The SXSW Sydney festival has set a 75-film screening schedule for its first edition. The selection skews heavily towards music, but is also distinctly international.
Headline titles include re-edited Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense,” “Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles,” an exploration of iconic Australian musical act The Wiggles; drill rap documentary “Onefour: Against All Odds,” directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos; and the widely-acclaimed “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” directed by Neo Sora.
“The first ever SXSW Sydney Screen Festival aims to platform the most exciting new voices, new forms and new ways of creating on screen. We hope to inspire our audiences and industry, by unwrapping the future of screen innovation as it emerges,” said Ghita Loebenstein, the festival’s head of screen. “Like our Austin counterparts, our festival presents global programming from leading creators, and our unique offer is this distinctive Asia Pacific lens. We also thematically lean...
Headline titles include re-edited Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense,” “Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles,” an exploration of iconic Australian musical act The Wiggles; drill rap documentary “Onefour: Against All Odds,” directed by Gabriel Gasparinatos; and the widely-acclaimed “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” directed by Neo Sora.
“The first ever SXSW Sydney Screen Festival aims to platform the most exciting new voices, new forms and new ways of creating on screen. We hope to inspire our audiences and industry, by unwrapping the future of screen innovation as it emerges,” said Ghita Loebenstein, the festival’s head of screen. “Like our Austin counterparts, our festival presents global programming from leading creators, and our unique offer is this distinctive Asia Pacific lens. We also thematically lean...
- 9/21/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Fitting in has never been easy for Josh Waaka (Julian Dennison) as a Brown young man in an almost all-white New Zealand Christian school. Things were easier for his father (now deceased) and older brother Jamie (James Rolleston) when they were rugby stars who helped it lift championship trophies. And if anyone knows anything about private institutions such as this, they take care of their own as long as their “own” have earned it by doing the same. That’s not to say Jamie and their dad were cowards or traitors or anything like that––they were rugby players who loved the game amidst influential people who loved it too. Josh was just thrown in as a package deal.
At the start of Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett’s Uproar begins––the script’s evolution is all over the place: Bennett co-writing alongside Sonia Whiteman, all three getting a “story by” label,...
At the start of Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett’s Uproar begins––the script’s evolution is all over the place: Bennett co-writing alongside Sonia Whiteman, all three getting a “story by” label,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi, 2023).The lineup is being unveiled for the 2023 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, starting with 60 selections from the Gala and Special Presentations programs. The festival takes place from September 7–17, 2023.Gala PRESENTATIONSConcrete Utopia (Um Tae-Hwa)Dumb Money (Craig Gillespie)Fair Play (Chloe Domont)Flora and Son (John Carney)Hate to Love: Nickelback (Leigh Brooks)Lee (Ellen Kuras)Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi)Nyad (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)Punjab ’95 (Honey Trehan)Solo (Sophie Dupuis)The End We Start From (Mahalia Belo)The Movie Emperor (Ning Hao)The New Boy (Warwick Thornton) The Royal Hotel (Kitty Green)The Holdovers.Special Presentationsa Difficult Year (Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache)A Normal Family (Hur Jin-ho)American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)Close to You (Dominic Savage)Days of Happiness (Chloé Robichaud)The Rescue (Daniela Goggi)Ezra (Tony Goldwyn)Fingernails (Christos Nikou)Four Daughters (Kaouther Ben Hania...
- 8/14/2023
- MUBI
“We all have our stories; they aren’t there to pull us down, they’re there to push us forward.” This is a quote from filmmakers Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett, who co-directed “Uproar.” Often, we push forward by reflecting on our own lives, taking in the world around us, and attempting to understand the human condition. It is clear that the filmmakers are both artists that does just that, as is evident from their new film.
Continue reading ‘Uproar’ Exclusive Trailer: Julian Dennison & Minnie Driver Star In Heartwarming Comedy Coming To TIFF at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Uproar’ Exclusive Trailer: Julian Dennison & Minnie Driver Star In Heartwarming Comedy Coming To TIFF at The Playlist.
