PREVIEW: 2023 IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA

The Iranian Film Festival of Australia (IFFA) will celebrate the resilience and creativity of Iranian cinema at this year’s event. The festival takes on a sombre but defiant tone in 2023, in the wake of the murder of Dariush Mehrjui, the acclaimed director of such iconic Iranian films as The Cow (1969) and The Pear Tree (1998); on October 14, the filmmaker and his wife were found stabbed to death in their home in Karaj, near Tehran. A retrospective of his work has been curated to honour his legacy.

Forced to pause in 2022 in response to the social and political changes in Iran, the IFFA returns with thirteen films, including eleven Australian premieres, as well as six award winning shorts. “The 11th IFFA carries extra significance this year,” said Festival Director Armin Miladi. “We’ve shifted our focus to films about filmmaking, particularly highlighting the burgeoning underground cinema movement in Iran. Amid bans and societal divides, a new wave of underground and independent cinema has emerged, demonstrating the resilience of Iranian filmmakers.”

Opening this year’s festival is The LOCUST (pictured, right), written and directed by Faeze Azizkhani and winner of this year’s Global Award at the South By Southwest Festival. The film stars Pegah Ahangarani, who has now left Iran, and Hanieh Tavassoli, who was temporarily detained this year because of her political remarks on social media.

Closing the Festival is WINNERS, written and directed by Hassan Nazzer, and the United Kingdom’s official entry for the International Film Oscar. Set In a small provincial Iranian town, children working hard to support their families unearth a precious statue and set out to find the owner.

Iran’s controversial entry for the 2024 Academy Awards is THE NIGHT GUARDIAN, directed by Reza Mirkarimi.Forced to leave his village due to drought, a man takes a job as a night guardian at a construction site…something wrong is going on. As strange circumstances unfold around him, Rasoul finds himself trapped.

Two documentaries honour Iranian filmmakers who inspire audiences worldwide. SEE YOU FRIDAY, ROBINSON, direct from its world premiere at the 2022 Berlinale in 2022 is an ode to the friendship between two cinema greats - Jean Luc Godard and the late Ebrahim Golestan. Director Mitra Farahani’s film presents an insight into the role of the artist in the 20th and 21st centuries, with razor-sharp insight and humour. And KIAROSTAMI AT WORK showcases Abbas Kiarostami's boundless passion for work and creativity. The film features images captured by director Seifollah Samadian during their thirty years of friendship.

Other works include ZAPATA, Danesh Eqbashavi’s story of a young writer who tries to help her cousin make his next film, only to find the course of their lives altered irrevocably; DARK MATTER, written and directed by Karim Lakzadeh, about two actors rejected for career-changing roles who then set out to make their own film; and, Vahid Jalilvand’s gripping psychological thriller, BEYOND THE WALL, in which a near-blind man hides a terrified mother from the police after a protest turns into a riot.

But it will likely be the rare screening of THE COW that draws the bulk of the interest. Neorealism, surrealism and mysticism meld in this groundbreaking, deeply moving ‘Iranian New Wave’ masterpiece. Despite being funded by the Iranian government, the film was immediately banned due to its negative portrayal of rural Iranian poverty. It was smuggled to the Venice Film Festival in 1971 - two years after completion - where it won the FIPRESCI Critics’ Prize. The IFFA will screen Dariush Mehrjui’s film with a never-before-seen making-of featurette.

The Iranian Film Festival of Australia 2023 screens in the following locations:
Sydney 16 – 22 Nov, Dendy Newtown
Canberra 17 – 19 Nov, NFSA ARC cinema
Melbourne 23 – 29 Nov, Cinema Nova
Brisbane 30 Nov – 6 Dec, Elizabeth Pic Theatre
Adelaide 1 – 3 Dec, Mercury Cinema
Perth 7 – 13 Dec, Luna Cinema Leederville

IFFR ANNOUNCES CLARE STEWART AS NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has appointed former Sydney Film Festival Director Clare Stewart to the post of Managing Director. Most recently Interim CEO at Sheffield DocFest and previously Director of BFI London Film Festival and BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, she commences in the role at IFFR on 21 June.

In addition to her Sydney Film Festival tenure (2006-2011), Stewart had key roles in the Australian film culture sector as the inaugural Head of Film Programmes at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (2002-2006), Events Manager at the Australian Film Institute (1996-2001) and Programmer/Manager of the Melbourne Cinematheque (1995-2002). She will work alongside fellow Australian expat and former Melbourne International Film Festival Director Michelle Carey, now in her fourth year as a senior Selection Committee member at IFFR. 

