printed program - down under berlin film festival

AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND
FILM FESTIVAL
MOVIEMENTO KINO
14 – 18 SEPTEMBER 2016
WWW.DOWNUNDERBERLIN.DE
DOWNUNDERFEST
DOWNUNDERBERLIN
1
FESTIVAL FILMS 2016
3000
A Boy Called Su
A Real Buzz
Back to Earth
Broke
Centrepiece
Concealed
Copycat from Ballarat
Coral
Dead Sharks
Driftwood Dustmites
Fantail
Foal
Glamour & Glitz!
Headlight
Home
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
I Remember the Future
Love is Now
MEAT
OUROBOROS
Pop-Up
Sleeping Dogs
Spear
The Disappearance
of Willie Bingham
p.14
p.21
p.22
p.15
p.06
p.22
p.17
p.23
p.17
p.22
p.29
p.11
p.26
p.23
p.27
p.28
p.31
p.08
p.29
p.15
p.09
p.21
p.07
p.05
The Drowned Dreams
The Ern Malley Affair
The Fruity
The Ground We Won
The Kangaroo Guy
The Last Stupid Thing
The Stressful Adventures of
Boxhead & Roundhead
The Tank Farm
TRUE COLOURS
Vacant
Viral
We‘re Here Now
WELCOME
p.28
p.26
p.23
p.16
p.13
p.14
p.13
p.16
p.27
p.09
p.06
p.15
All films are suitable for ages
18+. Screenings are in English
unless otherwise stated.
Online program is available on:
www.downunderberlin.de
6th DOWN UNDER BERLIN: “LIFE HAPPENS”
This year we present an amazing collection of films from Down Under,
all about life: love and friendship, loss and regret, coming-of-age and
finding oneself, and how the choices we make define our lives.
We open the festival with the stunning indigenous dance film Spear, by
acclaimed choreographer Stephen Page. Celebrate opening night with
us after the screening with drinks by Jameson in the cinema lounge.
This year’s program includes brilliant independent features such as
the documentary The Ground We Won by Christopher Pryor and Miriam
Smith, Stuart McBratney’s romantic comedy Pop-Up, thriller Concealed
by Shane T. Hall and drama Love Is Now by Jim Lounsbury, as well as
festival favourites Fantail by Curtis Vowell and Broke by Heath Davis.
Down Under Berlin loves short films: catch our fantastic selection of
short films throughout the festival, and vote for the “Best Short Film”
and “Best Film” awards. Come along to our festival party on Saturday
night at Zum Böhmischen Dorf where you can mingle with attending
filmmakers.
We close the festival with Taika Waititi’s latest hit comedy Hunt for the
Wilderpeople, followed by a reception with New Zealand wine and pies to
celebrate all the films we’ve seen and loved his year.
p.08
2
3
OPENING: EUROPEAN
PREMIERE & RECEPTION
14 Sep
20:00h
Spear
By Stephen Page | AUS | 2015 | 84 min | European Premiere
Acclaimed Choreographer Stephen Page brings Bangarra Dance
Theatre’s outstanding work Spear to the screen. Using gesture and
dance, Page’s feature film debut follows a young Aboriginal man
named Djali (Hunter Page-Lochard) from the outback to the streets
of Sydney on his quest to understand what it means to be a man with
ancient traditions in a modern world.
The film will be introduced by the Australian Embassy in Berlin.
OPENING RECEPTION
KINOS
N
E
D
N
I
TÄGLICH
.
9
0
.
ENTO
9
M
2
E
I
V
AB
O
M
CENTRAL4 &
Join us after the opening film Spear for
drinks in the cinema lounge sponsored by
Jameson Irish Whiskey.