- 8/14/2023
- by Jamie Rogers
- The Playlist
Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver lead cast.
Principal photography is underway on the coming-of-age film One Winter featuring a cast led by Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver. Blue Fox Entertainment will present first footage to buyers at the AFM.
Rhys Darby, James Rolleston and Erana James round out the key cast on the story set in Aotearoa, New Zealand, in 1981 as the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against Apartheid.
Dennison plays Josh Waaka, a 17-year-old who after being a passive bystander all of his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his family and his future.
Principal photography is underway on the coming-of-age film One Winter featuring a cast led by Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver. Blue Fox Entertainment will present first footage to buyers at the AFM.
Rhys Darby, James Rolleston and Erana James round out the key cast on the story set in Aotearoa, New Zealand, in 1981 as the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against Apartheid.
Dennison plays Josh Waaka, a 17-year-old who after being a passive bystander all of his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his family and his future.
- 10/13/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Auckland, June 25 (Ians) Former New Zealand right-arm pace bowler Hamish Bennett believes the high standard set by the Black Caps on the cricket field of late was the reason for the nation feeling disappointed with their performance in the ongoing Test series against England. England have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test […]...
- 6/28/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
‘One Winter’ is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett.
Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver are set to star in coming-of-age film One Winter. Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and will introduce the film in Cannes.
Principal photography begins this Summer in New Zealand, where the film is set.
One Winter is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett (Bellbird). James Rolleston and Erna James also star.
In 1961, the arrival of a South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Dennision, best known for Hunt For The Wilderpeople, plays Josh Waaka, a 17-year-old who...
Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver are set to star in coming-of-age film One Winter. Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and will introduce the film in Cannes.
Principal photography begins this Summer in New Zealand, where the film is set.
One Winter is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett (Bellbird). James Rolleston and Erna James also star.
In 1961, the arrival of a South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Dennision, best known for Hunt For The Wilderpeople, plays Josh Waaka, a 17-year-old who...
- 5/18/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Screen is rounding up the key packages launched before and during this year’s Cannes Marche du Film (which runs May 17-25).
Screen is rounding up the key packages launched before and during this year’s Cannes Marche du Film (which runs May 17-25).
Refresh the page for latest updates.
May 18 Stone Mattress
Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh have signed on to star in Lynne Ramsey’s new thriller. The project is based on a short story by Margaret Atwood and is produced by John Lesher and JoAnne Sellar. Amazon are handling domestic rights. Studiocanal and Film4 are in final negotiations to board the project.
Screen is rounding up the key packages launched before and during this year’s Cannes Marche du Film (which runs May 17-25).
Refresh the page for latest updates.
May 18 Stone Mattress
Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh have signed on to star in Lynne Ramsey’s new thriller. The project is based on a short story by Margaret Atwood and is produced by John Lesher and JoAnne Sellar. Amazon are handling domestic rights. Studiocanal and Film4 are in final negotiations to board the project.
- 5/18/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Julian Dennison (Godzilla vs Kong), Minnie Driver, James Rolleston (The Dark Horse) and Erana James are set to star in New Zealand coming-of-age tale One Winter from directors Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett.
The title is based on a story by Middleditch, Keith Aberdein and Sonia Whiteman, with Bennett and Whiteman adapting the screenplay. Story is set in New Zealand in 1981 when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Josh Waaka (Dennison), a 17-year-old boy of mixed race who has been a passive bystander all of his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his family and his future.
The film, which is set to begin shooting this summer in New Zealand, is produced by Emma Slade, Sandra Kailahi, Angela Cudd, Angela Sullivan and Alberto Marzan. Troy Lum is an exec producer. Blue Fox is launching international sales here in Cannes this week.
The title is based on a story by Middleditch, Keith Aberdein and Sonia Whiteman, with Bennett and Whiteman adapting the screenplay. Story is set in New Zealand in 1981 when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Josh Waaka (Dennison), a 17-year-old boy of mixed race who has been a passive bystander all of his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his family and his future.
The film, which is set to begin shooting this summer in New Zealand, is produced by Emma Slade, Sandra Kailahi, Angela Cudd, Angela Sullivan and Alberto Marzan. Troy Lum is an exec producer. Blue Fox is launching international sales here in Cannes this week.
- 5/17/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
“Deadpool 2” star Julian Dennison is set to star in “One Winter,” a coming-of-age drama set in his native New Zealand during a period of racial unrest in the 1980s.
Dennison will lead a cast that also includes Minnie Driver, James Rolleston and Erana James and that is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett.
Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and introducing the film in Cannes, which kicks off today.
Also Read:
‘Star Wars’ Series Inspired by ’80s Amblin Films in the Works From ‘Spider-Man’ Director Jon Watts
“One Winter” is set in New Zealand in 1981, when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Josh Waaka (Dennison), a 17-year-old of mixed race who has been a passive bystander all his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his whānau/family, and his future.
The film is based on a story by Middleditch,...
Dennison will lead a cast that also includes Minnie Driver, James Rolleston and Erana James and that is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett.
Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and introducing the film in Cannes, which kicks off today.
Also Read:
‘Star Wars’ Series Inspired by ’80s Amblin Films in the Works From ‘Spider-Man’ Director Jon Watts
“One Winter” is set in New Zealand in 1981, when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Josh Waaka (Dennison), a 17-year-old of mixed race who has been a passive bystander all his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his whānau/family, and his future.
The film is based on a story by Middleditch,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Christchurch, April 12 (Ians) New Zealand fast bowler Hamish Bennett on Tuesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, ending his 17-year-old professional career, stating that the 2021-22 season would be his last. The 35-year-old Bennett has made 31 appearances for New Zealand across all three formats and took 43 wickets and most recently […]...
- 4/12/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Libertine Pictures and Slim Film + Television’s family action-adventure series Mystic has been recommissioned for two more seasons by Cbbc and Tvnz.
The adaption of New Zealand author Stacy Gregg’s Pony Club Secrets book series will have writers Sam Shore (Filthy Rich), Martha Hardy-Ward (Ellen is Leaving), Hamish Bennett (Bellbird), and Briar Grace-Smith (Grace Beside Me) join creators Amy Shindler and Beth Chalmers (Horrible Histories) for its next phase.
British actor Macey Chipping (Vampire Academy) returns in the lead role of Issie Brown and is joined once again by New Zealanders Antonia Robinson, Max Crean, Jacqueline Joe (Top of the Lake), Josh Tan (Mulan) and Harriet Walton.
In the new seasons, Issie and her gang of horse-mad friends will not only have to tackle all the usual trials and tribulations of being a teenager – romance, identity, friendship, and conflict with parents – but will also have to battle against...
The adaption of New Zealand author Stacy Gregg’s Pony Club Secrets book series will have writers Sam Shore (Filthy Rich), Martha Hardy-Ward (Ellen is Leaving), Hamish Bennett (Bellbird), and Briar Grace-Smith (Grace Beside Me) join creators Amy Shindler and Beth Chalmers (Horrible Histories) for its next phase.
British actor Macey Chipping (Vampire Academy) returns in the lead role of Issie Brown and is joined once again by New Zealanders Antonia Robinson, Max Crean, Jacqueline Joe (Top of the Lake), Josh Tan (Mulan) and Harriet Walton.
In the new seasons, Issie and her gang of horse-mad friends will not only have to tackle all the usual trials and tribulations of being a teenager – romance, identity, friendship, and conflict with parents – but will also have to battle against...
- 5/5/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Libertine Pictures (Nz) and Slim Film + Television (UK)’s family action adventure series Mystic, has been recommissioned for two more seasons by Cbbc (UK) and Tvnz (Nz).
British actor Macey Chipping (Holby City) returns in the lead role of Issie Brown and is joined once again by New Zealanders Antonia Robinson, Max Crean, Jacqueline Joe (Top of the Lake), Josh Tan (Mulan) and Harriet Walton.
Production on the two new series, each comprising 8 x 30” episodes, is due to commence on May 31 in New Zealand.
In the new seasons, Issie and her gang of horse-mad friends will not only have to tackle all the usual trials and tribulations of being a teenager but will also have to battle against new and unexpected threats to their beloved stables and local environment. In season two, their lives will be thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a charismatic stranger and an...
British actor Macey Chipping (Holby City) returns in the lead role of Issie Brown and is joined once again by New Zealanders Antonia Robinson, Max Crean, Jacqueline Joe (Top of the Lake), Josh Tan (Mulan) and Harriet Walton.
Production on the two new series, each comprising 8 x 30” episodes, is due to commence on May 31 in New Zealand.
In the new seasons, Issie and her gang of horse-mad friends will not only have to tackle all the usual trials and tribulations of being a teenager but will also have to battle against new and unexpected threats to their beloved stables and local environment. In season two, their lives will be thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a charismatic stranger and an...
- 5/5/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Auckland, March 23 (Ians) Finn Allen has been called up for the first time to the New Zealand T20 squad that takes on Bangladesh in the three-game T20 series, starting this Sunday at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
The 21-year-old opener and wicketkeeper-batsman was the stand-out player of this season's Super Smash, the domestic T20 tournament of New Zealand, amassing a league-leading 512 runs at an average of 56 and a strike-rate of 193 -- featuring a table-topping 56 fours and 25 sixes.
Allen was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for this year's Indian Premier League season to replace Josh Phillippe.
The former New Zealand under-19 player is one of four fresh faces in the T20 side, with batsman Will Young also called up for the first time and speedsters Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne returning after injury lay-offs.
Ferguson was the star of the early part of the home summer, claiming five for 21 in the season-opening...
The 21-year-old opener and wicketkeeper-batsman was the stand-out player of this season's Super Smash, the domestic T20 tournament of New Zealand, amassing a league-leading 512 runs at an average of 56 and a strike-rate of 193 -- featuring a table-topping 56 fours and 25 sixes.
Allen was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for this year's Indian Premier League season to replace Josh Phillippe.
The former New Zealand under-19 player is one of four fresh faces in the T20 side, with batsman Will Young also called up for the first time and speedsters Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne returning after injury lay-offs.
Ferguson was the star of the early part of the home summer, claiming five for 21 in the season-opening...
- 3/23/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Wellington, Feb 13 (Ians) The Wellington Firebirds have become just the second team to win New Zealand's men's domestic T20 title back-to-back after both Dream11 Super Smash Grand Finals ended in exciting last-over finishes at a buzzing Basin Reserve here.
Clinical, calm opener Devon Conway thrilled the 5,000-strong crowd as he hit the winning boundary with two balls to spare as the defending champions chased down 175 for eight wickets from the Canterbury Kings.
Looking to win their first trophy since the first national T20 competition in 2005-06, the hungry Kings kept themselves in it with the ball despite losing the bowling services of Daryl Mitchell after the all-rounder pulled a side muscle whilst leaping outstretched for an attempted catch, having bowled just one over for four runs.
Like the women's final beforehand, it was a compelling, oscillating grand final in which the advantage was wrested back and forth between the two...
Clinical, calm opener Devon Conway thrilled the 5,000-strong crowd as he hit the winning boundary with two balls to spare as the defending champions chased down 175 for eight wickets from the Canterbury Kings.
Looking to win their first trophy since the first national T20 competition in 2005-06, the hungry Kings kept themselves in it with the ball despite losing the bowling services of Daryl Mitchell after the all-rounder pulled a side muscle whilst leaping outstretched for an attempted catch, having bowled just one over for four runs.
Like the women's final beforehand, it was a compelling, oscillating grand final in which the advantage was wrested back and forth between the two...
