12th Spanish Film Festival presents BUÑUEL – RETROSPECTIVE & EXHIBITION
Monday, 06 April 2009 00:48
12th Spanish Film Festival presents
BUÑUEL – RETROSPECTIVE & EXHIBITION
BUÑUEL - AMIGOS Y PELICULAS (FAMILY & FILMS)
A comprehensive exhibition and film retrospective honouring the work of Spanish surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel will be presented by the Spanish Film Festival in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in April 2009, marking the 25th anniversary of his death.
Considered one of the most important directors in the history of cinema, Luis Buñuel Portoles died in July 1983 aged 83, having directed, written and edited over 30 films (including features, shorts and documentaries) in his native Spain, France, USA and Mexico.
The exhibition, BUÑUEL – AMIGOS Y PELICULAS (FRIENDS AND FILMS) is a collection of 30 never-before seen in Australia B&W portraits of friends, family and location shots selected from the collection held at the Centro Buñuel de Calanda, Spain, his birthplace. Included in the selection are photographs of Buñuel with such luminaries of the arts world as Salvador Dali, Federico Garcia Lorca, Max Ernst and Igor Stravinsky. Also part of the exhibition are film posters, letters and an A/V presentation with Buñuel’s insightful anecdotes about his 32 films.
The Director and Curator of the Centro Buñuel – and co-director of the documentary about Buñuel, Javier Espada - will visit Australia for the opening of the exhibition.
As the father of cinematic surrealism, Buñuel’s body of work was often controversial and pre-occupied with breaking social conventions. His style has had an enormous influence on filmmakers, prompting Alfred Hitchcock to call him “the best director ever”. He has won numerous awards, including: an Academy Award® (the first Spaniard to win an Oscar) and a BAFTA Award for Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) (’72) and many film festival and critics’ awards in Mexico, Berlin and Cannes. His film Los Olvidados (’50) (The Young and the Damned) was one of the first two films recognised by UNESCO in 2003 in its Memory of the World Register, which promotes the preservation of valuable archival holdings.
“The Buñuel Retrospective, exhibition, masterclasses and panel discussions - will appeal to film festival-goers, critics and the wider film community already familiar with his work, as well as others who will discover him for the first time,” said Director and Founder of the Spanish Film Festival, Natalia Ortiz.
As a tribute to one of cinema’s most influential filmmakers, The Buñuel Retrospective and Exhibition aims to complement Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne’s film festival calendars and, with its provocative and challenging content, contribute to the cities’ lively screen culture.
Films screening in the Retrospective include:
UN PERRO ANDALUZ An Andalusian Dog (1929) France
THE GOLDEN AGE (1930) France
LAS HURDES Land Without Bread (1933) Spain
WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1953) Mexico
CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ (1955)
NAZARIN (1959) Mexico
VIRIDIANA (1961) Spain/Mexico
El Angel Exterminador The Exterminating Angel (1962) Mexico
DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID (1964) France
SIMON DEL DESIERTO Simon of the Desert (1965) Mexico
BELLE DE JOUR (1967) France/Italy
LA VOIE LACTEE The Milky Way (1969) France/W.Germany/Italy
LE CHARME DISCRET DE LA BOURGEOISIE The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) France
CET OBSCUR OBJET DU DESIR That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) France/Spain
Complementing the Retrospective is a recent documentary THE LAST SCRIPT: REMEMBERING LUIS BUÑUEL El ultimo guion: buñuel en la memoria (2008 Germany/Spain), directed by Gaizka Veresti and Javier Espada, and featuring his son Juan Luis Buñuel).
The Exhibition, BUÑUEL – AMIGOS Y PELICULAS (FRIENDS AND FILMS):
Sydney: 28 April – 30 May at Customs House Gallery
Canberra: 29 April – late August at National Film & Sound Archive launching with a special screening of the Documentary on 29 April.
Melbourne: 2 May – 29 May at City of Melbourne Library
The Retrospective screens:
Sydney: 6-18 May as part of the Spanish Film Festival at Palace Academy Twin, Palace Norton Street & Chauvel
Canberra: 21 May – 7 June at ARC Cinema (National Film & Sound Archive)
Melbourne: 13-25 May as part of the Spanish Film Festival at Palace Cinema Como, and Kino Cinemas
The 12th Spanish Film Festival screens the best in contemporary Spanish features, documentaries, shorts and animation throughout May.
Tickets and further information: www.spanishfilmfestival.com <http://www.spanishfilmfestival.com>
The 2009 Spanish Film Festival exhibition and retrospective is produced with the support of The Spanish Embassy, The French and Mexican Embassies, The Consulate General of Spain in Sydney and Melbourne, National Film and Sound Archive, Customs House, The City of Sydney as well as private Spanish and Australian companies.
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GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL MELBOURNE 16 - 26 APRIL AT PALACE CINEMAS
Thursday, 26 March 2009 23:40
Anna Maria Mühe in 'November Child' By now you all know that Melbourne is the events capital of the universe and it is non-stop festival time from March on. We ahve already had the fabulous French festival but standby for the Audi Festival of German Films , sponsored by Audi, Palace and organised by the Goethe Institut. This year's festival guest includes Anna Maria Mühe, seen above in a scene from 'November Child' an eery and gripping thriller based around the days of the Berlin Wall. What a silly time that was!! How could half a city have been kept captive? Anyway, this film, directed by the brilliant Connie Walther is not to be missed. Another film based on the East-West conflict is '12 means I love you' which tells of a Stasi interrogator and the affair he has with one of his prisoners. But it is way more than that. It looks at the notion of civil disobedience and the need to carry out orders. I can't help thinking of the G & S examination of duty in the Pirates of Penzance and how Gilbert's words nailed the total stupidity of people not thinking for themselves. Each film is a gem and there is more to come in the programme. You can examine your options at www.goethe.de/australia but if you want to rub shoulders with the literati & glitterati of Melbourne's German population on the opening night then you ahd better book now as tickets go in a flash. In fact, that is true for many of the sessions. Palace is a great supporter of these cultural events which are the heartbeat of Melbourne's artistic life.
