Posts by Andrew:
Giovanna Mercuri Interview, Mojo Juju, Upgrade – Not A Knife
September 9th, 2018
On this episode of Not A Knife, Andrew chats with director Giovanna Mercuri about her film, The Target, and discusses the effects of bullying in the workplace. This episode is coming out around R U Ok? day, a day about discussing mental illness. To find out more, head over to RUOk.org.au for more information.
Also on this episode, Andrew recommends Mojo Juju’s latest album, Native Tongue, as well as Leigh Whannell’s latest film, Upgrade.
To find out more about The Target, head over to Locked in Productions Facebook page.
Find out more about Mojo Juju here.
For crisis support and suicide prevention help, head over to Lifeline for more information.
Check out other great shows on the Auscast Network here.
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Australian Revelations August Screening – Dead Calm
July 23rd, 2018No rest for the wicked! The dust hasn’t even settled on the 21st Revelation Film Festival, and the hard at work team at Revelation have already announced their next monthly Australian Revelations film.
For the month of August, it’s director Philip Noyce’s killer thriller, Dead Calm. Featuring a trio of great performances from Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman, and Billy Zane, Dead Calm is one heck of a film to see on the big screen.
If you’re in Perth, pick up your tickets right here, and make sure to head along on August 27th at 6:30pm for what will be another great night of Aussie films on the big screen.
James Joyce, Hannah Gadsby Nanette, Call Me By Your Name, Camp Cope Courtney Barnett and Violence Against Women – Not A Knife
June 26th, 2018
Well, this is some episode of Not A Knife.
There’s an interview with David Blake Knox – the writer of the documentary James Joyce: A Shout in the Streets, which is screening as part of the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival on the 6th of July at 7:00pm. Tickets available here.
Then, there’s a look at Hannah Gadsby’s essential Netflix stand up comedy show, Nanette. It’s at this point of the show that a trigger warning comes into effect, so if discussions about violence against women or sexual assault is too much, then please be forewarned that the discussion heads in that direction.
Then, a look at one of the great films from 2017, Call Me By Your Name, and the value of bisexual representation in cinema.
Finally, a wrap up look at the music of Camp Cope and Courtney Barnett and how they have weaved stories about sexual assault and violence against women into their music.
It’s a long one. It’s not an easy discussion to have recorded, but it’s out there.
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The relevant links mentioned in the show:
Victoria Against Violence ‘Call It Out’ ad campaign
Women’s Community Shelters
Junkee article on State of Origin domestic violence spike
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636
Top 20 charities that support Women
Minus18 article on busting 7 myths about being bisexual
Destroy the Joint facebook page
Residue Interview with Director/Writer Kori Reay-Mackey and Producer Dan Thom – Not A Knife
June 22nd, 2018
On this episode of Not A Knife, Andrew sits down with writer/director Kori Reay-Mackey and producer Dan Thom to chat about their upcoming short film Residue. In this discussion, the foundations of the filmmaking process are given a going over – with discussions about the search for a viral hit, how entering advertising competitions shaped the filmmaking perspective, working with bands, and most importantly, the process of getting a first short film off the ground.
To support Residue you can head over to the GoFundMe page right here: https://www.gofundme.com/residue
Check out the Doritos entry here.
Music used in this episode is Decoder Ring‘s More Than Scarlet.
Check out other great shows on the Auscast Network here.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCurbAU
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Website: https://www.TheCurb.com.au
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Ozflix Major Film Category Award Nominees Announced
March 23rd, 2018
It feels like just yesterday that the categories for nominations for the inaugural Ozzies (aka Ozflix Independent Film Awards) were announced. Well, now we’ve gotten the first round of major film category nominations… and they’re very darn exciting.
It’s great to see films like Sweet Country, Zelos, Pawno and Blue get recognition among a bunch of other great independent films.
Check them out here:
It is with great pleasure that we are announcing the Major Film finalists for the 2018 Ozflix Independent Film Awards. With over one hundred films and web-series entered the competition was fierce. We’d like to congratulate all of the submitted films for their achievements, it is so great to see how much talent there is in the independent Australian film industry and we cannot wait to see their future work. But now without further ado (and listed in alphabetical order) here are the nominees:
Best Feature Narrative Film Under $5Million:
Bad Girl
The Butterfly Tree
Colour of Darkness
Sweet Country
Best Feature Narrative Film Under $2million:
EMO – The Musical
Hounds of Love
The Legend of Ben Hall
What if it Works?
