CONTINUING its commitment to Australian film, the Maleny Film Society launches its annual festival of film with a Celebration of Indigenous Film and Culture on 9 January. Several excellent films will be shown by local filmmakers including Samson and Delilah which swept the board at the recent AFI awards.
The weekend festival will be launched at 6pm on 22 January by special guest David Williamson who will talk about writing the screenplay for Balibo. This film was awarded Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 AFI awards. It will screen that evening.
With many plays, television and film scripts to his credit, Williamson is Australia’s best known and widely performed playwright. Balibo is a political thriller which is based on the events surrounding the death of five Australian journalists during Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor in 1975.
For the afternoon session on Saturday 23 January, selected short films will be followed by the 1970s outback classic, Wake in Fright. Considered at the time to be a landmark piece of cinematography, it has recently been saved from oblivion, and examines the darker side of Australian mateship.
The evening session will include local writer Michael Berry’s Banjo Paterson with a Paintbrush. This documentary delves into the life of larrikin bushman and painter Hugh Sawrey, whose paintings captured the spirit of rural life in Queensland. Following this, Rachel Ward’s impressive debut film Beautiful Kate (another AFI Winner) will screen.
Described by Ward as “Australian Gothic”, it is a complex emotional tale about family secrets, guilt and a troubled father-son relationship.
The final screening on Saturday 30 January is Last Ride, another fine feature debut from Glendyn Ivin. This beautifully drawn and moody film tells the story of Kev (Hugo Weaving), a flawed but vulnerable man, who is on the run with his young son.
Passes for the Gala Night and Weekend Festival, as well as individual session tickets, are available. All tickets for the Gala Night must be prepaid. Dinner by Pomodoras is available from 6pm on Saturday 23 and 30 January.
For full program, pricing, tickets and information about the January 2010 Maleny Festival of Australian Film, phone 07 5476 5468 or website: www.malenyfilmsociety.info
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