PREVIEW: 2022 VETERANS FILM FESTIVAL

The 7th Veterans Film Festival (VFF) relocates to Sydney from Canberra for the first-time next month, with the prestigious event unfolding at the Hoyts Entertainment Quarter and neighbouring Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). The expansive program will present more than 20 new and retrospective films and an engaging program of art, master classes and script readings.

Running from November 3-6, VFF will open with the Australian Premiere of Lila Neugebauer’s Causeway, starring Jennifer Lawrence (pictured, above) as an Afghanistan War veteran with traumatic brain injury who struggles to adjust to life back home. It will be the only theatrical screening of the critically-acclaimed film ahead of its international premiere on AppleTV on November 4.

Other feature film highlights include the documentary The Skin of Others, profiling the life of Aboriginal soldier and journalist Douglas Grant; the Stan Original film Transfusion, directed by Matt Nable and starring Sam Worthington (pictured, right) as a former Special Forces operative; and, the Ari Folman-directed animation feature Where is Anne Frank?, a reworking of her iconic wartime story, told through her imaginary friend in modern day Amsterdam.

Two strands of short films bring works from countries such as The Netherlands (Niels Bourgonje’s Barrier); Belgium (Donald Merten’s War Games); Norway (Hans Melbye’s Masters of Conflict); the United Kingdom (Olivia Martin McGuire’s Freedom Swimmer); Italy (Stefano Monti’s Terzo Tempo); New Zealand (Isaac Lee’s The Haka); and, the United States (including Justin Koehler’s Ride Away).

Two stunning animation works from Iran are booked - Farnoosh Abedi’s The Sprayer, recently voted Best Animation short at the 2022 Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival, and Balance, from director Barzan. And from the nation of Ukraine comes Rainer Ludwig’s The Veteran’s Dramedy, a co-production with Germany, and the powerful animated short Life and death, from the Volunteer Animation of Ukraine anonymous collective.

Two-time Oscar nominee Bruce Beresford will preside over a jury that includes actors Jenni Baird and Alan Dukes, who will adjudicate on the prestigious Red Poppy Awards, awarded to the best feature and short films. Beresford will also present a retrospective of his wartime films, including a 25th anniversary screening of  Paradise Road (1997), starring Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close and Frances McDormand; Breaker Morant (1980), for which Jack Thompson earned Supporting Actor honours at the Cannes Film Festival; and, the box office hit Ladies in Black (2018), starring Angourie Rice. 

Also getting a rare big screen showing is Bill Bennett’s A Street to Die (1985; pictured, below) featuring Chris Haywood as the Vietnam veteran fighting for legal recognition of the damage done to him by the defoliant Agent Orange. In a special event, producer David Elfick’s new World War II feature Kamarada, set to be shot with Phillip Noyce in Timor-Leste, will receive a live script-reading presentation.

The relocation of the festival to Sydney is intended to expand the close association with AFTRS who are partnering with VFF to deliver the new Screen Warriors program. This groundbreaking initiative provides support for veterans who want to partake in industry training and employment in the film sector.

The three-day, four-night festival includes an exhibition of artwork from veteran artists and photographers, including a selection of Mike Armstrong’s work from his recent Voices of Veterans exhibition and the Persona exhibition opening soon at the Australian National Veterans Art Museum (ANVAM). 

TICKETS are now on sale for the 2022 VETERANS FILM FESTIVAL here.

LUKAS DHONT’S CLOSE EARNS SYDNEY FILM FEST TOP HONOUR

The 69th Sydney Film Festival tonight awarded Close by Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont, a stunningly beautiful examination of boyhood friendship, the prestigious Sydney Film Prize. The winner of the $60,000 cash prize for ‘audacious, cutting-edge and courageous' film was selected by a prestigious international jury headed by David Wenham.

The announcement was made at the State Theatre ahead of the Closing Night film, the Australian Premiere screening of the 2022 Cannes-award winning South Korean drama Broker.

