65TH SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL

By Mark Morellini

This prestigious film festival, which is regarded as one of the most prominent in the world amongst filmmakers, celebrates its 65th presentation and audiences should be mesmerised by the alluring program showcasing 326 films from 65 countries.

The program boasts an assortment of culturally diverse films, shorts and documentaries which includes 21 world premieres. The popularity of this iconic event is exemplified by the expansion in venues, with the newly added Hoyts Entertainment Quarter.

Highlights at the festival include the gala opening and closing night parties, Q&A’s, red carpet premieres, meet the filmmaker talks and the expanded Virtual Reality program which collectively highlight the ever-growing variety of entertainment available to film festival enthusiasts.

This year, an astonishing 25 percent of the films screened are from Australia. Audiences should embrace Jirga, a war drama which resonates the impact of war and 1%, a high-octane thriller which should appeal to the younger audiences.

In The Land Of Wolves, Ghosthunter and Teach A Man To Fish are 3 Australian documentaries which showcase the lives of people from different walks of life and should be quite popular at the film festival.

West Of Sunshine is an Australian feature film which centres on a man who has less than a day to pay back a gambling debt to a violent loan shark, while looking after his young son who is on school holidays.

“It’s about a man who is not functioning as a parent or husband and who is forced to confront his past that will test everything that he knows and learn something about love and connection which he didn’t realise before”, explained film director/screenwriter Jason Raftopoulos.

The story for this film came about when Jason was about to become a father. “I was exploring what fatherhood was and I knew consciously that fatherhood was coming but I didn’t quite know whether I was prepared for it psychologically. I started to meditate on fatherhood as a whole and the birth of the film came from that. When I started to write the screenplay, I was keen on exploring the theme of love being an action in spite of how you feel and the things that you do. I found this flawed human being called Jimmy, who really had to learn something about love which he hadn’t understood before.”

Jason says that this film realistically depicts the problems in today’s society. 

“We all go through life with problems. People in big cities with financial problems owing to gambling, big mortgages and expenses are under constant stresses. How do we survive and keep what is true and real between us as people without being distracted by the noise that we are constantly fighting?”

West Of Sunshine received a standing ovation when screened at the film’s world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. But how does it feel having your film selected for screening at the Sydney Film Festival?

“It’s an absolute honour. When my producer told me, I was stoked. I couldn’t be more proud of the film and everyone who worked on it. This is one of the highlights of this experience. It’s so difficult to make a film – it’s a miracle –  and then to have that film selected and received well definitely feels like a victory. I can’t tell you how grateful and humbled I honestly am. We’re finally bringing the film back to the audience it was made for and I just can’t wait to be in Sydney to feel and see what the response is from Australians who are watching an Australian film, made entirely in Australia with an Australian cast and crew.”

HOT PICKS

ONE DAY (HUNGARY): This domestic drama details one day in the life of a mother of three. Stressed with the running of a household, work and bringing up the children, her day suddenly takes a bad turn when she discovers her husband has cheated on her. Brilliant screenplay and arresting performances.

THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER (USA): A strangely funny drama which concerns a teacher who becomes increasingly obsessed with rearing the poetic talent of a gifted five year-old child. Does her preoccupation signify that she has inadvertently breached her code of conduct as a school teacher? Clever and unpredictable.

THE ICE KING (UK):  This documentary details the story of John Curry, the first openly gay Olympian who was regarded as the world champion ice skater. In 1976 he won the European, Olympic and world titles and tragically announced in 1994 that he had contracted the aids virus. Well-crafted and informative.

OYSTER (AUSTRALIA): The hardships of oyster farming in Merimbula Lake NSW are realistically showcased in this documentary, as a couple are also trying to raise two children. Pollution, diseases and changes in water temperatures collectively increase the difficulty in keeping several million oysters alive. Insightful and inspirational.

POPE FRANCIS – A MAN OF HIS WORD: (ITALY): The answers to today’s difficult global questions are candidly answered by Pope Francis in this rare Vatican co-production. Audiences will be face-to-face with this remarkable man as he speaks about immigration, social justice and answers questions from refugees, children and the elderly. Mandatory viewing.

Jun 6-17. Various venues. $17-$159 (10 film pass). Tickets & Info: www.sff.org.au