From a director’s cut version of 54 to Patrick Brammall in Ruben Guthrie, here are the films I’m most excited to see at Sydney Film Festival 2015.
This year it seems the universe has aligned its dates for me and I will hopefully be attending my first Sydney Film Festival. Hurrah! After covering it from afar for many years, I’m pretty excited to finally be making it there in person.
It seems I’m not the only one. Since 2011, attendances at SFF have increased over 42 per cent bringing audience numbers of the 10-day festival to 156,000 last year.
Of all the wonderful international films that screen at SFF – many of which come direct from Toronto, Sundance, Venice and Cannes festivals – I am always most excited about the Australian movies making their premieres. And this year there are plenty, including Ruben Guthrie (opening night), Holding The Man (closing night), Last Cab To Darwin, The Secret River (a television story making its premiere on the big screen) and documentaries like Women He’s Undressed, Sherpa and The Lost Aviator.
Here is what I’ll be lining up for:
Cinemazzi’s 15 Must-See Movies at Sydney Film Festival 2015
Women He’s Undressed
Marie says: When you think of famous Australian costume designers, Catherine Martin (and her record tally of Oscar gongs) is probably the first person that springs to mind. Maybe you’ll even remember Lizzie Gardiner in her gold Amex-credit card dress accepting her Priscilla win, or have a vague recollection that the Oscar-nominated dude behind American Hustle‘s sexy ’70s gear (Michael Wilkinson) is an Aussie too. Yet the man who first put Australia on the map, costuming stars like Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood for films like Some Like It Hot and Gypsy, has been relatively absent from modern day histories… until now. Gillian Armstrong’s stylish documentary, packed with clips and interviews, traces the life and work of unsung Australian cinema hero Orry-Kelly, a former “roommate” of Cary Grant and three-time Oscar winner whose designs helped empower women during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Costumes AND Australian made? This is hands down my number one pick for SFF 2015.
Ruben Guthrie
SFF says: Ruben Guthrie (Patrick Brammall) leads a party boy lifestyle, has a model fiancée and lives in a house on the water in Sydney. He’s at the top of his game, until some drunken antics land Ruben at the bottom of his infinity pool, lucky to be alive. His fiancée Zoya (Abbey Lee) leaves him, but not before issuing him one final challenge: stay off the grog for a whole year, and she’ll give him one last chance.
Marie says: Even if I wasn’t Team Leo in Offspring (which of COURSE I was) and even if I didn’t get so excited about Aussie movies (which of COURSE I do) I would still be really excited for Ruben Guthrie. When the stage production, written by actor/writer Brendan Cowell, made its way to Brisbane’s La Boite theatre with Gyton Grantley in the lead role, I was hooked. The play was awesome. I found it relatable yet extreme, and I’m even more pumped to see how Cowell translates it to the big screen from the director’s chair with a powerhouse cast including Brammall, Robyn Nevin, Jack Thompson and Alex Dimitriades (plus newcomers Abbey Lee and Brenton Thwaites).
Strangerland
SFF says: Soon after the Parkers move to the remote desert town of Nathgari, the teenage children of Catherine (Nicole Kidman) and Matthew (Joseph Fiennes) mysteriously disappear. With Nathgari eerily smothered in red dust and darkness, the townsfolk join the search led by a local cop David Rae (Hugo Weaving) in this fresh addition to a long tradition of films set in remote Australia that is distinct in its compelling depiction of female sexuality.
Marie says: Nicole Kidman has become something of a forgotten talent in Australia. Which sounds wildly improbable, considering that everyone knows her, knows all about her Oscar nominations and her country music legend husband and her two little daughters and her divorce from Tom and, well, everything. But she is now so big, I almost feel as though people have forgotten how she got there. And she got there by being GREAT. If all the Sundance buzz about this Aussie indie is to be believed, Strangerland will be a great reminder.
The Daughter
SFF says: Christian (Paul Schneider) returns home for the lavish wedding of his father Henry (Geoffrey Rush), who is also closing down the local timber mill, causing much hardship in the area. While home, Christian reconnects with his childhood friend Oliver (Ewen Leslie), an employee at the timber mill who is now out of a job. He begins to bond with Oliver’s wife Charlotte (Miranda Otto), daughter Hedvig (Odessa Young) and father Walter (Sam Neill) and starts piecing together a puzzle that will have devastating consequences.
Marie says: I always find Sam Neill completely intriguing on screen. You never know where he’s going to pop up, and when he does, it always brings an added dimension to the film. Factor in the commanding presence of Geoffrey Rush, the magnetism of Miranda Otto and the bright young talent that is Odessa Young, and I am itching to see this intricate Australian drama. The film also marks theatre director Simon Stone’s auspicious feature film debut, which seems to have critics everywhere salivating (probably because Stone’s award-winning adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play The Wild Duck inspired the film).