Dhont said, “Thank you to the festival for expressing its love for the film, the jury for choosing it among all these outstanding pieces, and its first Australian audience for opening hearts and spirits to a film that comes from deep within. We wanted to make a film about friendship and connection after a moment in time where we all understood its necessity and power. I decided to use cinema as my way to connect to the world. And tonight I feel incredibly close and connected to all of you.” (Pictured, top; Close stars Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele).

In addition to Wenham, the Festival Jury was comprised of Australian BAFTA-nominated writer and director Jennifer Peedom (Mountain, SFF 2018); Bangladeshi writer-director-producer Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (No Land’s Man, SFF 2022); Golden Berlin Bear winning Turkish writer-director-producer Semih Kaplanoğlu (Commitment Hasan, SFF 2022); and Executive Director at the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, Tokyo, Yuka Sakano. (Pictured, right; The Jury deliberates)

Wenham said, “[Close] displayed a mastery of restraint, subtle handling of story, astute observations and delicate attention to finer details. A film whose power was felt in things unsaid, the moments between the lines of dialogue. A film with inspired cinematography and flawless performances. A tender, moving, powerful film. A mature film about innocence.”

Australian filmmaker Luke Cornish was presented with the Documentary Australia Award’s $10,000 cash prize for Keep Stepping, about two remarkable female performers training for Australia’s biggest street dance competition. (Pictured, left; Director Luke Cornish, sitting, with street dancers Gabi Quinsacara, left, and Patricia Crasmaruc, from Keep Stepping. Photo:Louie Douvis)

The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films saw the inaugural AFTRS Craft Award (a $7,000 cash prize) presented to the character artists behind Donkey; Tjunkaya Tapaya OAM; Carolyn Kenta; Imuna Kenta; Elizabeth Dunn; Stacia Yvonne Lewis; Atipalku Intjalki; Lynette Lewis; and Cynthia Burke.

The $5,000 Yoram Gross Animation Award was also awarded to Donkey, directed by Jonathan Daw and Tjunkaya Tapaya OAM. Both the $7,000 Dendy Live Action Short Award and $7,000 Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director were presented to Luisa Martiri and Tanya Modini for The Moths Will Eat Them Up (pictured, right).

The 2022 recipient of the $10,000 Sustainable Future Award, made possible by a syndicate of passionate climate activists led by Award sponsor Amanda Maple-Brown, is Australian documentary Delikado directed by Karl Malakunas, which reveals the tribulations of environmental crusaders on the Filipino island of Palawan.

R.I.P. RAY LIOTTA: FIVE OF HIS GREATEST PERFORMANCES

As with all sudden passings, the death of Ray Liotta, aged 67, puts a melancholy focus on his career. What one finds is a catalogue of characters that, borne of the right material and guided by a director who could grasp the actor’s unique physicality and energy, is unlike any in Hollywood’s history.

He was never not working, frankly, with dozens of television roles, from early work in soaps like Another World to guesting on hits like E.R. (for which he won an  Emmy) and Hannah Montana (pictured, below) to hardman roles in hits like Shades of Blue, with Jennifer Lopez; as an in-demand voice actor and narrator, notably the landmark 2015 docu-series, The Making of the Mob; and, in a testament to his stature in the industry, seven credits in which he plays ‘Ray Liotta’.

It is inconceivable that any ‘listicle’ could encompass a film career like Liotta’s. He was great in films you won’t see below, like Ted Demme’s Blow (2001), with Johnny Depp; the thriller Identity (2003), starring John Cusack; Narc (2002), for director Joe Carnahan; and, perhaps most adored of all, his ‘Shoeless Joe Jackson’ in the American classic, Field of Dreams (1989). “You want to do as many different genres as you can,” he told Long Island Weekly in 2018. “I’ve done movies with The Muppets. I did good guys and bad guys. I did a movie with an elephant. I decided that I was here to try different parts and do different things. That’s what a career should be.” 

