bespoke scents; simply scratch the corresponding number on the scent card when the icon flashes on screen. The other key retro screening on the roster is Audition, cult director Takashi Miike's 1999 classic starring the unforgettable frightening Eihi Shiina (pictured, right).

 And while details are remaining understandably vague, FFFA is rumoured to be screening a work, direct from its Toronto Film Festival premiere, that is so courted in controversy it can’t even be named in the program.  This secret presentation of what FFFA is calling ‘An Untitled and Perfectly-Legal Coming-Of-Age Parody Film’ will give audiences a rare chance to be among the few people in the world to watch this film. The director will be joining for a series of in-person Q&As.

Closing the Festival in showstopping style is the modern exploitation film LION-GIRL, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film about the last defender of humanity against the ANOROC, a new species that emerged after a tsunami of meteors. Featuring character design by the legendary Manga artist Go Nagai, the film promises an outrageous and unhinged story, along with practical effects and gratuitous nudity.

FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA runs Friday, 14 April to Sunday 30 April 2023 at the Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn in Melbourne and the Ritz Cinemas, Randwick in Sydney.

Visit the event’s Official Website for session and ticketing details.

PREVIEW: 2023 INNER WEST FILM FESTIVAL

From March 31 to April 2, a selection of venues across Sydney’s vibrant inner suburbs will play host to an impressive roster of award-winning Australian and World premieres as part of the inaugural Inner West Film Festival. 

“Sydney’s Inner West is one of Australia’s most creatively and culturally vibrant communities, a home to artists, musicians, writers, actors and filmmakers, and host to some of Australia’s best live music venues, restaurants, bars and cinemas,” explained Dov Kornits, co-founder/director of the Harbour City’s newest film celebration. “The only thing the Inner West was missing was its very own film festival.”

Premium venues such as Palace Cinemas Leichhardt and Dendy Cinemas Newtown will host over 15 special events, spanning a diverse range of genres, documentaries and live Q&As. Supported by Inner West Council, Inner West Film Fest will launch with the Sydney premiere of director Jub Clerc’s Indigenous coming-of-age story Sweet As (pictured, right), direct from an international film festival run that has seen it earn honours in Melbourne, Berlin and Toronto. The screening will be a free community outdoor event held at Marrickville Golf Club on March 31.

The World Premiere of the dance drama The Red Shoes: Next Step, co-directed by Jesse Ahern and beloved local actress Joanne Samuel, is a major programming coup for the new festival team, with the Juliet Doherty-starrer headed for general release Down Under from April 6. Other high-profile premieres include the first Australian showings for Camille Hardman’s and Gary Lane’s US doco Still Working 9 to 5, an entertaining look at the impact of the classic film comedy; Jason Wayne Trost’s CGI superhero fantasy/satire, FP 4EVZ; and, Georgian director Ioseb 'Soso' Bliadze’s acclaimed drama, A Room of My Own.

Along with such potent local indie cinema as Molly Haddon’s sibling saga The Longest Weekend, Susie Dee and Trudy Hellier’s all-girl nighttime odyssey SHIT and John Hughes and Tom Zubrycki’s underground cinema deep-dive Senses of Cinema, come fresh works from such diverse international film cultures as Ireland, Finland and Belgium (co-production entities on Klaus Härö’s My Sailor, My Love); The United Kingdom (Chris Foggins’ crowdpleaser Bank of Dave, with Hugh Bonneville); Switzerland, Ukraine and France (partners on Elie Grappe’s sports drama, Olga); and, Italy and Germany (bad-boy auteur Abel Ferrara’s religious biopic Padre Pio, starring Shia LeBeouf; pictured, below).

Other highlights include two retro screenings - Alan White’s 1999 drama Erskineville Kings (pictured, top), one of the few features shot in the inner-city and featuring early roles for Hugh Jackman and Joel Edgerton, which will screen from a 35mm print; and, a 4K restored version of Sergio Leone’s epic 1968 western classic, Once Upon a Time in The West, starring Henry Fonda.  

