Down Under Films This Weekend in Toronto

(Toronto –February 10th) Dates for the 4th annual Australia.com OzFlix: Australian Film Weekend have been set for February 13 -16, 2009.

Sponsored by Tourism Australia, this year the four day festival has an eclectic program of award-winning shorts, fascinating documentaries, seminal animation and compelling features. The festival runs over the Family Day Weekend and will include a free screening of the animated family film ‘The Magic Pudding,’ based on the much-loved Australian children’s book.

Australia is a country that values a ‘fair go’, the great outdoors and a healthy helping of irony.  With landscapes that range from foreboding to romantic to sublime, this country with its small population of 21 million has produced an impressive amount of current day movie stars.  Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Heath Ledger and Russell Crowe, are just a few and at OzFlix, Torontonians have the chance to discover the next Cate Blanchett.

OzFlix ‘09 brings together the finest from Australia’s independent film scene. This year the festival is proud to announce that half of the feature films and docs are directed by women and that majority of its program consists of directors making their feature-length directorial debuts.

Some highlights for this year?  The Crystal Bear winner at the Berlin Film Fest, Black Balloon, is this year’s Opening Night film. This harrowing yet heart-rending semi-autobiographical film about a teenager coping with his autistic brother, won 6 Australian Film Awards. A strong ensemble cast is anchored by the wonderful Toni Collette.

In Her Skin is a beautifully handled thriller about a teenage daughter who goes missing and the woman who used to baby-sit her.  The film is the festival’s Closing Night film and stars Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto, Sam Neill and Ruth Bradley.

Also screening are such stellar features as, All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane a romantic comedy with razor-sharp social commentary; Cactus, a kidnapping-goes-wrong, road-movie starring Bryan Brown and Shane Jacobson (from Kenny) and Three Blind Mice, a psychological drama about 3 young Australian naval officers on shore leave before going to Iraq.

Along with an impressive line-up of features, this year’s festival includes The Bold, The Brave, The Best a showcase of seminal Australian animation from the last 50 years, curated by Academy Award® nominated animator Anthony Lucas and Bad Boys, OzFlix ‘09’s short film program, consisting of the 2008 Cannes Jury Prize Winner as well as many shorts selected for Sundance.

Receiving such a tremendous response at last year’s festival, Larry Meltzer’s Great Australian Albums has returned. This time featuring behind-the-scenes footage and current interviews about the making of two renowned Aussie albums; Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’, “Murder Ballads” and “16 Lover’s Lane,” from the influential Aussie 80’s indie rock band, The Go-Betweens.

Rounding off OzFlix ‘09 are some captivating documentaries. Paper Dolls looks back at the role of Australian pin-up girls during WWII, The Oasis follows the founder of a youth homeless shelter in Sydney for two years, Solo looks at a kayaker who attempted crossing the treacherous waters between Australia and New Zealand, and Not Quite Hollywood, is an exploration and celebration of Aussie genre cinema in the 70’s and 80’s.

Opening night screening takes place at the Royal Cinema (608 College St) on Friday February 13th at 7pm. All other screenings will take place at the Royal Ontario Museum, Signy and Cleophee Eaton Theatre, 100 Queen’s Park Circle. 

Schedule and tickets are available in advance online at: http://www.australia.com/ozflix; during the Festival they can be purchased at the screening venue. Opening Night- $20 (includes pre-screening reception); Regular screenings- $10 ($8 students and seniors); Weekend Pass- $40 (all screenings except Opening Night).

Australia.com OzFlix: Australian Film Weekend is supported by Tourism Australia, Austrade and the Australian High Commission

Capsule Reviews of a selection of the films:

ALL MY FRIENDS ARE LEAVING BRISBANE (Australia 2007) ***1/2
Directed by Louise Alston

ALL MY FRIENDS ARE LEAVING BRISBANE is a twenty something romantic comedy that works primarily for its smart script despite the predictable ending.  The centre of the story is Anthea (Charlotte Gregg).  Overworked, no boyfriend and losing all her friends as they move out of the city for one reason or another, Anthea is left mopping over an ex’s return unaware of the potential love interest f her best friend, Michael who himself has the eyes of someone else.  Anthea is pondering leaving Brisbane with her best girlfriend Kath.  Like I said, no prizes in guessing how all these lead to, but Alston’s film is so bright, breezy and entertaining and accompanied by a varied and impressive soundtrack.