The five selected are the ones that defined for us who Ray Liotta was so good at being on-screen - a riveting presence, whether as a tightly-coiled force of dangerous energy or as a gentle character of values and strength.

GOODFELLAS (1990) | Director: Martin Scorsese | Also starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesce, Lorraine Bracco | The film roared into the public consciousness as soon as it hit theatres; a work that felt like Martin Scorsese had been building towards his whole career, that Joe Pesci was born to dominate, that De Niro had in him from Day 1. And out front of it all was Ray Liotta, going scene-for-scene with the greatest actors of his generation, as made-man turned stool pigeon, ‘Henry Hill’. He was high on Scorsese’s list of leads, but Warner Bros weren’t convinced; at the Venice Film Festival spruiking The Last Temptation of Christ, Liotta fronted a heavily-bodyguarded Scorsese about the role. Scorsese told GQ in 2010, ““Ray approached me in the lobby and the bodyguards moved toward him. And [Liotta] had an interesting way of reacting. He held his ground, but made them understand he was no threat. I liked his behaviour at that moment. I thought,’Oh, he understands that kind of situation.’”

SOMETHING WILD (1986) | Director: Jonathan Demme | Also starring: Melanie Griffith, Jeff Daniels | Scorsese wanted Liotta for his gangster epic because he had seen the actor’s electrically terrifying turn as obsessive ex-con husband ‘Ray Sinclair’ in Jonathan Demme’s pitch-black comedy-thriller. Melanie Griffith pushed hard for her friend to be cast in the role that would define his on-screen persona for the next two decades. “I had offers for every crazy guy around,” Liotta told The Los Angeles Times in 1990. His performance earned Supporting Actor nominations from the Golden Globes, New York Film Critics Circle and National Society of Film Critics, and won him the Boston Film Critics trophy.

DOMINICK & EUGENE (1988) | Director: Robert M. Young | Also starring: Tom Hulce, Jamie Lee Curtis | Liotta was determined not to be typecast as Hollywood’s short-fuse psychopath and took on the role of brother and caregiver Eugene to Tom Hulce’s intellectually disabled Dominick in veteran director Robert M. Young’s tearjerker. “The two leading actors do a superb job of bringing these characters to life,” Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times. “Mr. Liotta makes Gino a touchingly devoted figure, a man willing to sacrifice almost anything for his brother’s welfare.” Liotta’s sweeter side was sorely underutilised throughout his career; apart from Field of Dreams, also check out Article 99 (1992), opposite Kiefer Sutherland; Corinna, Corinna (1994), with Whoopi Goldberg; and the Disney romp, Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), for Australian director Simon Wincer. 

TURBULENCE (1997) | Director: Robert Butler | Also starring: Lauren Holly, Brendan Gleeson | Of course, no one could bring the crazy like Liotta, as his role as ‘Ryan Weaver’ in Turbulence displayed. This ‘slasher on an airplane’ slice of B-movie giddiness was a critical and commercial dud upon release, but went on to find an appreciative home video audience; it would be one of the most rented VHS releases of the late ‘90s and spawn two direct-to-video sequels. Liotta goes all in on Weaver’s villainy, putting co-star Lauren Holly through the emotional and physical wringer in their scenes together. He did psycho-stalker like few actors ever have - see also Unlawful Entry (1992), opposite Kurt Russell; the barely-released Control (2004), with Willem Dafoe; and, in Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly (2012), alongside Brad Pitt. 

THE RAT PACK (2002) | Director: Rob Cohen | Also starring: Joe Mantegna, Don Cheadle | This made-for-TV period epic was commissioned in the early days of HBO, a bold statement from the cabler that they were going to be front-and-centre of a new type of prestige television. Liotta delivered a now iconic performance as Frank Sinatra; despite some critics noting he neither looks nor sounds like ‘The Chairman of The Board’, Liotta imbues one of Hollywood’s most powerful figures with the gravitas needed to convey the vastness of the entertainer’s impact on 1950’s America. His scenes opposite William Petersen, playing the charismatic young President John F. Kennedy, are some of the best in either actor’s career.