- 2/13/2021
- by IANS
- GlamSham
Auckland, Nov 16 (Ians) Wellington Firebirds batsman Devon Conway has been included in his first New Zealand squad for the season-opening KFC T20I series against world champion West Indies, New Zealand Cricket (Nzc) announced on Monday.
Conway and Kyle Jamieson are the new faces in the T20 team, which will be captained by Tim Southee, with Kane Williamson and Trent Boult focussing on the Test series.
Southee, Jamieson and Ross Taylor are only available for the first two T20Is, at Eden Park on November 27 and at Bay Oval on November 27, before heading to Hamilton to join an unchanged 13-man Test squad on November 30.
With the third and final T20I at Bay Oval also on November 30, Mark Chapman, Doug Bracewell and Scott Kuggeleijn will join the T20 squad as cover for the three Test players.
"I think we're all very aware and appreciative of how much work has gone...
Conway and Kyle Jamieson are the new faces in the T20 team, which will be captained by Tim Southee, with Kane Williamson and Trent Boult focussing on the Test series.
Southee, Jamieson and Ross Taylor are only available for the first two T20Is, at Eden Park on November 27 and at Bay Oval on November 27, before heading to Hamilton to join an unchanged 13-man Test squad on November 30.
With the third and final T20I at Bay Oval also on November 30, Mark Chapman, Doug Bracewell and Scott Kuggeleijn will join the T20 squad as cover for the three Test players.
"I think we're all very aware and appreciative of how much work has gone...
- 11/16/2020
- by IANS
- GlamSham
‘The Personal History of David Copperfield.’
The floodgates opened last weekend with more than a dozen new releases led by The Personal History of David Copperfield, plus several re-issues as more cinemas turned the lights back on.
However the grosses per title reflect the “new normal,” with limited seating capacity and reduced sessions.
The safe distancing rules mean there is a cap of 20 people per session in Victoria, between 20 per cent and 45 per cent in New South Wales and 50 per cent in South Australia.
The top 20 titles racked up nearly $2.5 million, up 251 per cent on the previous frame, according to Numero.
Released by Roadshow, Armando Ianucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield, a re-imagination of the Charles Dickens novel starring Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi and Ben Whishaw, rang up $330,000 on 203 screens and $376,000 including previews.
“Cinemas in some states only just reopened and it takes time...
The floodgates opened last weekend with more than a dozen new releases led by The Personal History of David Copperfield, plus several re-issues as more cinemas turned the lights back on.
However the grosses per title reflect the “new normal,” with limited seating capacity and reduced sessions.
The safe distancing rules mean there is a cap of 20 people per session in Victoria, between 20 per cent and 45 per cent in New South Wales and 50 per cent in South Australia.
The top 20 titles racked up nearly $2.5 million, up 251 per cent on the previous frame, according to Numero.
Released by Roadshow, Armando Ianucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield, a re-imagination of the Charles Dickens novel starring Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi and Ben Whishaw, rang up $330,000 on 203 screens and $376,000 including previews.
“Cinemas in some states only just reopened and it takes time...
- 7/6/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
The heartwarming tale of a New Zealand farming family whose equilibrium is upset by a traumatic loss is told with a calm belief in humanity and reasonable outcomes in Bellbird. It steers away from anything modern or flashy to concentrate on the feelings between a farmer and his son, and dramatic conflict be damned. Perhaps because of this quiet approach, and the conviction put into it by first-time writer-director Hamish Bennett, Bellbird has something special to offer.
An expansion of his 2014 short film Ross & Beth, this first feature took home the best screenplay prize at the International Film Festival & Awards ...
An expansion of his 2014 short film Ross & Beth, this first feature took home the best screenplay prize at the International Film Festival & Awards ...
The heartwarming tale of a New Zealand farming family whose equilibrium is upset by a traumatic loss is told with a calm belief in humanity and reasonable outcomes in Bellbird. It steers away from anything modern or flashy to concentrate on the feelings between a farmer and his son, and dramatic conflict be damned. Perhaps because of this quiet approach, and the conviction put into it by first-time writer-director Hamish Bennett, Bellbird has something special to offer.
