Film News
All the news on Sydney's celluloid
Culley goes to Macgowan
Miranda Culley joined Macgowan Films last week, after seven years with Australian director Phil Noyce - with whom she is co-producing the adaptation of Tim Winton's novel Dirt Music, Geraldine Brooks' Year Of Wonders, and writer/director Darlene Johnson's Obelia. Marian Macgowan is already working on Shirley Barrett's next feature South Solitary and Blessed to be directed by Ana Kokkinos. That's quite a slate.
Tender Hook
This year the Bob Maza Award was collected by the dynamic young actor Luke Carroll who is starring in the new Australian feature Tender Hook, (shot in Melbourne, pretending to be set in Bondi).
Calling all winners
Flickerfest 18th International Australian Short Film Festival is now calling for entries for the 2009 season. Flickerfest is Australia's largest short film competition. You could get an Oscar out of this. Remember Harvie Krumpet? Don't forget - it's happened before. For more info and entry forms go to Flickerfest
Off the chook
The Message Sticks Film Festival went off last
weekend, with the best opening party in years. This was partly due to
the attendance of Australia's very own indigenous Marilyn Monroe
(Frances Djulibing, the star of Darlene Johnson's River of No Return),
and a riotous performance by the Chooky Dancers. The exuberant "chooky
phenomenon" has swept the Top End and broken internationally via
YouTube. It's a hybrid hip-hop dance style pioneered by the Yolgnu clan
in Arnhemland, influenced by Bollywood musicals, traditional aboriginal
dance, and the film Zorba the Greek. The Chooky dancers are also a big
hit in the cafes of Athens, and feature in the short film Yolgnu Guwa
Djamamirr (Aboriginal Fisherman, directed by Frank Djirrimbilpilwy
Garawirritja) Check it out!