REMEMBERING WILLIAM HURT

One of the great leading men of Hollywood’s recent history and an actor gifted with a unique and prodigious talent, Oscar-winner William Hurt has passed away from natural causes. Considered one of the defining stars of his generation, he earned a Best Actor trophy for Kiss of The Spider Woman in 1986, the first of three consecutive nominations in the category. He was 71.

A strapping 6’2” and exuding a WASP-ish everyman appeal that had many comparing his on-screen charisma to Robert Redford in his prime, Hurt was targeted straight out of college as a potential big-screen star. He delivered on that, but did so by starring in roles that often subverted movie-star conventions, channelling nuance and dark emotion that made him a compelling film presence.    

A graduate of Juiliiard, he was a naturally commanding stage actor, appearing in more than fifty productions including Henry V, Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, Richard II, Hurlyburly (earning a Tony Award nomination), My Life (winning an Obie Award for Best Actor) and A Midsummer's Night's Dream. 

Hurt made his on-screen debut in the lead role of Dr Jessup in Ken Russel’s trippy Altered States (1980; pictured, right), kick-starting a run of major studio films that saw him work with some of international cinema’s finest directors and A-list co-stars - Peter Yates’ Eyewitness (1981), opposite Sigourney Weaver; Lawrence Kasdan’s Body Heat (1981) with Kathleen Turner; Michael Apted’s Gorky Park (1983), with Lee Marvin; Kasdan again, in The Big Chill (1983); Hector Babenco, for …Spider Woman; Randa Haines’ Children of a Lesser God (1986), opposite Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin; James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News (1987), with Holly Hunter; and, opposite Oscar-winner Geena Davis in 1988’s The Accidental Tourist (again, for Lawrence Kasdan). It was a period that established him as one of the defining movie stars of ‘80s cinema.

His choices became more idiosyncratic, and occasionally less successful at the box office, but each exemplified the fearless and adventurous spirit with which he viewed his craft. He would often shine in support parts or lend stature to the cool indies of the period. Through the ‘90s, his significant works included Kasdan’s ensemble black comedy I Love You to Death (1990); Woody Allen’s Alice (1990); The Doctor (1991), reteaming with his …Lesser God director, Randa Haines; Wim Wenders’ Until the End of The World (1991; pictured below); Anthony Minghella’s Mr. Wonderful (1993); Wayne Wang’s Smoke (1995); and, Alex Proyas’ Dark City (1998).

In 1998, he gave more than the role of Captain John Robinson deserved in Australian director Stephen Hopkins’ Lost in Space, opposite Gary Oldman and Mimi Rogers, a box-office underperformer that has nevertheless found some cult love in recent years. 

The ‘elder statesman’ phase of his career, in which he added gravitas to key roles that demanded maximum impact with limited screen time, proved richly rewarding for the actor and his audience alike. Highlights from his post-2000 career include Steven Spielberg’s A.I. (2001); Tonie Marshall’s Au plus près du paradis (2002), with Catherine Deneuve; M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village (2004); and, Stephen Gaghan’s Syriana (2005), with George Clooney. David Cronenberg directed him to his fourth Oscar nomination in 2005, for his supporting turn in 2005’s A History of Violence.

In recent years, he has found favour with a younger audience as an integral part of the MCU; he first appeared as G-man Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross opposite Edward Norton in Louis Letterier’s The Incredible Hulk in 2008 and reprised the role in subsequent Marvel adventures Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avenger: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Black Widow (2021). His final film in general release was Sean McNamara’s The King’s Daughter with Kaya Scodelario and Pierce Brosnan, a troubled production shot in Australia in 2014 that debuted on US VOD services in January 2022. 