Zelos
Best Feature Narrative Film under $500k:
The Hunters Club:Skateboard or Die
Lazybones
Pawno
Pulse
That’s Not Me
Best Documentary:
Blue
Deep Water: The True Story
The Family
The Opposition
The Song Keeper
Best Achievement in an Indigenous Filmmaking:
After the Apology
Bastard
In My Own Words
Occupation:Native
Sweet Country
The Award ceremony will be held on April 7th at the Alex Theatre, St Kilda.
Tickets are on sale now and selling fast, to get yours now visit – http://premier.ticketek.com.
Independent Oz Films To be Celebrated At New Ozflix Awards – the Ozzies
March 16th, 2018Ozflix has announced the details for the inaugural Ozflix Independent Film Awards (aka the ‘Ozzies‘) and it’s got me excited. One of the things that has bothered me of late about the AACTA Awards, is the focus on the higher marketed Australian films, as well as the high entry fee cost to have a film be considered for a nomination.
I wrote a piece up about the AACTA Awards and the Australian Cinema Conundrum last year, and it looks like Ozflix are correcting some of those wrongs, with award categories for films under $500K, Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking and separate categories for Best Director – Narrative Film and Best Director – Documentary. All films that will be nominated will have had to have had a budget of under $5 million. Add the fact that the entrance fee is as little as $50, and the Ozzies are proving to be a very inclusive awards show for Australian independent cinema.
Have a read over the press release here and then take a look at the categories:
To acknowledge the shifting landscape of Australian cinema, Ozflix, Australia’s movie global streaming service, will present the inaugural Ozflix Independent Film Awards (the “Ozzies”) on Saturday 7 April 2018 at The Alex Theatre, St Kilda, in Melbourne.
The Australian Film Future Foundation Limited (AFFF Ltd.) a non-profit organization whose mandate is restore and digitise Australia’s lost films will run the Awards of which Ozflix are the naming sponsor. AFFF Ltd. Chairman, Alan Finney, renowned for his unwavering lifetime support of Australian cinema, co-founded Ozflix in 2015 with the organisation’s CEO, Ron Brown.
A national and on-going annual gala event, the “Ozzies” will celebrate the achievements of independent Australian films, that have been made for a budget of $5 million or less, via multiple sub-categories ranging from Best Film, Best Performance, Best Script, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design, to Best Costume Design, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects and Best Score.
Over the last decade, the financial divide between local features has increased significantly, resulting in the emergence of two distinct groups; those films with multi-million budgets that are in stark contrast to the majority of projects, which are produced for often less than $5 million.
It is the former category that frequently reaps accolades and recognition at industry Award Ceremonies, to the detriment of features and documentaries produced with leaner resources.
Ozflix believes that it is vital that Australia have an Awards event that recognises the important “indie” sector of our film industry and the sterling efforts of the many fine practitioners, from both sides of the camera, who work within.
Therefore, the “Ozzies” will celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of production crew in tandem with their high-profile on-screen counterparts by honouring all at the one Awards Ceremony, rather than relegating the ‘foot soldiers’ to a separate, low-key event. The “Ozzies” will also concentrate on film, and not television.
Said Ozflix Co-Founder and CEO Ron Brown, “We have created the Ozflix Independent Film Awards to recognize the great achievement of making a successful film for under $5 million as opposed to a budget in excess of $20 million. When you consider that 76% of all local features are produced for less than $6 million, we are long overdue in celebrating this consistently tenacious industry sector. Extracting a good result within the restraints of a tiny budget, rather than a large one, requires substantially more ingenuity, creativity and sheer commitment. Therefore, every achievement is that much greater.”
An industry-based Steering Committee has been formed to establish rules, protocols and prizes for the “Ozzies.” Drawn from ‘indie’ film alumni, committee members are noted industry practitioners including producer/director/writer Jocelyn Moorhouse, producer/distributor Tait Brady, producer/director/writer Enzo Tedeschi, director Beck Cole, writer/director Matthew Holmes, documentary writer/director Sally Aitken, actor/producer Rosie Lourde and Ozflix CEO Ron Brown, himself a producer/director.