METRO Magazine turns 40!
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 06:31
“METRO”
AUSTRALIA’S LONGEST RUNNING FILM & MEDIA MAGAZINE
CELEBRATES ITS 40TH BIRTHDAY!
Founded in 1969 under the auspices of ATOM (Australian Teachers of Media),
Metro is Australia’s oldest continuously published film and media magazine.
This year, the St Kilda-based quarterly celebrates its 40th birthday, and will mark
the event by hosting (courtesy of Icon Film Distribution) the first Australian
screening of Oscar-winning animator Adam Elliot’s feature Mary and Max on 31
March at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne. This
auspicious occasion also provides the opportunity for Metro to look back on its
considerable achievements.
‘It’s been fascinating to document the evolution of the Australian film industry
and screen culture over the last 40 years,” says Peter Tapp, editor of Metro for
over 20 years. “Successes in the 1970s and mid 1990s have been punctuated by
doom and gloom, uncertainty and a negative public perception of Australian
films. There have certainly been ups and downs, but we have high hopes for
2009, with the release of films of the calibre of Mary and Max, Samson and
Delilah and Disgrace and new work from directors like Jane Campion, Scott
Hicks, Sarah Watt and Bruce Beresford. We look forward to providing intelligent,
insightful coverage and hope that these films attract the audiences they
deserve.”
With a focus on Australasian film, television, radio and multimedia, Metro prides
itself on keeping alive the tradition of the essay, immersing the reader in
informed, analytical and thought-provoking articles. Over the past 40 years, the
magazine has published the work of thousands of Australian and international
filmmakers, scholars and reviewers.
Along with its sister publication Screen Education and ATOM’s study guides,
Metro has also been a key resource for media students and teachers, providing
detailed analyses of films, industry interviews and practical information for
budding filmmakers.
Metro’s 40th birthday issue will be out in late March, and features reviews of
upcoming Australasian features including Beautiful, Samson and Delilah, The
Combination and Dean Spanley; an in-depth look at the New Zealand film
industry; interviews with Sam Neill and Adam Elliot; and critical essays on
Australia and Slumdog Millionaire.
ERIC BANA’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT SELECTED FOR TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK
Thursday, 12 March 2009 03:35
Pick Up Truck Pictures and Whyte House Productions are delighted to announce that LOVE THE BEAST, directed by Eric Bana, has been hand-picked to play at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York, on 29 April 2009. The gala event will mark the Australian feature film’s International Premiere and will be the launch pad for the film overseas.
LOVE THE BEAST is a compelling true story that follows Eric’s 25-year love affair with his car - ‘the Beast’. Filmed over 2 years, the film follows Eric on an unexpectedly emotional journey from inside the race car to the surreal world of the red carpet as Eric considers the importance of family, friends and what it means to keep your dreams alive. The film also stars Jeremy Clarkson, Jay Leno and Dr Phil.
“Love the Beast is a great fit for the energy and profile of the Tribeca Film Festival and I am extremely excited to have the film playing there,” said Director Eric Bana.
The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival takes place in New York from April 22 – May 3, 2009 and LOVE THE BEAST is one of only 3 Australian feature films to be represented at the festival founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001. The Tribeca Film Festival aims to enable filmmakers to reach the broadest possible audience, engage the international film community, and to bring filmmakers and cinema to New York City. For more information visit http://www.tribecafilm.com/
James Hewison, of Madman Entertainment, the film’s Australian distributor, commented “Madman is thrilled that Eric’s directorial debut will be launched internationally at this increasingly prestigious & important film festival. We know that the Tribeca audience will enjoy this film, as much as Australia’s cinema-goers will!”
LOVE THE BEAST is produced by Melbourne-based film group Whyte House Productions and Eric Bana’s Pick Up Truck Pictures. The film is distributed by Madman Entertainment and opens wide in Australian cinemas today, Thursday 12 March.
ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL ON NOW!
Wednesday, 11 March 2009 06:05
Generally, in Australia at any film festival, the French films sell out faster than you can exclaim 'Sacré bleu!'. So here's a way around that. Check out the Alliance Française French Film Festival where ALL the films are French (as expected). You will see almost wall-to-wall beauty with a whole lot of comedy and good acting thrown in, the latter being from people such as Gerard Dépardieu, he of the penchant for Penfold's Grange. Vincent Cassel is also there as are all the usual suspects. The whole event is sponsored by Tefal, French company making excellent kitchen goods especially their utensils, crêpe pans and saucepans. Nice of them in these troubled times to support an arts festival of this kind! So support them back and check out their goodies in your local Matchbox, Supply & Demand, Myer, DJ's etc. etc. Here's what you need to know to get there: Dates in Melbourne: 5th - 20th March (see earlier entries). Venues: Palace theatres all round Melbourne. Web address for fine detail: http://www.frenchfilmfestival.org/ My picks for this festival are: 'Summer Hours' (beau film, très émouvant avec la grande vedette Juliette Binoche dans une rôle magnifique) 'A Pain in the Ass' 'Born in '68'
And you could take the kids to Asterix.... but take your knitting while they have fun with the fart jokes...
A list of films follows and check out the Palace site for venues and specific times.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 11 March 2009 06:31 )
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