| Think Hugh Jackman, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, the late Heath Ledger and Nicole Kidman? They’re all major Hollywood stars who share one thing in common. You’ve guessed it, they’re all from Australia.
Australian films reflect the diverse ethnic make-up of modern-day Australia, and the contributions of different groups have enriched Australian society and culture.
The Australian High Commission in collaboration with Screen Australia presents the Australian Film Festival featuring award-winning Australian films of the recent past from May 22 to 24 at the BMICH Cinema Hall.
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| A still from Ten Canoes. Pic courtesy piecesofmine.blogspot.com |
There will be three shows daily at 11 a.m., 3 p.m and 6.30 p.m. (see programme). Taking top billing at the festival will be the critically acclaimed ‘Ten Canoes’. The film about aboriginal Australia, narrated by celebrated Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil, won a special jury prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was chosen as Australia’s official entry into the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 2007 Academy Awards.
The festival will offer an opportunity for Sri Lankan audiences to enjoy some of the best products of the Australian film industry, which has earned a reputation for producing innovative and unique films with global appeal. The High Commission hopes that the festival will help strengthen the excellent cultural and social ties that already exist between Sri Lanka and Australia.
Don’t miss these great movies:
Harvie Krumpet narrated by Geoffrey Rush won the Academy Award for the Best Animated Short Film in 2003.
The 1992 Australian classic ‘Strictly Ballroom,’ which achieved worldwide success was shown in 86 countries, including Sri Lanka. Directed by the acclaimed director of Romeo and Juliet, and Australia, Baz Luhrmann, the movie was a hit at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to win the “Award of the Youth” prize in the foreign film category.
Lantana, the run-away success of the Australian film industry in 2002 - a psychological thriller starring Oscar winning Australian actor Geoffrey Rush.
The Dish based on a true story about the four-day Apollo XI mission in July 1969 and the extraordinary role that Australia played in televising the historical lunar landing to the world.
The Bank a thriller about a man who builds a programme that could bring him to the verge of discovering the holy grail of economic theory.
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| A still from Strictly Ballroom |
There will also be two children’s films. The Magic Pudding, an animated feature about a magnificent magic puddin’ that can turn itself into just about anything and Amy, a story about a mute 8-year-old girl’s life won the Grand Jury Award for outstanding contribution to humanity at the Asian Pacific Film Festival in 1999 and numerous other awards internationally.
Entrance to the Film Festival is free. For passes and programme information please telephone 2463200 extension 252. Website: www.embassy.srilanka.gov.au
The festival is sponsored by Abans, Maliban Milk, Infotechs, Standard Chartered Bank, Sri Lanka Insurance, Edlocate Pvt Ltd, East West Marketing, AG Austasia Pty Ltd, Australian Education Consultants, UAS Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd, Associated Motorways, Wickramaracchi and Co, Maharaja Group and Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.
Ten Canoes
Director Rolf Heer takes on the Aborigines in his sensitive film based on an ancient story from the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land. In Ten Canoes de Heer looks at Australia’s traditional culture, and recreates the hunt by a group of ten Aborigines in canoes looking for goose eggs in a swamp.
In one of the hunters Minyugulu’s words.
“It is longtime ago. It is our time, before you other mob came from cross the ocean...longtime before then. The rains been good and ten of the men go on the swamp, to hunt the eggs of gumang, the magpie goose. One of the men, the young fella, has a wrong love, so the old man tell him a story...a story of the ancient ones, them wild and crazy ancestors who come after the spirit time, after the flood that covered the whole land.
“It’s a good story, this story I’m gonna be tellin’ you ‘bout the ancient ones. There’s more wrong love in this story, and plenty spears too, and plenty wives...too many wives if you ask me...a beautiful young one and a bit of a jealous one and the older wise one and even more wives than that.
“And there’s plenty happens in this story...there’s a stranger comes and one of them wives goes missin’ and there’s a man with a belly big as a mountain. There’s sorcery and magic too, and a wrong spear in the wrong body, and more spears and bad spirits. And even that’s not everything that’s happening in this story.
“Ahh, you gotta see this story of mine cause it’ll make you laugh, even if you’re not a blackfella. Might cry a bit too eh? But then you laugh some more...cause this story is a big true story of my people. True thing.”
The film stars Jamie Gulpilil, Richard Birrinbirrin, Peter Minygululu and Philip Gudthaykudthay.
The programme:
Friday, May 22
11 a.m. Amy (Children’s Movie)
3 p.m. Lantana (More suitable for adults)
6:30 p.m Strictly Ballroom
Saturday, May 23
11 a.m. The Bank
3 p.m. The Magic Pudding (Children’s Movie)
4:30 p.m. Harvey Krumpet
6:30 pm The Dish
Sunday, May 24
11 a.m. Crackerjack
3 p.m. Jindabyne
6:30 p.m. Ten Canoes
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