Fellow fest founder and co-director Greg Dolgopolov says, “We want to bring the community in the Inner West together for an exciting celebration of film. We want to [acknowledge] not just the cultural richness of the Inner West, but the medium of film itself, and its ability to bring people together. We are so excited to kick off what will hopefully become an essential date on Sydney’s cultural calendar every year and will make one of Australia’s most vibrant artistic and cultural hubs even more exciting.”

Full program and session details can be found at the 2023 INNER WEST FILM FESTIVAL official website.

PREVIEW: 2022 VETERANS FILM FESTIVAL

The 7th Veterans Film Festival (VFF) relocates to Sydney from Canberra for the first-time next month, with the prestigious event unfolding at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter and neighbouring Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). The expansive program will present more than 20 new and retrospective films and an engaging program of art, master classes and script readings.

Running from November 3-6, VFF will open with the Australian Premiere of Lila Neugebauer’s Causeway, starring Jennifer Lawrence (pictured, above) as an Afghanistan War veteran with traumatic brain injury who struggles to adjust to life back home. It will be the only theatrical screening of the critically-acclaimed film ahead of its international premiere on AppleTV on November 4.

Other feature film highlights include the documentary The Skin of Others, profiling the life of Aboriginal soldier and journalist Douglas Grant; the Stan Original film Transfusion, directed by Matt Nable and starring Sam Worthington (pictured, right) as a former Special Forces operative; and, the Ari Folman-directed animation feature Where is Anne Frank?, a reworking of her iconic wartime story, told through her imaginary friend in modern day Amsterdam.

Two strands of short films bring works from countries such as The Netherlands (Niels Bourgonje’s Barrier); Belgium (Donald Merten’s War Games); Norway (Hans Melbye’s Masters of Conflict); the United Kingdom (Olivia Martin McGuire’s Freedom Swimmer); Italy (Stefano Monti’s Terzo Tempo); New Zealand (Isaac Lee’s The Haka); and, the United States (including Justin Koehler’s Ride Away).

Two stunning animation works from Iran are booked - Farnoosh Abedi’s The Sprayer, recently voted Best Animation short at the 2022 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, and Balance, from director Barzan. And from the nation of Ukraine comes Rainer Ludwig’s The Veteran’s Dramedy, a co-production with Germany, and the powerful animated short Life and death, from the Volunteer Animation of Ukraine anonymous collective.

Two-time Oscar nominee Bruce Beresford will preside over a jury that includes actors Jenni Baird and Alan Dukes, who will adjudicate on the prestigious Red Poppy Awards, awarded to the best feature and short films. Beresford will also present a retrospective of his wartime films, including a 25th anniversary screening of  Paradise Road (1997), starring Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close and Frances McDormand; Breaker Morant (1980), for which Jack Thompson earned Supporting Actor honours at the Cannes Film Festival; and, the box office hit Ladies in Black (2018), starring Angourie Rice. 

Also getting a rare big screen showing is Bill Bennett’s A Street to Die (1985; pictured, below) featuring Chris Haywood as the Vietnam veteran fighting for legal recognition of the damage done to him by the defoliant Agent Orange. In a special event, producer David Elfick’s new World War II feature Kamarada, set to be shot with Phillip Noyce in Timor-Leste, will receive a live script-reading presentation.

The relocation of the festival to Sydney is intended to expand the close association with AFTRS who are partnering with VFF to deliver the new Screen Warriors program. This groundbreaking initiative provides support for veterans who want to partake in industry training and employment in the film sector.

The three-day, four-night festival includes an exhibition of artwork from veteran artists and photographers, including a selection of Mike Armstrong’s work from his recent Voices of Veterans exhibition and the Persona exhibition opening soon at the Australian National Veterans Art Museum (ANVAM). 

TICKETS are now on sale for the 2022 VETERANS FILM FESTIVAL here.