Results
SFF says: Recently divorced Danny (Kevin Corrigan) has just come into a large sum of money and moves into a large mansion. He decides to get fit and goes to a local gym where he meets fitness guru Trevor (Guy Pearce) and attractive but caustic trainer Kat (Cobie Smulders). What follows is a bizarre love triangle, with Danny ineptly courting Kat, while she and Trevor try to resolve their issues in this eccentric romantic comedy.
Marie says: Did I know anything about this film before including it in my must-see list for 2015? No. No, I did not. All I had was this image of Australia’s Guy Pearce and How I Met Your Mother‘s Cobie Smulders lying in bed together and I was IN. Luckily the Sundance reviews for this offbeat rom com turned out to be overwhelmingly positive. Had I not read this one from Variety, for example, I might never have learned that our very own buff-looking Pearce is actually a former competitive bodybuilder in Australia?! Am I the only one who didn’t know this? Whatever the case, I know it now, and I can’t wait to see him pump it up.
Amy
SFF says: From the BAFTA-winning team behind Senna comes this documentary about five-time Grammy Award winner Amy Winehouse that tells, in the megastar’s own uncensored words and actions, of a young Londoner’s coming of age in the public eye. The filmmakers were granted interviews with family members, close friends and colleagues, as well as access to never-before-seen archival footage.
Marie says: In 2008, I was thrilled to land an interview with the queen of hip hop/soul Mary J Blige. I was eager to find out so many things (such as HOW Blige convinced U2 to rerelease One, with her on vocals too! How?) but the answer that really blew me away was when she revealed the one person at the top of her collaborative wish list was Amy Winehouse. I was floored. Until that point I had vaguely thought of Winehouse as a party girl with catchy tunes and a soulful voice, sure, but I hadn’t realised she was considered such a talent within the industry. (Say it with me – duh.) I started paying a whole lot more attention to her songs and I started to love them. Blige never got the chance to work with Winehouse, who died from alcohol poisoning at her North London home three years later, aged 27. But now audiences can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her amazing talent – and tragic death.
Tehran Taxi
SFF says: Winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, Tehran Taxi is the third film made secretly by Jafar Panahi since a ban on filmmaking was imposed on him in Iran. A taxi drives through the city streets and various passengers enter, each expressing their views on a range of matters relating to Iran today. The driver? Jafar Panahi himself. Playful, funny and optimistic, Tehran Taxi finds Panahi at his most creative and entertaining
Marie says: I love the set-up for this film. Mainly because this is a conflict around which we are shown too few stories, thanks to nationally-imposed bans, and who better to tell Iran’s story to the world than the local interviewees popping in and out of Panahi’s cab? Fresh and honest filmmaking, for sure.
54: Director’s Cut
SFF says: Set in the 1970s infamous Studio 54 nightclub, Ryan Phillippe plays Shane, a naïve kid from New Jersey who learns to use his hot body to climb the club’s (and Manhattan’s) hierarchy of power. Mike Myers is scintillating as clubowner Steve Rubell, who hoards garbage bags full of cash, consumes drugs in heroic quantities and collects young, shirtless male staff like trophies. Salma Hayek, Breckin Meyer and Neve Campbell also star and the soundtrack of disco classics is, of course, impeccable.
Marie says: As a teenager of the 90s, I don’t think I am alone in saying 54 had a huge impact on my adolescence. Which is actually kind of strange, considering it is the youth of the 70s who will probably most relate to this film chronicling New York’s disco-fuelled hedonism at Studio 54. Given the film’s saucy and (at times) homoerotic content, it hasn’t surprised me to now learn the version we watched in 1998 had actually been drastically cut to appease the studio’s moral mandate. (Which is saying something, because I thought it was pretty saucy and homoerotic already.) What could possibly be lying in wait for us with these additional 30 minutes of previously unseen footage? Dying. To. Find. Out.
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
SFF says: Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney’s latest topic, the Church of Scientology, was always going to make headlines and his eye-opening documentary doesn’t disappoint. Based on the book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lawrence Wright, it features interviews with former followers, including Crash director Paul Haggis.
Marie says: This is another topic I am itching to learn more about. I’ve heard the stories, so come on, let’s get to the good stuff! Is it really as full-on as the tabloids regularly let on? And what is in all those rooms??
Love & Mercy
SFF says: A beautiful and moving portrait of the musical genius Brian Wilson, Love & Mercy moves throughout the period in which The Beach Boys were churning out hit after hit, to his struggles later in life. The role of Wilson is shared brilliantly by Paul Dano (as 1960s Wilson) and John Cusack (as 1980s Wilson), who bring the triumphs and trials of the musical genius to vivid life.
Marie says: Growing up to the refrains of The Beach Boys ringing loudly in my ears, I never stopped to think much about the band’s story. Their infectious melodies defined the 80s for me, thanks to a series of movie soundtracks and radio hits, but beyond that I know very little about the band’s members. So I am loving this nostalgic look back through their journey over the decades, with retro flashbacks like this ’60s Palm Springs-looking setting (above) and 70s hey days, right through to Elizabeth Banks’ frizz hair and shoulder pads in the ’80s (she plays Wilson’s wife).
