AUSTRALIAN FILM FESTIVAL

The Australian Film Festival showcases many of the locally produced short and feature length films that make up the landscape of our local cinema. This year’s festival will screen both new films and classics.

Festival highlights include Swerve, with Vince Colosimo, Emma Booth and David Lyons; multi award-winning film, Red Dog with Josh Lucas, Rachael Taylor and John Batchelor; Hail with Leanne Letch and Daniel P. Jones; and documentary More4Me which explores what we can’t live without.

The festival will also screen Redd Inc, the must-see film for lovers of horror. Redd Inc brings all the gruesome shocks of the genre to the most unlikely setting – the office. It follows the story of six newly recruited workers who have been captured by a former regional manager Thomas Reddmann. While the movie attempts some irony and humour, Redd Inc is mostly a bread and butter horror flick with all the requisite blood and gore. The most unique part of the film occurred in the pre-production process when people were given the option to submit user-generated footage and music which was voted on and actually used in the film.

Many of the films in the festival feature strong story lines about the nuanced highs and lows of life in Australia. Burning Man, is one such film. Set in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs, Burning Man explores the emotions of a man who has lost his wife to breast cancer. Starring Matthew Goode as Tom, a bereaved husband who uses sex to deal with extreme grief and trauma, the film is shot as a frenzied kaleidoscope of fragmented scenes and images. Burning Man is a well-made film which cleverly taps into viewers’ emotions through the strong narrative and cinematography, due for DVD release on 12 April.

The festival also features a range of documentaries including Jack McCoy’s film on the history of surfing, A Deeper Shade of Blue. The documentary is a chronological account of surf culture, from its roots in Hawaii to its spread as a world-wide phenomenon. The film showcases unique archival photos and footage and is an educational account of surf culture.

Spanning over 11 days, the festival is an opportunity for people to brush up on their film production skills with a range of workshops for people at all levels. The festival has a number of free and ticketed events at the Randwick Ritz, Clovelly Beach and Star Cinema.

Mar 7-17, various venues, check the website for more info, australianfilmfestival.com.au