The 53rd Sydney Film Festival
May 22nd 2006 02:19
Circular Quay (from Wikipedia)
Luckily, June is the month of bloom for film... from June 9th to June 25th, the Sydney Film Festival will be ripping open a tear in the fabric. Looking at the lineup of screenings and competitions, this is a spectacular event, with too many movies to choose from, and some you couldn't believe existed.
Apparently, the Sydney Film Festival started in 1953, showing movies at the University of Sydney, charging 1 guinea for admission.
Naturally, prices have skyrocketed since then. But so has the selection of films...
The opening film will be Ten Canoes, an indigenous Aboriginal language film that promises to be beautiful to watch - and something special to listen to, I imagine.
I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about the closing night film, Thank You For Not Smoking, a satirical film about the greed and inhumanity of corporate life. I've seen trailers for this, and it looks slick and disfiguring. If you're watching on closing night, and you hear a hearty 'Hyuck Hyuck Hyuck!', it just might be me, deep-belly laughing.
The rest of the Festival is arranged in a barrage of loose organizations. It's not easy to make a recommendation for what to see, but if you've got a lot of money and time, you'll be pretty deliriously happy in June.
To Watch:
The Gala events are mostly Australian films that look riveting. I'm pretty sure that Andrew Denton's God on My Side will be a heart-stopper.
From the selection of World Cinema, I'd like to force you to see C.R.A.Z.Y., a bizarre and witty Canadian film - in Quebec, specifically. Watch it for that unique Canadian cursing!
The nasty Footy Chicks looks irresistible - a documentary on the promiscuous young women that try desperately to hook up with Australian footy players. There's nothing about this that I don't want to see!
From Argentina, The Aura looks like a winner...the sequel to Nine Queens has been long awaited. It's featured in the Latin Horizons section of the festival, and it's a good bet that the others films in this category, a la In Bed, Favela Rising, are bound to be chocolate-chip-chewy-good.
I'd see the Pervert's Guide to the Cinema, Parts 1 and 2, based on the name alone.
For surreal, crime-drenched film noir, see Starfish Hotel, an offbeat Japanese thriller that is 'hypnotically atmospheric'.
The Sydney Film Festival is throwing a tribute to renowned French director Jean-Pierre Melville, who influenced Tarantino, John Woo and Michael Mann. Watch Le Samourai for a taste.
Ack! There's too much stuff on... in addition to the screenings, there's the usual assortment of short films and film talks, making this a truly explosive event.
Hell, there's so much to see, you're better off hiding under your bed, cowering in fear until the Festival passes - like waiting out a hurricane.
Of course, what kind of life would that be?
Matt gave a heads-up to the Sydney Film Festival... this thing is making waves!
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Comment by Sisi
Comment by Matt
Thanks for the mutual back scratch by the way, i always appreciate a bit of a nod!
Comment by Cibbuano
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if you had 5 friends, you could each see 6 movies for $10. That's not bad!