Vincent
SFF says: Vincent is a gentle, minimalist superhero film starring its debut director Thomas Salvador as an extraordinary young man whose strength, reflexes and agility take on superhuman proportions when he comes into contact with water.
Marie says: It’s no secret how much I love French cinema so naturally, something from the Gaulles was bound to end up on my list. This one certainly sounds a little different. A French superhero without any kind of Marvel/DC connections? Whose powers activate once he comes into contact with water? Intriguing. Apparently the film also has one of the best chase scenes we’ll see in the cinema this year. Lots to enjoy here.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
SFF says: A hit at Sundance and based on the popular novel, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is a warm, comic coming-of-age drama about a teenage girl discovering her sexuality. Bel Powley delivers a star-making performance as the awkward Minnie, who begins a complex love affair with her mother’s (Kristen Wiig) boyfriend Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård), which leads to both great joy and serious repercussions. A frank depiction of a girl’s transition into adulthood, Marielle Heller’s debut comedy is a stand out.
Marie says: Is anyone else noticing a trend here? This is the third ’70s-themed story to make its way onto my list, only this time it’s about a teenage artist living in 1970s San Francisco who enters into an affair with her mother’s boyfriend. Ooh la la! Kristen Wiig always delivers her performances, including the most comedic ones, with real depth and surprising amounts of layers and I can’t wait to see what she brings to this one. Not to mention, what teenage girl hasn’t developed a crush on an older man? Especially one as lovely as Alexander Skarsgard?
There are something like 250 films screening at SFF this year, so obviously this list is far from comprehensive! Other ones I’m interested in are The Emperor’s New Clothes, Holding the Man, Last Cab To Darwin, The Secret River, Madame Bovary and Slow West. For a full program schedule visit Sydney Film Festival’s official website.
Films selected for 2015 Sydney Film Festival Official Competition
Arabian Nights. Ambitious, indignant and peppered with offbeat humour, Miguel Gomes’ extraordinary new three-part trilogy paints a vivid portrait of a Portugal under strict austerity measures.
Black Souls. Italian director Francesco Munzi’s drama about Calabrian mafia clans; the film won multiple awards at the Venice Film Festival.
The Daughter. Australian theatre director Simon Stone’s debut feature is a family drama starring Geoffrey Rush, Ewen Leslie, Sam Neill, Miranda Otto and Odessa Young.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s bittersweet American comedy is based on a bestselling young-adult novel about friendship, mortality and the love of film.
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch. Reflecting on Existence, the great Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson’s surreal pitch-black comedy about the human condition won the Golden Lion at Venice.
Sherpa. Australian director Jennifer Peedom’s documentary chronicles the uneasy relationship between Sherpa labourers and foreign mountain climbers on Mount Everest and was shot by adventure cinematographer Renan Ozturk. The doco is made all the more timely in light of the tragic events in Nepal this month.
Strangerland, Australian director Kim Farrant’s debut feature is an outback thriller (a co-production between Australian and Ireland) and follows two parents searching for their missing children. Stars Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes and Hugo Weaving.
Tales. This longtime-in-the-making new feature from Iran’s most highly regarded woman filmmaker, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, is a multifaceted look at life in Tehran and features an ensemble of top Iranian talent, including Peiman Moaadi (A Separation).
Tangerine. Director Sean Baker’s offbeat adventure follows two transgender sex workers through the streets of Los Angeles. One of the most talked-about films at Sundance, the film was shot entirely on an iPhone 5s.
Tehran Taxi. This is the third film (made in secret) from great Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi since he was banned from filmmaking. Winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, the film follows a taxi driver, played by Panahi himself, on a revealing and comedic ride.
Victoria. A spectacular one-shot film created by German director Sebastian Schipper detailing a Berlin bank robbery and its aftermath.
Vincent. French director Thomas Salvador’s refreshing and romantic new take on the superhero genre centres around a young man who discovers he has special powers when he comes into contact with water.
About Sydney Film Festival:
From June 3 to June 14, the 62nd Sydney Film Festival offers Sydneysiders another exciting season of cinema amidst a whirlwind of premieres, red-carpet openings, panel discussions, international guests and more. Each year the Festival’s programming team curates 12 days of cinema sourced from world-famous film festivals, including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto and the Berlinale; as well as Australia’s finest local productions.
Sydney Film Festival also presents an Official Competition of 12 films that vie for the Sydney Film Prize, a highly respected honour that awards a $60,000 cash prize based on the decision of a jury of international and Australian filmmakers and industry professionals.
The Documentary Australia Foundation will also award $10,000 to the winner of this year’s 10 outstanding Australian documentaries selected to screen at the Festival in June.
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