Korrie Louwes, Chairperson of the Supervisory Board, said: “Clare has an unparalleled breadth of experience in strategically directing and truly championing festivals, with a track record including some of the foremost celebrations of cinema in the world. In previous roles Clare has channelled her unique combination of creative understanding and business acumen to growing audiences, accelerating commercial success, and raising the profile of those events. It’s a great coup to have her join the IFFR team and bring her multifaceted and insightful leadership to our organisation.”

“IFFR is a world-leading institution that creates meaningful, global impact for independent film and filmmakers,” said Stewart, “and it is also dear to my heart as the first international film festival I attended 25 years ago. It shaped my understanding of the interdependencies between cultural activity and industry development, and the importance of engaging a dedicated local audience while positioning a festival as vital for the international, independent film sector.” 

“Rotterdam is a city renowned for innovation, experimentation and discovery – characteristics that IFFR already champions through its artistic and industry programmes,” observes Stewart, who will relocate the Rotterdam from the position. “This emphasis on bold, new ideas provides a strong cultural base to collaborate with Festival Director Vanja Kaludjercic (pictured, left) on her inspiring vision for building a festival that is both agenda-setting and responsive to change.”

“Her passion for IFFR is undeniable,” said Kaludjercic, “Clare brings a deep understanding of the artistic and commercial sides of a festival from her formidable career to date, which is perfectly suited to the dual leadership dynamic we have between our two roles." 

IFFR has a structure where the pairing of the Managing Director and the Festival Director oversee the commercial and creative elements of the organisation respectively, but working closely in partnership. Stewart previously consulted with the IFFR Board of Directors in 2021 in its first phase of re-evaluation prior to her joining DocFest, with a focus on the IFFR programme structure and content strategy.

Since 2020, Stewart is an elected member of the BAFTA Film Committee, where she has participated on the Learning, Inclusion and Talent Committee, and chaired the film selection for the BAFTA Breakthrough programme. She has served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council for the Creative Economies (2014-2016), on competition juries at Sundance, Mumbai, Rio, Dubai, Hong Kong and Macau film festivals and the BAFTA Outstanding British Debut jury.

She is a previous recipient of the Queen's Trust Award for Young Australians and a Women and Hollywood Trailblazer Award in 2017 for her work promoting diversity and gender parity in the film industry.

QUEER SCREEN FIRST LGBTQIA+ FESTIVAL INVITED TO MARCHE DU FILM GLOBAL FEST SIDEBAR

Queer Screen will be representing five work-in-progress productions at the international marketplace Marché du Film, in conjunction with the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

Each year the Marché du Film offers renowned festivals the chance to showcase their selection of original work-in-progress feature titles to sales agents, distributors and festival programmers as part of the ‘Goes to Cannes’ initiative. 

Queer Screen, producers of Sydney’s Mardi Gras Film Festival and Queer Screen Film Fest, will join Festival de Málaga, Hong Kong Industry’s Asia Film Financing Forum, Spanish Screenings and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in the marketplace. Their presence will represent the first ever LGBTQIA+ and Australian partner in what will be the eleventh edition of the event.

Queer Screen’s festival director, Lisa Rose (pictured, right), said the invitation is an enormous honour and a testament to the organisation’s international standing. “We are thrilled about being chosen,” she said. “To be the first ever Australian and the first ever LGBTQIA+ film festival involved is something we are very proud of and I can’t wait to champion these films.”

Marché du Film attendees can view an extract from the films and see pitches from the filmmakers, at an in-person event and online.

Rose has hand-picked four Australian and one international production to showcase, including SUNFLOWER, a gay coming of age drama from Melbourne filmmaker Gabriel Carrubba. “Earlier this year we gave Sunflower $15,000 from our completion fund,” Rose explained. “It’s the most we have ever awarded for a single project. To give emerging talent like Gabriel this opportunity on the global stage is very exciting.”

CLOSING NIGHT from filmmaker Timother Despina Marshall is a queer psychological horror that received $8,000 from the Queer Screen Completion Fund in 2021. “Tim is a Mardi Gras Film Festival alumni,” Rose said. “Three of his films have been finalists in our My Queer Career short film competition, with Gorilla winning the 2013 Iris Prize, the largest in the world for LGBTQIA+ shorts.”

Dark comedy-drama TRIPLE OH! is a mid-length film/episodic featuring a superb Brooke Satchwell (pictured, left). “It’s funny and sexy,” Rose said. “I loved it when I saw it, and it's so great to see director Poppy Stockell seamlessly deliver compelling narrative work after a much awarded factual career.”

Rounding out the Australian selections is ONE PERSON PROTEST from director Christopher Amos. It is the only documentary of the five films selected and is about Australian activist Peter Tatchell. 

The international project THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS comes via Canada and Pakistan from writer/director Fawzia Mirza, who’s making her feature directing debut after having many of her shorts screened at Queer Screen’s festivals over the years. It tells the story of a Pakistani Muslim woman, and her Canadian-born daughter coming of age in two different eras.