An expansion of his 2014 short film Ross & Beth, this first feature took home the best screenplay prize at the International Film Festival & Awards ...
An expansion of his 2014 short film Ross & Beth, this first feature took home the best screenplay prize at the International Film Festival & Awards ...
Fyzal Boulifa’s Lynn + Lucy, Hamish Bennett’s Bellbird and Rodd Rathjen’s Buoyancy were also among the winners at the Asian gathering. Us-based Russian writer-director Kirill Mikhanovsky’s feature Give Me Liberty has emerged as the big winner of the Best Film Award at the fourth International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (Iffam). Headed up by Iffam artistic director Mike Goodridge, the festival ran from 5-10 December and wrapped with the awards ceremony held at the Macao Cultural Centre. The Official Competition jury, chaired by Chinese director-producer-screenwriter Peter Chan Ho-sun, and comprising president and CEO of Vrega Ellen Eliasoph, Indonesian actress Dian Sastrowardoyo, Myanma director Midi Z and British actor Tom Cullen, handed the $60,000 award to Give Me Liberty, saying about their decision: “This is a farcical and poignant portrait of a day in the life of America’s challenged and disenfranchised. The film starts with hilarious, inexhaustible energy, and then weaves.
- 12/11/2019
- Cineuropa - The Best of European Cinema
The 2019 International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) closed yesterday (December 4) with an awards ceremony that saw Kirill Mikhanovsky’s English/Russian-language comedy Give Me Liberty named best film in the international competition. A jury presided over by Chinese filmmaker Peter Chan Ho-sun awarded its best director prize to Fyzal Boulifa for his debut feature Lynn + Lucy, and the best screenplay prize to Hamish Bennett for Bellbird. The acting awards went to Sarm Heng for Bouyancy and Roxanne Scrimshaw for Lynn + Lucy. Finally, the Macao Audience Choice Award also went to Rodd Rathjen’s Buoyancy. In the New Chinese Cinema competition, which was presided over by Cristian Mungiu, Xiaogang Gu’s Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains was named best new Chinese-language film of the year. Best director went to Anthony Chen for Wet Season, best screenplay went to Johnny Ma for To Live To Sing, and the acting awards went to...
- 12/11/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Mild, mellow and as life-affirming as a soft fall of springtime New Zealand rain, Hamish Bennett’s charming if overfamiliar debut feature “Bellbird” — so named after a species of avian indigenous to the region, which Captain Cook reportedly described as having a song “like small bells, exquisitely tuned” — is a fondly bittersweet tribute to the rural Northland of the director’s childhood.
A portrait of a taciturn farmer father and his dutiful but indecisive son as they try to find a means of communication in the aftermath of bereavement, the film skirts dangerously close to indie dramedy cliché at times. But some astute, understated writing and warm, witty supporting turns rescue the story from tweeness, while the fresh-faced camerawork of Dp Grant McKinnon, and the deep wellspring of affection that Bennett clearly has for every one of his flawed but fiercely decent characters make it.
Long-married couple Beth (Annie Whittle...
A portrait of a taciturn farmer father and his dutiful but indecisive son as they try to find a means of communication in the aftermath of bereavement, the film skirts dangerously close to indie dramedy cliché at times. But some astute, understated writing and warm, witty supporting turns rescue the story from tweeness, while the fresh-faced camerawork of Dp Grant McKinnon, and the deep wellspring of affection that Bennett clearly has for every one of his flawed but fiercely decent characters make it.
Long-married couple Beth (Annie Whittle...
- 12/11/2019
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Fyzal Boulifa won best director for UK title ‘Lynn + Lucy’.
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) closed on Tuesday night (10) with the top award going to Us film Give Me Liberty directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky.
Stars such as Carina Lau and Juliette Binoche were on the red carpet for the festival, which showed 43 films including 10 in International Competition and six in the New Chinese Cinema Competition. It ran from December 5-10 in and around the Macau Cultural Centre.