Voting Jurors will encompass renowned filmmakers, performers, critics and exhibitors such as, Bruce Spence, Gillian Armstrong, Phil Noyce, Philippe Mora, Nadia Tass, Kriv Stenders, Brian Trenchard-Smith, David Parker, Tony Ayres, Kylie du Fresne, Polly Stanford, David Williamson, Nigel Westlake, David Hirshfelder, and Jules O’Loughlin, to mention but a few.
Industry celebrities will present the Awards – to include trophies and cash prizes – at the “Ozzies” on 7 April. Clips from nominated films will be projected into The Alex Theatre’s 500-seat auditorium, whilst the festivities will be streamed globally via Ozflix.
Voting for the inaugural Ozflix Independent Film Awards will close on 21 March 2018 with nominations to be announced shortly thereafter.
Any proceeds from the “Ozzies” will be directed towards the AFFF Ltd., for its charitable purposes.
Full list of categories:
• Best Film Under $500K
• Best Film $500K – 2 million
• Best Film $2 million – $5 million
• Best Documentary
• Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking
• Best Performance – Male
• Best Performance – Female
• Special Jury Prize for Emerging Performer
• Best Director – Narrative Film
• Best Director – Documentary
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Production Design
• Best Sound
• Best Special Visual Effects
• Best Editing
• Best Original Score
• Best Costume Design
• Lifetime Achievement
Alan Finney & Ron Brown
Ozflix Independent Film Awards listing details:
Event: Ozflix Independent Film Awards
When: Saturday 7 April at 6.30pm until 10.45pm
Venue: The Alex Theatre, Level 1, 135 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. Melbourne.
Website: https://www.ozflix.org/awards-2018
Tickets: Purchase Tickets via Ticketek
*Please note that there will be No Allocated seating
Follow “the Ozzies” to keep up to date with the latest news and events:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ozflixtv/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozflixtv/
Twitter: @ozflixtv
Hash Tag: #OZZIESawards
Rabbit Trailer and Sydney Q&A Date
February 23rd, 2018Sydney-siders are in for a real treat in March, as the critically acclaimed Aussie horror flick, Rabbit, has been announced as part of the always great Monster Fest Travelling Sideshow on March 10th. Director Luke Shanahan brings his creepy directorial debut to life with the help of producer David Ngo – both of which will be on hand after the screening to answer questions about what the heck you just saw.
If you’re in Sydney on March 10th, head over to the Event Cinemas website to purchase your tickets. This will sell out. Everybody else, head over and follow the Rabbit film facebook page to keep up to date as to where and when this will be dropping near you.
In the meantime, check out the trailer below and the atmospheric posters too:
Umbrella Entertainment’s Drive-In Delirium Is Back
February 5th, 2018
Umbrella Entertainment’s Drive-In Delirium is back. After a kick ass Volume 1 & 2 set – check out our review here – this explosive set of trailers from the golden age of genre films returns for… well… I’ll let the press release and the trailer do the talking:
DRIVE-IN DELIRIUM IS BACK & NOW DELIVERING
1080p TIMES THE INSANITY! VOLUME 3 OF THE BLU-RAY SERIES HAS ARRIVED AND IT’S THE BIGGEST AND BEST ONE YET!
Just when you thought that you’d seen every pulse-pounding, blood-drenched, flesh-filled scrap of trailer trash comes this third stupefying serving of mind-numbing, skull-splitting retro movie madness!
Bulging with over 6 hours of non-stop sex, violence, vehicle destruction, cockamamie cosmic carnage (not to mention an overload of Bronson badassness) – DRIVE-IN DELIRIUM: THE NEW BATCH is a rip-roaring, off-road, high-def ruckus that proudly programs your Blu-ray player to DETONATE!
Keep an eye on UmbrellaEnt.com.au for an upcoming release date.
Melbourne Women In Film Festival 2018
January 30th, 2018MELBOURNE WOMEN IN FILM FESTIVAL 2018
The Melbourne Women in Film Festival 2018, running from 22 to 25 February, is delighted to announce new additions to its program and tickets now on sale.