BAD BOYS (Shorts Program) ***

Boys just want to have fun.  Six spunky featurettes illustrate how boys get so worked up and get much ado about nothing.  In REMEMBER MY NAME (title derives from the song from FLASHDANCE), directors Kasmir Burgess, Bowen Duffy and Nick Moore tease the audience on a happening on a Melbourne Street.  The planners talk about their aspirations, how they need and want to do this – illegal that it may be.  Just what it is they are up to, has to be seen to be believed.  A musical gem that can get scary! 

In JERRYCAN, director Julius Avery pays tribute to dangerous youth.  His protagonist has to prove his manhood but at what cost? 

Sean Kruck’s SUMMER BREAKS is lighter in nature but its topic no less topical.  Kruck shows the duty involved in getting into mischief, sometimes with interference from the law that might proves too much. 

In NETHERLAND DWARF, director David Michod demonstrates father and son bonding.  DWARF runs 15 minutes, the perfect length for a perfect tale beautifully told.  This is the most heart-warming of the program.

Also screening in this program are THE LIST and THE GROUND BENEATH.

CACTUS (Australia 2008) ***
Directed by Jasmine Yuen Carrucan

A man, Eli (David Lyons) is kidnapped by John (Travis McMahon) and taken on a road trip in the Australian outback to an unknown destination.  The reason for the kidnapping is revealed only after half the film has elapsed.  CACTUS feels really odd - probably due to this film being the director’s first film – for a number of reasons.  The most obvious is the uncomfortable shift in focus of protagonist from John to Eli at the end.  The second is that the film changes mood so often, for example from odd hilarity (at the film’s start) to dead seriousness.  But director Carrucan is always one step ahead of her viewers in terms of revealing the film’s plot.  Veteran actor Bryan Brown steals the show with his portrayal of Roscoe, an outback patrolman who carries out his justice his own way.

NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD (Australia 2008) ***
Directed by Mark Hartley

Mark Hartley’s NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD starts up brilliantly and uproariously with an insight on the beginning of the Australian film industry.  The funniest bit is his take on the then Australian censor known to have only one arm.  (He has never shown up in person always apologizing that he would have given up his right arm to be present.) From free-wheeling sex romps to blood-soaked terror tales to high-octane action car chases, NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD contains an unbelievable number of Aussie film clips from films never seen by those under the age of 30.  For many like me, the film is a nostalgic trip into the gore, violence, sex and fun filled forgotten films like PATRICK, THIRST, the ALVIN PURPLE and MAD MAX films.  Hartley remembers to pay tribute to the art classics like PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, and MY BRILLIANT CAREER.  But his film is a bit too long, dragging a bit near the end though Quentin Tarantino gives his bit to enliven the proceedings.  To his credit, Hartley has assembled an impressive cast of talking heads that includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Dennis Hopper, Stacy Keach, Quentin Tarantino, Brian Trenchard-Smith,

THREE BLIND MICE (Australia 2008) ***
Directed by Matthew Newton

This 23 minute documentary is a magical often non-verbal storytelling of a journey to TNOROLA, Australia.  Tnorala (Gosse Bluff) Conservation Reserve is a place of great cultural significance to the Western Arrente Aboriginal people, as well as one of international scientific interest.  The Reserve is a registered sacred site and traditional owners welcome visitors to experience Tnorala’s magic.  For audiences faraway from down under, Thornton’s film allows his world to be seen through Aboriginal eyes (storyteller Mavis Malbunka) through lights, chanting, photography and music.  The topic of conservation is also touched.
TNOROLA will be screened with the documentary THE OASIS (not previewed as the screener DVD was faulty.)