We’re nearing that festive time again. In less than two weeks, the 62nd Sydney Film Festival (3–14 June 2015) will showcase a variety of both national and international films, ranging from shorts to documentaries to independent and mainstream films (including ones that have premiered at Cannes): a total of 251 films from 68 countries. These films sound promising and will be shown at various venues across Sydney, and for the first time, interstate…
There will also be premieres, red carpet events, panels and international guests, as well as the Sydney Film Prize. One film out of twelve that show “emotional power and resonance; are audacious, cutting-edge, courageous” will be chosen by a jury of industry professionals, international and local filmmakers.
The festival will open with the world premiere of Australian film Ruben Guthrie. It’s screenwriter, playwright and actor Brendan Cowell’s directional debut and it centres on a man with the perfect life until all hell breaks loose. The festival will close with another Aussie piece, Holding the Man, based on a memoir by Tim Conigrave, and it follows fifteen years of a heartfelt romance between two men.
Here’s a list of must-see pieces that have caught Fashion Industry Broadcast’s eye:
• Strangerland: An Australian-Irish piece starring our very own Nicole Kidman (her Australian independent film debut), Hugo Weaving and Joseph Fiennes. It follows a couple on the search for their missing children and as they go on, they face their growing demons.
• The Daughter: Think of it as a modern and Australian retelling of Romeo and Juliet. The film focuses on two families, and clashes of class and sex. It stars Miranda Otto, Sam Neill and Geoffrey Rush.
• Arabian Nights: A trilogy of magic and trials set in Portugal, inspired by the original Arabian Nights. Its blending of reality and fantasy is set to capture our hearts.
• The Duke of Burgundy: Better than Fifty Shades of Grey, this British film centres on an S&M relationship between two women that turns into a romance – but their erotic game soon threatens to pull them apart.
• Dope: An interesting comedy focusing on a group of geeks who unexpectedly enter the drug trade to survive.
• Far from the Maddening Crowd: Starring Carey Mulligan, the film focuses on an independent young woman who inherits her uncle’s farm and eventually attracts three different men. And that doesn’t bode well with her.
• Mr. Holmes: This time, the Consulting Detective (Ian McKellen) is retired and his memories are fading. Holmes tries to find an anecdote and ends up being disturbed by an old unsolved case.
• Madame Bovary: Our own Mia Wasikowska stars as Emma Bovary who is bored with country life and her husband. Her pursuit of something better leads her to financial problems and her obsession with love affairs.
You can check out the full program here: www.sff.org.au.