The Australian High Commission in, conjunction with St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, will be show-casing Australian cinema at the 2007 Australian Film Festival to be held between tomorrow and 25 January at the St James Centre for Creativity in Valletta.
The films are as follows:
The Cannes award-winning film Japanese Story (Toni Collette) follows the character Sandy, a geologist, who finds herself stuck on a field trip to the Pilbara desert with a Japanese man she finds inscrutable, annoying and decidedly arrogant. Hiromitsu’s view of her is not much better. Things go from bad to worse when they become stranded in one of the most remote regions on earth. Japanese Story is a journey of change and discovery for its two lead characters.
The Hard Word (Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths) is in the genre of crime/comedy. Three brothers have found a uniquely profitable way to spend their jail time. Crime does pay, and no one gets hurt – until they discover the catch. When sex and greed come between bad cops and good criminals, the consequences are fatal – for some.
Dirty Deeds (Sam Neill, Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, John Goodman, Sam Worthington) is set in Sydney in 1969 and the Mafia have just sent Tony and Sal, a couple of Chicago hoods, to Australia to get a cut from the profits of the illegal gambling which is flourishing due to US soldiers on R&R from Vietnam. Barry Ryan, who runs Sydney’s shady end of town, doesn’t think much of this idea and coopts his nephew, Darcy, his wife, Sharon, and mistress, Margaret, into helping him keep the Mafia at bay. A trip to the outback is what he has in mind.
Thunderstruck (Stephen Curry, Sam Worthington) is a hilarious comedy about five boys, all devoted AC/DC fans, who make a pact to bury whoever dies first next to their idol Bon Scott. Eleven years later these misfits have to fulfil their promise.
Danny Deckchair (Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto) is about an ordinary bloke who rockets out of his loveless relationship into a new world in which he gets the chance to stand out from the crowd and fall in love.
Swimming Upstream (Judy Davis, Geoffrey Rush) is based on Anthony Fingelton’s book about the struggle to become an Olympic swimmer despite an overbearing, alcoholic father and his long-suffering mother.
Year of the Dogs is a sports/documentary film about the “Bulldogs” Australian rules football team. The people of Footscray are battlers and so is their football team. The mighty bulldogs haven’t won a premiership since 1954. The hopes and aspirations of a whole tribe are resting on the broad shoulders of the “Doggies”. This documentary follows the Footscray Football Club through the football season, from boardroom to changing-room.
In addition to the seven feature films, St James Cavalier, in conjunction with the Australian High Commission will be screening a selection of award-winning Australian short films, aptly entitled Short Cuts. Tomorrow, the High Commission will be providing a unique opportunity for young adults to come and experience Australian culture as it is today. Short Cuts, starting at 11pm tomorrow at St James Cavalier, will include Austra-lian wine and music in addition to the short films. A representative from the High Commission will also be on site providing information on the Working-Holiday Visa to Australia. It is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who has ever thought about what it is like “down under” these days to come and find out!
The week’s programme is:
Tomorrow
7pm Japanese Story
9pm Swimming Upstream
11pm Short Cuts (Australian short films)
Saturday
3pm Hildegarde (kids film)
7pm Swimming Upstream
9pm Japanese Story
Sunday
3pm Short Cuts
(Australian short films)
7pm Dirty Deeds
9pm Danny Deckchair
Monday
7pm Danny Deckchair
9pm Dirty Deeds
Tuesday
7pm The Hard Word
9pm Year of the Dogs
Wednesday
7pm Thunderstruck
9pm The Hard Word
Thursday
7pm Year of the Dogs
9pm Thunderstruck