Adding to this year’s stellar festival line-up is feature film Pretty Good Friends, written and directed by Sophie Townsend. Dubbed as Australia’s first ‘mumblecore’ film, (a subgenre of indie filmmaking characterised by its low budget and unpolished dialogue), the film embodies the energy and cool rawness of independent filmmaking. Set against the backdrop of Melbourne’s inner city, Pretty Good Friends focuses on Jules (Jenni Townsend), who moves back to her home city of Melbourne and in with her old childhood friend, Sam (Rain Fuller). Hoping to start a fresh, Jules struggles to maintain her old friendship while a new one emerges with Sam’s boyfriend, Alex (Nathan Barillaro). The film screens with Katrina Mathers and Graeme Base’s animated short film, The Gallant Captain.
Panellists for Money Matters: Making a Film on a Micro-budget and Side by side: Gender Equity in Film and Music have also been announced. Discussing ways to finance a film on low budget for Money Matters are Cathy Rodda (Program Manager for low budget features at Film Victoria), Sophie Mathisen (filmmaker and Festival Director of For Films’ Sake), Kylie Eddy (writer, director and producer, Lean Filmmaking), and Natalie Erika James (writer/director), with moderator, Dr. Grady Hancock (Lecturer, Deakin University). Exploring the roles of women across screen and music industries in Side by Side are Anna Laverty (music producer, mixer, engineer and writer), Claudia Sangiorgi-Dalimore (multi-disciplinary creative artist), Michelle Grace-Hunder (photographer, radio host), and Triana Hernandez (filmmaker, music journalist), with moderator Dr. Maura Edmonds (Lecturer, Monash University). Both panels will be held at ACMI, Federation Square on Saturday 24th February. Money Matters is free to attend, but requires registration via the ACMI website.
About the Festival
The Melbourne Women in Film Festival is a not-for-profit festival aimed at celebrating and supporting the work of women filmmakers and creatives – from directors, writers and producers to cinematographers, sound designers and editors. This annual festival endeavours to promote the many talented women who work within all areas of film production, and to encourage and inspire women with creative aspirations to pursue their passions with confidence.
Melbourne Women in Film Festival runs 22 – 25 February 2018 at ACMI, Hoyts Melbourne Central and RMIT Cinema, City Campus.
Tickets for Melbourne Women in Film Festival 2018 are on sale now. Please visit mwff.org.au for more information.
The Melbourne Women in Film Festival gratefully acknowledges the support of sponsors: Film Victoria, City of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT, SAE Creative Media Institute, Soundfirm Post Production, Lemac Film and Digital, Radical Yes, and Bird on a Wire Wines.
Australia’s First LGBTIQ Film to Be Released by Bounty Films
December 11th, 2017This right here is exciting news. Bounty Films – the Australian company who has released a wide array of LGBTIQ films, amongst many other lesser known flicks – are staking helping bring history back to life with the re-release of Australia’s first LGBTIQ film, The Set. Based on an unpublished book by the great Roger Ward (Mad Max, Turkey Shoot), this film caused a stir way back in the seventies when it was released.
Let’s check out the press release to find out more:
The celebrate Australia passing same sex marriage laws, Bounty Film is delighted to release the trailer for their upcoming release of The Set which is Australia’s first LGTB film. The trailer has remained unseen since The Set’s theatrical release in 1970 and the film itself only been screened a handful of times since. The Set will be released for the first time ever on DVD and VOD in March 2018.
The Set caused nations-wide controversy at the time of its release with its depiction of non-heteronormative relationships and drag performers. It was also the first Australian film to have graphic nudity and sex scenes.
A young working-class man who sells shirts at a Sydney department store, Paul Lawrence, dreams of going to art school. When his girlfriend Cara leaves for London, Paul becomes the protégé of renowned designer Marie Rosefield. Marie belongs to ‘the set’, an upper-class clique whose members include Mark Bronoski, an influential artist. Bronoski commissions Paul to design a set for flamboyant British stage director John L Fredericks. Helping Paul is Tony Brown (Rod Mullinar), a handsome student who is dating Paul’s cousin, Kim Sylvester. As Paul becomes part of ‘the set’, he begins a homosexual relationship with Tony. Meanwhile, Kim’s mother, Peggy (Hazel Phillips), is bored with her marriage and has an affair with Bronoski. As the deadline for the set approaches, Paul starts to question his values and those of his new friends.
Keep an eye on Bounty Films in 2018 for more info regarding release dates and the like. In the meanwhile, check out the trailer below: