The Writers' Resource

SEE THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE DISABILITY AT
THE OTHER FILM FESTIVAL

From September 3 until September 7, Australia’s only disability film festival will be held at The Age Theatre, Melbourne Museum.

Presented by Arts Access Victoria, THE OTHER FILM FESTIVAL is a kaleidoscopic biennial event of ground-breaking short films, documentaries and animations from all corners of the globe including Germany, Netherlands, Russia, Greece, UK, USA, France Iran, Denmark, Canada, Hungary and, of course, Australia.

Now in its third year, THE OTHER FILM FESTIVAL promotes the passionate exchange of ideas by offering a gloriously diverse line-up of films that explore the many facets of disability with humor, verve and drama, and invites interaction with audience members via a range of guest speakers and lively forums.

The 2008 line-up includes more than 35 films to be shown over 20 sessions, in an environment that promotes accessibility for every audience member.  Films will be captioned and audio described and all sessions and forums will be sign interpreted.

This year’s Festival is also delighted to welcome several international guests including award-winning Canadian director, Paul Nadler, whose gutsy film BRAINDAMADJ’D…TAKE 2 will be re-screened due to popular demand; Greek documentary-maker Antonios Rellas who will present his latest film WAVES OF THE AEGEAN; Gregor Kern, the world’s leading authority on disability cinema and director of Germany’s long-running Wie Wie Leben (The Way We Live Festival), and from the USA, Betty Siegel, director of Accessibility at Washington’s Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts.

Several local filmmakers will also be on hand to present their films, including Festival Patron Adam Elliott who will share some hilarious and potentially defamatory stories about the making of his latest stop-motion feature animation, MARY AND MAX.

Highlights from the 2008 program include:

THE ITALIAN DOCTOR (Director: Esben Hansen, Documentary, Denmark)
For the past 15 years Dr Alberto Cairo has had one aim: to restore the dignity of every mine victim in Afghanistan. As head of the Red Cross Orthopaedic Centre in Kabul, Dr. Cairo has helped more than 50.000 mine victims walk again, and he fights a daily battle to support their reintegration into war-torn Afghan society.

A COSY PLACE FOR THE FISH  (Director: Leila Hossieny - Drama, Iran)
Living on the outer fringe of a large city, a short-statured couple prepare for the arrival of their first child. A powerful and confronting expression of difference and dignity.

LOOK AT ME  (Director: Niko von Glasow - Documentary, Germany)
Niko von Glasow takes an honest, humorous and unblinking look at how thalidomide has affected the way he is perceived by himself and others. He asks a number of thalidomide-affected people to join him in posing naked for an exhibition of giant photos.

RASPBERRY RIPPLE  (Director: Patrick Whittaker - Comedy, UK)
Young rock star Des Gilroy suffers a stroke on stage and spends the next forty years in NHS nursing homes as a cripple.  He is eventually expelled for a series of misdemeanours and is forced to move in with his brother.  An argument with the squatters next door escalates into a full-blown war with neither side preparing to take prisoners.

YOLK  (Director: Stephen Lance - Drama, Australia)
When Lena, a fifteen-year-old girl with Down’s Syndrome, steals a sex book from a mobile library, her mother forces her to take it back in an embarrassing family spectacle that only strengthens her daughter’s rebellious and irrepressible desire. Discussion with director and actors.

WAVES OF THE AEGEAN  (Director: Antonios Rellas - Documentary, Greece)
In 2003, the year before the Paralympics in Athens, five athletes commenced what seemed an impossible swim from Sounio to Milos. These two islands are separated by more than 150 kilometres of open, unforgiving water. The director, Antonios Rellas, is in Australia as a guest of the festival. The screening will be followed by a once-only opportunity to hear Rellas, himself an amputee, elaborate on his provocative views on sport, disability, filmmaking and the rights of all citizens. Q&A with the director.

INVITATION TO THE DANCE - BODY AND TABOO (Director: Gerhard Schick, Documentary, Germany)
Gerda Koenig is a highly skilled dancer. She is also a feisty and uncompromising choreographer who has chosen to work in Kenya with people with physical disabilities to create an ambitious dance performance. Gerda has muscular dystrophy and now uses an electric wheelchair. As the project stalls, it becomes clear that it is cultural difference not physical difference that is the main obstacle.

KING GIMP (Director: Susan Hannah Hadary/William A. Whiteford - Documentary, USA)
“Another day of crap” are the words that kick off this Oscar award-winning documentary about the indefatigable Dan Keplinger.  Born with cerebral palsy, Dan has fought to enter the mainstream his whole life. Filmed over 13 years, this is an exceptional portrait of a young artist.

THE OTHER FILM FESTIVAL has approval for classification exemption from Office of Film and Literature Classification.  No person under the age of 15 years shall be admitted to the screenings of films unless in the company of a parent or adult guardian.

THE OTHER FILM FESTIVAL is a proud initiative of Arts Access Victoria which gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Arts Victoria, Australian Council for the Arts and Department of Human Services.

For more information, visit the Festival website at: www.otherfilmfestival.com

Do It Italian-Style…!
at the LAVAZZA ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2008

Not since the glory days of Fellini and Antonioni has Italian cinema enjoyed such a creative and critically acknowledged resurgence, with films like Paolo Sorrentino’s witty political expose IL DIVO, Andrea Molaioli’s beguiling thriller THE GIRL BY THE LAKE (La Ragazza Del Lago), Silvio Soldini’s family drama DAYS AND CLOUDS (Giorno E Nuvole) and Andrea Porporati’s revealing Mafia portrait THE SWEET AND THE BITTER (Il Dolce E L’Amaro) exciting audiences and reviewers alike…and that’s just a small but tantalizing sample of what awaits at this year’s LAVAZZA ITALAN FILM FESTIVAL.

In keeping with the robust passion for life and love for which Italy and its citizens are renowned, the line-up for the 2008 Festival is a seductive blend of old and new with 25 outstanding new films, representing the best in contemporary Italian cinema, plus an amazing Retrospective featuring 12 movies that provide a mesmerizing snapshot of Italy’s finest celluloid moments throughout the last four decades.

Now in its 9th evocative year, the Festival is also delighted to continue its longstanding association with Lavazza, Italy’s favourite coffee, who will once again be the event’s major sponsor.  With over a century of experience behind them, Festival patrons can be assured that when they enjoy a Lavazza coffee, they are truly experiencing Italy’s definitive espresso.

Opening this year’s Festival will be HER WHOLE LIFE AHEAD (Tutta La Vita Davanti) from director Paolo Virzi.  Hailed by international critics, including industry bible Variety, as one of the best Italian comedies of recent times, this witty satire takes a whimsical look at the lives, loves and struggles which beset the employees of an Italian call centre.

And if you’re in the mood to be dazzled, be prepared to enjoy the latest performances from Italy’s biggest stars who will display their talents alongside some of the country’s most exciting newcomers.  Look out for Italian heart-throbs Luigi Lo Cascio, Silvio Muccino and Kim Rossi Stuart who will be joined on-screen by Margherita Buy, Jasmine Trinca, Valeria Golino, Fanny Ardant, Valentina Cervi and, the eternally alluring Monica Bellucci, who stars in the hotly anticipated drama WILD BLOOD (Sanguepazzo) from BEST OF YOUTH director Marco Tullio Giordana.

Our 2008 Retrospective will feature such cinematic gems as Federico Fellini’s AMACORD (1974); Vittorio De Sica’s beloved comedy MARRIAGE ITALIAN-STYLE (1964); Maurio Bolognini’s THE LOVERS (1961); Francesco Rosi’s THREE BROTHERS (1981); Pietro Germi’s SERAFINO (1969) and E.B. Clucher’s cult spaghetti-western THEY CALL ME TRINITY (1970).

2008 programme highlights include:

Days and Clouds (Giorno E Nuvole)
Director:  Silvio Soldini
The day after a lavish birthday party, Elsa (Margherita Buy) discovers that her husband Michele (Antonio Albanese) hasn’t worked in months.  Soon, the altered circumstances begin to bite, causing a schism in the marriage, and further strain with their 20-year-old daughter.

Il Divo
Writer/Director:  Paolo Sorrentino
This original and witty political opera looks at the life and longevity of eighty-nine year-old Giulio Andreotti, who has been Italy’s prime-minister three times and enjoyed an uninterrupted sixty two years as a parliamentarian, despite twenty-six separate court cases on charges including corruption and Mafia involvement.

Piano Solo
Director:  Riccardo Milani
Based on a novel by Walter Veltroni, the perceptive new film from award-winning director Riccardo Milani tells the passionate and haunting true story of jazz pianist Luca Flores, portrayed by Kim Rossi Stuart.

Rush Hour (L’Ora Di Punta)
Director:  Vincenzo Marra
Nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2007 Venice International Film Festival, this engrossing new thriller follows a young tax officer who recklessly commits fraud and bribery to join the nouveau riche of Rome.

The Girl by the Lake (La Ragazza Del Lago)
Director:  Andrea Molaioli
In this engrossing thriller that swept this year’s David di Donatello Awards (Italian Oscars), an idyllic town is shocked by the murder of a young and beautiful woman, whose naked and mysteriously unscathed body, is found alongside a lake.

The Rest of the Night (Il Resto Della Notte)
Director: Francesco Munzi
In the wealthy industrialized north, Silvana, the depressed wife of a provincial industrialist, persuades herself that Maria, her young Romanian maid, is stealing valuable objects around the villa. With no proof and against her husband’s wishes, Silvana fires Maria without notice; an action that sets off a chain of events which lead to a tremendously tense conclusion.

The Sweet and the Bitter (Il Dolce E L’Amaro)
Director:  Andrea Porporati
Luigi Lo Cascio gives one of his finest performances in this revealing portrait of a young man’s seduction by the Mafia, viewed over twenty years.

Wild Blood (Sanguepazzo)
Director:  Marco Tullio Giordana
Based on the true story of Luisa Ferida (Monica Bellucci) and Osvaldo Valenti (Luca Zingaretti), two renowned actors of 1940’s Italian Fascist cinema, who were found dead under mysterious circumstances.

NATIONAL DATES FOR THE LAVAZZA ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2008 ARE:

Melbourne            Sept 17 – Oct 5           Palace Balwyn, Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth & Kino
Sydney                  Sept 24 – Oct 12         Palace Norton Street & Academy Twin
Brisbane                Oct 1 – 19                    Palace Centro Cinemas
Perth                      Oct 15 – 29                  Cinema Paradiso & Luna on SX
Adelaide               Oct 16 – 29                  Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
Canberra              Nov 13 - 23                  Greater Union Manuka

VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE AT:
http://www.italianfilmfestival.com.au/

This is a fabulous film, moving and able to take an audience on an emotional journey that shies away from the clichés of ‘Shine’ but deals with a similarly truncated human being.  Peter Duncan has done a great job tracking the progression of his actors through their parts and the growth is truly believable.

Don’t miss it!!

Palace’s press release follows below:

4 STARS
- DAVID STRATTON, At The Movies
‘One of the best Australian films of the year’
- LOUISE KELLER, Urban Cinefile
4 STARS
-SANDRA HALL, The Sydney Morning Herald
‘Simply flawless… a masterpiece’
- PAUL FISCHER, Dark Horizons
4 STARS
- MICHAEL BENNETT, The West Australian
‘McInnes and Hendrickx are compelling leads’
- COLIN FRASER, FILMINK
When Tahmeena (Monic Hendrickx) stumbles onto John’s (William McInnes) isolated farm, he has no choice but to take her in. She’s been badly injured and speaks no English. While John’s not inclined to welcome visitors, he’s even less inclined to involve the police. So he goes about his business as he waits for her to heal when he plans to send her on her way.
An initially reluctant voyage of mutual discovery begins as these two strangers gradually learn to communicate and connect.
As the layers of mistrust and hurt are peeled away, a love affair - passionate and poetic - unfolds to reveal the beauty of freedom, hope and choice.
But John and Tahmeena can’t stay hidden away on the farm forever. They won’t be truly free until they venture out. And when they do, the men who think they own Tahmeena come looking for her… and they won’t leave without her.
Starring Australia’s William McInnes (Look Both Ways) and Holland’s Monic Hendrickx (Nynke ), and written and directed by Peter Duncan (Children of the Revolution), Unfinished Sky is about finding the courage to trust again, the risks we take to protect those close to us and the devastating consequences of small town secrets.
Find out why critics are raving and why UNFINISHED SKY has been voted an audience favourite at every film festival in which it has screened.
Visit the official website www.unfinishedsky.com to view the trailer, then see the full film in cinemas NOW.
***ONLY AT THE MOVIES JUNE 19***