Hurt moved effortlessly between big- and small-screen work. Notable television projects over his 50-year career include All the Way Home (1981), with Sally Field; the 2000 mini-series adaptation of Dune, in which he played ‘Duke Leto Atreides’ (pictured, right); Varian’s War (2001), opposite Julia Ormond; a multi-episode arc in the series Damages (2009), reuniting him with his The Big Chill co-star Glenn Close; the iconic role of ‘Captain Ahab’ in the 2011 mini-series Moby Dick; and, his Emmy-nominated performance as ‘Hank Paulson’ in Curtis Hanson’s acclaimed account of the 2008 financial crisis, Too Big to Fail (2011; featured, above).

William Hurt was married twice, first to actress Mary Beth Hurt then Heidi Henderson, with both marriages ending in divorce. He is survived by his children Jeanne Bonnaire-Hurt, Alexander Hurt, Samuel Hurt and William Hurt Jr.

BIGFOOT THRILLER DEVOLUTION IN CAPABLE HANDS OF KIWI DIRECTOR

Based upon the slick visuals and chillingly deft touch in building the suspense in his Sundance 2021 hit Coming Home in the Dark, it was announced in June that director James Ashcroft would helm Legendary Pictures’ prestige horror property, Devolution. An adatation of the blockbuster bestseller Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by World War Z author Max Brooks, it represents a high-profile Hollywood debut for the New Zealand-born filmmaker and his writing partner, Eli Kent.

While on the promotional circuit for Coming Home in the Dark in late 2021, Ashcroft offered up some insight into how the project was developing. Full disclosure - your correspondent is a Sasquatch obsessive and Brooks' book, which chronicles a Bigfoot pack attack deep in America’s forested heartland, was the literary highpoint of 2020.    

“Unlike you, I never had a lot of interest in anything Sasquatch, certainly wasn’t expecting to fall in love with Sasquatch lore” Ashcroft laughs, speaking via Zoom from his Wellington home, “but now I am utterly obsessed and fascinated by all things Sasquatch! I am only just getting into this magnificent world of Bigfoot and his cousins across the world.” (Pictured, right: Ashcroft, on the set of Coming Home in the Dark)

He quickly points out that, like most great horror tales, there is meaning in the monster’s presence. “Max has written a story that the Sasquatch are only a part of, a mirror to what the story is really about,” he explains. Brooks’ narrative focuses on the small, isolated community of Greenloop, an eco-centric commune who suddenly are cut off from the rest of the world after a volcanic eruption. In addition to lacking outdoor survival skills and resources, they soon find themselves the focus of a group of hungry, desperate, highly intelligent Sasquatch. 

“This is a story of human arrogance and hubris, that assumption that we can go into someone else’s house and do as we wish,” says Ashcroft. “When that tenuous link to civilization is cut, what happens to us then? Then there’s the human drama of watching this eco-community implode, a group of people that then has to deal with the environment’s apex predator, the Sasquatch.”

Brooks’ novel was critically acclaimed upon release and spent several weeks on US bestseller lists. While acknowledging its B-monster movie premise was part of the fun, literary critic for The Gaurdian U.K., Neil McRobert, also pointed out that Brooks’ novel made for a challenging read in the time of COVID. “The true terror for a post-pandemic reader,” he said in his June 2020 review, “is in the grounded reality of how victims of disaster can be overlooked and how thin the veneer of civility and technology is revealed to be in the face of grand social disruption.”

The big-screen adaptation means the project is coming full-circle from its origins. Brooks had first planned to write a screenplay and successfully pitched to Legendary. But soon the project cooled and slipped out of development until Brooks re-approached Legendary founder Thomas Tull for the novel rights. (Pictured, above: Max Brooks)   

No casting or production start date has been announced yet, but Ashcroft and Kent are moving quickly through the screenplay drafts. “I’m really loving it! It’s a really wild ride,” says Ashcroft. “We are thinking of it as sort of The Poseidon Adventure, meets a more adult Jurassic Park, meets Straw Dogs.”