“Fawzia was a guest at our most recent festival in February and I knew she was toiling away in post while she was here, so I jumped at the chance to offer her this opportunity, as we don’t see enough queer Muslim stories on screen,” Rose said.

Queer Screens selections will be shown on Saturday 20 May 2023 at 4:30pm at Palais K, with filmmakers pitching in person or via recorded video. The film extracts and pitches will also be available online for Marché du Film attendees to view the following day.

PREVIEW: 2023 GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL

In collaboration with German Films, Palace Cinemas presents the 2023 German Film Festival with a lineup that includes several titles arriving in Australia direct from the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival (The Berlinale). Other highlights in the vibrant, 33-film strong program include a music-themed retrospective, a focus on female filmmakers and the return of the popular family sidebar, Kino for Kids.

Opening the festival is director Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig's A THOUSAND LINES (Tausend Zeilen; pictured, above), a true-life drama starring Elyas M’Barek and Jonas May as journalists caught in a fake news scandal involving a disgraced Der Spiegel journalist.

The Festival Centrepiece, direct from its Berlinale world premiere, is Ilker Çatak's THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE (Das Lehrerzimmer) featuring 'Babylon Berlin' star Leonie Benesch (pictured, right) as a dedicated, idealistic teacher who is pushed to the brink when she investigates a series of thefts at her new school.

The program strand Frauen Am Werk: Focus on Female Directors showcases German and Swiss women in film with eleven films from dramas, to documentaries and comedies. Frauke Finsterwalder’s SISI & I (Sisi & Ich) is a contemporary reinterpretation of the “Sisi” myth starring Sandra Hüller; the stylish biopic INGEBORG BACHMANN - JOURNEY INTO THE DESERT (Ingeborg Bachmann – Reise in die Wüste), starring Vicki Krieps, is the latest film by the legendary Margarethe von Trotta; IN A LAND THAT NO LONGER EXISTS (In einem Land, das es nicht mehr gibt) is based on director Aelrun Goette’s own experiences as a model in the German Democratic Republic in 1989; and, Saskia Diesing’s WWII drama LOST TRANSPORT explores the unexpected friendship between three very different women of diverse backgrounds.

Anika Decker directs Elyas M’Barek and Alexandra Maria Lara in the romcom LOVE THING (Liebesdings); Barbara Kulcsar’s Swiss box office hit comedy GOLDEN YEARS (Die goldenen Jahre) follows two retirees who must face their marital problems on a cruise through the Mediterranean; Emily Atef’s seductive drama SOMEDAY WE’LL TELL EACH OTHER EVERYTHING (Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen) follows a young woman who begins a relationship with a charismatic middle-aged farmer; and, Birgit Möller’s FRANKY FIVE STAR is a quirky dramatic comedy starring newcomer Lena Urzendowsky as a woman inhabited by four weird but lovable personalities.

Also helmed by women are the documentaries in the lineup. Eva Weber’s MERKEL (pictured, right) is the astonishing story of how a triple political outsider – a woman, a scientist, and an East German – became Germany’s first female chancellor. And Cordula Kablitz-Post's FCK 2020 – TWO AND A HALF YEARS WITH SCOOTER (FCK 2020  -Zweieinhalb Jahre mit Scooter) follows Germany's undisputed techno superstars Scooter and their eccentric front man H.P Baxxter.

Music flows through this year’s festival with the sidebar retrospective, Music, Art and Chaos: A Sonic Transmission from Berlin. B-MOVIE: LUST & SOUND IN WEST BERLIN 1979-1989, from the directing team of Jörg A. Hoppe, Heiko Lange and Klaus Maeck, fuses unreleased footage and original interviews with pioneers Mark Reeder, Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld, Nena, Joy Division and Gudrun Gut to reveal the story of life in the divided city; Muscha’s iconic film DECODER (1984) explores the disenfranchised youth culture, neon drenched visuals and urban industrial aesthetics of the early 80s; and, Klaus Maeck and Johanna Schenkel’s LIEBESLIEDER: EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN (1993) captures the renowned industrial band from 1980 to 1993 on the low-fi analogue equipment of the time.

Other centrepiece retrospective screenings include the Wim Wender’s angels-in-love classic WINGS OF DESIRE and Uli Edel’s CHRISTIANE F., remastered in 4K, starring Natja Bronckhurst as the14-year-old girl who falls into the drug scene in West Berlin in the 1970s.

Austrian Cinema presents Adrian Goiginger’s touching WWII drama THE FOX (Der Fuchs) featuring a standout performance from newcomer Simon Morzé as a member of the Austrian Army who finds friendship with a young fox cub; Dieter Berner’s ALMA AND OSKAR (Alma und Oskar) a historical romantic drama that follows the torrid love affair between Viennese grand dame Alma Mahler and expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka; and, Chris Raiber’s quirky fairytale-like Vienna-set urban love story, FIRST SNOW OF SUMMER.