Chinese filmmaker Peter Chan Ho-sun headed the jury for first and second-time directors in the international competition. He was joined...
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao (Iffam) closed on Tuesday night (10) with the top award going to Us film Give Me Liberty directed by Kirill Mikhanovsky.
Stars such as Carina Lau and Juliette Binoche were on the red carpet for the festival, which showed 43 films including 10 in International Competition and six in the New Chinese Cinema Competition. It ran from December 5-10 in and around the Macau Cultural Centre.
Chinese filmmaker Peter Chan Ho-sun headed the jury for first and second-time directors in the international competition. He was joined...
- 12/10/2019
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Kirill Mikhanovsky’s “Give Me Liberty” and Gu Xiaogang’s “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains won the best picture prizes in the international and Chinese cinema sections on Tuesday at the International Film Festival and Awards Macau (Iffam).
“This film shouldn’t have existed because there were so many obstacles. Everything was a miracle. Us being here is an utter miracle,” said Mikhanovsky, who took the stage with his producer Alice Austen to describe the frenzy of trying to shoot their film for a quarter of their original budget.
“If someone had asked us a year ago if we’d like to show our film in Macau, we’d have said man, you’re out of your mind,” he laughed, before thanking the festival. “This is such a gathering of minds and intellects and true lovers of cinema, which is very rare. You’ve truly crafted a one-of-a-kind global event.
“This film shouldn’t have existed because there were so many obstacles. Everything was a miracle. Us being here is an utter miracle,” said Mikhanovsky, who took the stage with his producer Alice Austen to describe the frenzy of trying to shoot their film for a quarter of their original budget.
“If someone had asked us a year ago if we’d like to show our film in Macau, we’d have said man, you’re out of your mind,” he laughed, before thanking the festival. “This is such a gathering of minds and intellects and true lovers of cinema, which is very rare. You’ve truly crafted a one-of-a-kind global event.
- 12/10/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The New Chinese Cinema section returns for the second year.
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao has unveiled its 2019 programme, including the return of the New Chinese Cinema section with a jury headed by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu.
Mungiu will oversee a five-person jury watching six films from Chinese-speaking territories. His jury consists of BFI London Film Festival artistic director Tricia Tuttle; former Sffilm (San Francisco Film) executive director Noah Cowan; and filmmakers Kirsten Tan from Singapore and Qiu Yang from China.
Scroll down for the line-up
The films in the section include Anthony Chen’s Wet Season, which...
The 4th International Film Festival & Awards Macao has unveiled its 2019 programme, including the return of the New Chinese Cinema section with a jury headed by Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu.
Mungiu will oversee a five-person jury watching six films from Chinese-speaking territories. His jury consists of BFI London Film Festival artistic director Tricia Tuttle; former Sffilm (San Francisco Film) executive director Noah Cowan; and filmmakers Kirsten Tan from Singapore and Qiu Yang from China.
Scroll down for the line-up
The films in the section include Anthony Chen’s Wet Season, which...
- 11/6/2019
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Taika Waititi’s provocative Nazi comedy “Jojo Rabbit” has been set as the opening night gala screening at the fourth edition of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao.
The festival packs together a competition section that includes recent festival favorites Gitanjali Rao’s animation “Bombay Rose,” and barely fictionalize modern-day slavery drama “Buoyancy,” by Rodd Rathjen, alongside gala screenings of “Shaun The Sheep 2: Farmageddon,” and Japan’s “Dance With Me,” by Shinobu Yaguchi.
A strong Chinese presence includes “Better Days,” by Derek Tsang; Cannes Critics Week film “Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains,” by Gu Xiaogang; “To Live To Sing,” by Johnny Ma; and Singaporean director Anthony Chen’s “Wet Season.”
