NAKED CITY: FORBIDDEN DELIGHTS ON THE FANTASTIC PLANET!
Sydney is said to host a record number of film festivals each year compared to other cities throughout the world and every week there seems to be a new smorgasbord of celluloid and or digital delights. One festival that really stands out from the rest is the Fantastic Planet Film Festival which begins this week and combines the broad genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Narrowed down from a whopping 600 submissions from across the globe, the Fest showcases a remarkable line-up of films, many of them Australian premieres and the recipients of numerous international awards. What really appeals to us is the fact that it’s run entirely by enthusiasts, but without any hint of film buff elitism and a very healthy dose of good humour. And it’s always a buzz to see that audiences for some of the goriest and bloodiest flicks in the program are amongst the most well-adjusted and non violent members of our community.
The Festival started in 2007 after brothers Grant and Dean Bertram along with Lisa Mitchell made a short horror film that screened at a number of overseas fests. As Dean explains:
“We were conscious of the fact that there wasn’t a similar event in Australia. So we launched A Night of Horror in 2007 intending it to be just that – a one night only session of locally produced short horror films. However, when we announced our call for entries, we were flooded with hundreds of film submissions from around the globe. So even in the first year we decided to run for three nights and over half a dozen or so sessions.”
By the second year they had expanded to include feature films and by 2009 they had widened the event’s horizons to embrace sci-fi and fantasy. Dean points out that he is particularly chuffed with this year’s program stating that:
“I can honestly say that I’m excited about every film. One that I fell in love with as soon as I saw it is called Love (screening on the closing night). A hit on the international fest circuit, it was produced and scored by the band Angels and Airwaves and is the type of metaphysical sci-fi film that will be adored by fans of 2001 A Space Odyssey, Moon and Solaris.”
The Fantastic Planet Film Festival begins this Thursday 22 at the Dendy Cinema in Newtown and runs for no less than 11 days. The opening night will see the Australian premiere of the post-apocalyptic science fiction thriller The Divide, followed by the science fiction drama Another Earth, winner of the prestigious Sloan Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
The Festival’s program also includes numerous award-winning films including Best Horror Movie at the 2011 American International Film Festival in Below Zero, Best Film’ at the 2011 Toronto After Dark Film Festival in Fathers Day, Best Feature Film at the 2011 Sci-Fi London Film in Festival Pig and Unicorn City, which received official selection at the 2011 San Diego Film Festival. www.fantasticplanetfilmfestival.com
THE HIT LIST: The Art Of Death. The Naked City’s own Miss Death has a massive exhibition of paintings, sculpture, quilting and objets d’art, all bound to astound, at the Reverse Garbage gallery at Taylor Square opposite Gilligans Island. Ring Reverse Garbage on 95693132 for opening times. www.mumeson.org. Even More Naked City: Join Jay Katz, Miss Death and Coffin Ed at the Vanguard in Newtown on Sunday April 1st at 7.30pm for a podcast recording of their infamous radio show complete with big screen visuals, surprise guests and eccentric audience participation. Best of all it’s absolutely free with some great prizes to be won. www.thevanguard.com.au