The Goethe-Institut will present films especially curated for children, teens and families with their Kino for Kids for sidebar. The roster of titles includes Mark Schlichter’s ALFONS JITTERBIT – CLASS TRIP CHAOS! (Alfons Zitterbacke – Endlich Klassenfahrt!), the story of a chaotic class trip to the Baltic Sea coast; MY LIFE AS LOTTA – OKEY DOKEY ALPACA! (Mein Lotta-Leben - Alles Tschaka mit Alpaka!), Martina Plura’s family comedy that follows Lotta (Meggy Husson) on her first school trip adventure; ONE IN A MILLION, Joya Thome’s coming-of-age documentary about success and loneliness in the age of social media; Sven Unterwaldt Jr.’S SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS 2 (Die Schule der magischen Tiere 2; pictured, above), the live-action-adventure sequel that became Germany’s most popular film of 2022; and, THE ROBBER HOTZENPLOTZ (Der Räuber Hotzenplotz), Michael Krummenacher’s remake of Otfried Preußler's classic children's book.

Closing Night honours go to the female-led drama OVER & OUT, a unique take on a female friendship story. Directed by Julia Becker, it focuses on four lifelong friends who vowed to celebrate their weddings together 26 years ago but when one of them invites the others to Italy, a chaotic road trip ensues.

The 2023 GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL will take place nationally from 2 May to 24 May in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane and Byron Bay. Tickets and session details will be available at the event’s Official Website.

PREVIEW: 2023 SWANA FILM FESTIVAL

The first SWANA Film Festival, presented by Arts & Cultural Exchange (ACE) Parramatta, will comprise a 3-day festival of Southwest Asian and North African cinema screening at Riverside Theatre, Parramatta across the weekend of April 28-30, 2023.

ACE Executive Director Anne Loxley said, “The Festival is an important community-led project that showcases the diverse and important perspectives of Southwest Asian and North African voices.” SWANA Film Festival Director Hajer Al-Awsi (pictured, below) said, “The Festival aims to connect diasporic audiences to films from the region, and promises to be incredibly inclusive, featuring two LGBTQIA+ films as well as representing over five different languages.”

Established in 1984, Arts & Cultural Exchange is a Western Sydney-based community arts organisation with five program pillars: First Nations, Youth Engagement, Multicultural Women, Artists with Disability and People in Aged Care, and Screen. They advocate for social justice, the use of creativity to reverse disadvantage and the producing of ground-breaking interdisciplinary, intergenerational collaborative projects co-devised with the communities with whom we work.

These values will be central to the inaugural SWANA Film Festival, which promises to be a must-attend event for film lovers, artists, and cultural enthusiasts showcasing 20 unique films from such filmmaking centres as Iraq, Türkiye, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Armenia, and Syria. (Pictured, above; Grace, directed by Brian Patto, screening as part of the Australian SWANA Cinema: Through the Eyes of the Diaspora strand)

SWANA is a decolonial term for the region, its aim to displace the terminologies of Middle Eastern, Near Eastern, Arab World or Islamic World that have colonial, Eurocentric, and Orientalist origins and acknowledge the diversity and complexities of those communities.

The SWANA Opening Night honours went to Baghdad in My Shadow by acclaimed Swiss-Iraqi filmmaker Samir (Iraqi Odyssey, 2014). The Australian Premiere screening will be the centrepiece of the first night festivities, which will also include regional delicacies and music by DJ Nelya.  Also having its Australian Premiere at the festival is Turkish director Ümit Ünal’s story of a unique friendship, Love, Spells and All That, the acclaimed films screening with Jawahine Zantar's On My Fathger's Grave (Morocco); two films from Lebanese filmmaker Chantal Parmatian, Sandjak and Houbout; and, Ramazon Kilic's Penaber (Türkiye). 

Other program highlights include a selection of outstanding shorts from Syria to Morocco and award-winning director Eliane Raheb’s Miguel’s War (pictured, right), featuring Miguel Jleilaty as the gay Lebanese man returning home to confront the ghosts of his past. The Festival’s Closing Night will include shorts spanning Iraq, Egypt, the Emirates and Syria, and Egyptian director Ayten Amin’s coming-of-age romantic comedy/drama, Souad (pictured, top).

Audiences can attain an all-access pass, which includes entry to Sobhiya morning feast; screenings from Melbourne-based artist Sammaneh Pourshafighi; and, Andari’s Stove intimate exploration of life in a rural village in Mount Lebanon, followed by a panel discussion featuring Refugee Art Project.

Full session and ticketing information can be found at the Official Website of 2023 SWANA FILM FESTIVAL.