The World Panorama strand films by celebrated directors, includes “The Invisible Life Of Eurídice Gusmao,” winner of Un Certain Regard, “Little Joe,” for which Emily Beecham won best actress in Cannes, and “Proxima,” for which director Alice Winocour won...
The festival packs together a competition section that includes recent festival favorites Gitanjali Rao’s animation “Bombay Rose,” and barely fictionalize modern-day slavery drama “Buoyancy,” by Rodd Rathjen, alongside gala screenings of “Shaun The Sheep 2: Farmageddon,” and Japan’s “Dance With Me,” by Shinobu Yaguchi.
A strong Chinese presence includes “Better Days,” by Derek Tsang; Cannes Critics Week film “Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains,” by Gu Xiaogang; “To Live To Sing,” by Johnny Ma; and Singaporean director Anthony Chen’s “Wet Season.”
The World Panorama strand films by celebrated directors, includes “The Invisible Life Of Eurídice Gusmao,” winner of Un Certain Regard, “Little Joe,” for which Emily Beecham won best actress in Cannes, and “Proxima,” for which director Alice Winocour won...
- 11/5/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
‘The Australian Dream’.
This year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) opener – director Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream – has proved an audience favourite, winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The film, which was also nominated for an Aacta Award earlier this week, explores race, identity and belonging from the perspective of former Sydney Swans captain and Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes. Written by Stan Grant, it opened at Miff to a seven minute standing ovation.
The winner of the Best Narrative Feature went to Celine Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which depicts a romance between a painter and her subject. It won Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm in Cannes earlier this year.
John Sheedy’s debut feature H is For Happiness, which stars Daisy Axon, Wesley Patten,, Richard Roxburgh, Emma Booth, Miriam Margolyes, Joel Jackson and Deborah Mailman, was the runner up in the narrative awards.
This year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) opener – director Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream – has proved an audience favourite, winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature.
The film, which was also nominated for an Aacta Award earlier this week, explores race, identity and belonging from the perspective of former Sydney Swans captain and Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes. Written by Stan Grant, it opened at Miff to a seven minute standing ovation.
The winner of the Best Narrative Feature went to Celine Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which depicts a romance between a painter and her subject. It won Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm in Cannes earlier this year.
John Sheedy’s debut feature H is For Happiness, which stars Daisy Axon, Wesley Patten,, Richard Roxburgh, Emma Booth, Miriam Margolyes, Joel Jackson and Deborah Mailman, was the runner up in the narrative awards.
- 8/23/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Scandinavian sales outfit LevelK has acquired world sales rights to New Zealand comedy-drama “Bellbird,” the feature debut of Hamish Bennett.
Produced by Orlando Stewart for Stella Maris Productions and Catherine Fitzgerald for Blueskin Films, Bellbird tells the story of a dairy farmer struggling to cope with the sudden death of his beloved wife, and the gradual bond he builds with his gentle only son and the local community. The movie, written by Bennett, is set over four seasons in a modest Northland dairy farm.
“The characters of ‘Bellbird’ were inspired by my childhood neighbours in the small rural Northland community of Tauraroa…” said Bennett whose last short, “Rose & Beth,” won prizes in New Zealand.
“You don’t see many outward displays of affection or emotion, (but) the love, the loyalty, the reliance – it can all be found in the little moments, buried under the layers of cheeky banter and cow shit,...
Produced by Orlando Stewart for Stella Maris Productions and Catherine Fitzgerald for Blueskin Films, Bellbird tells the story of a dairy farmer struggling to cope with the sudden death of his beloved wife, and the gradual bond he builds with his gentle only son and the local community. The movie, written by Bennett, is set over four seasons in a modest Northland dairy farm.
“The characters of ‘Bellbird’ were inspired by my childhood neighbours in the small rural Northland community of Tauraroa…” said Bennett whose last short, “Rose & Beth,” won prizes in New Zealand.
“You don’t see many outward displays of affection or emotion, (but) the love, the loyalty, the reliance – it can all be found in the little moments, buried under the layers of cheeky banter and cow shit,...
- 6/21/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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