5
15 Sep
19:30h
FESTIVAL SMASH HIT
NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC
15 Sep
22:15h
Broke
Sleeping Dogs
Broke tells the fictional story of former North Sydney rugby league
star Ben “BK” Kelly (Steve Le Marquand), whose life spirals out of
control in retirement at the hands of alcohol and a gambling addiction. Cec (Max Cullen), an ageing rail worker, stumbles across his
favourite player and attempts with his daughter Terri (Claire van der
Boom) to help BK turn his life around.
This Kiwi classic based on C.K. Stead’s novel heralded the new wave
of New Zealand feature films. Sam Neill plays Smith, an outlaw on
the run accidentally caught between a repressive government and a
violent resistance movement. He becomes hunted and hostile, driven
by the will to survive.
By Heath Davis | AUS | 2016 | 105 min | German Premiere
Accompanying Short: Viral
By Sam Van Grinsven | AUS | 2014 | 13:34 min | European Premiere
A mother’s life is torn apart when her
racist rant on a public bus is caught on camera and goes viral. The public condemns
Karen, sparking a media witch-hunt that
leads directly to her front door.
6
By Roger Donaldson | NZ | 1977 | 107 min
Nearly 40 years later, Sam Neill is back in
the wilderness with a hilarious performance
as grumpy uncle Hec in Taika Waititi’s
hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople, this year‘s
closing night film at Down Under Berlin
(see page 31).
7
16 Sep
18:30h
THE FUTURE IS NOW
SHORT FILMS
I Remember the Future
By Klayton Stainer | AUS | 2014 | 26:32 min | German Premiere
THE FUTURE IS NOW
SHORT FILMS
By Matthew Richards | AUS | 2015 | 12:44 min
By Elle Marsh | AUS | 2015 | 04:08 min | German Premiere
A car park so huge it should
have its own postcode. This
film explores the beauty and
emptiness of Australia’s largest car park, and what urban
sprawl and transport means
for sustainable living and a
city’s cultural identity.
OUROBOROS
By Henry Boffin | AUS | 2014 | 15:42 min | German Premiere
Willie Bingham is the first
man to undergo a radical
new justice program. The
government has introduced
Progressive Amputation as a
punishment for capital crime,
performed live in front of
victims’ families, stopping only
at their request.
Australia, 2028. A weary yet
determined man obtains an
illegal time-travel device
and travels back into his
past, attempting to stop the
hit-and-run accident that
paralysed his wife 15 years
before.
Total length: 59 min
8
18:30h
Vacant
It is a harsh reality that separates him from his dreams,
when Abe discovers that he
will fall victim to an irreversible illness. Confronted by
his only daughter he makes
the consequential decision to
finally let her go.
The Disappearance of Willie Bingham
16 Sep
9
BREAKOUT HIT DRAMA
16 Sep
20:15h
FANTAIL
By Curtis Vowell | NZ | 2013 | 83 min | German Premiere
EIN KLICK–
UND DIE GUTE MUSIK
R AUF.*
HÖRT NIE MÜCEH
KST ”STOP”
*ES SEI DENN, DU DR
A petrol station in Auckland: Blonde-haired, blue-eyed Tania (Sophie
Henderson), who identifies as Mãori and tries to figure out her place
in life, works the graveyard shifts. She wants to save money to take
her little Mãori brother Pi to Surfers to find their dad. But one night
changes everything. A hidden indie gem!
“Fantail feels like one of the freshest New Zealand films to come
along in years ... It‘s very easy to picture an international audience
embracing this film — the insights, performances and mood are all
world class.” – Dominic Corry, The NZ Herald, 5 August 2013
!
NEUE APP VON FLUXFM
HOLT EUCH JETZT DIEROID UND iOS.
AND
FÜR
LOS
TEN
KOS
10
11
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
16 Sep
22:15h
The Stressful Adventures of Boxhead & Roundhead
By Elliot Cowan | USA/AUS | 2014 | 71 min
When their home is destroyed, Boxhead & Roundhead must head to
the big city to battle red tape, rent, and the rat race to get it back. Art
and industry, friendship and foul play are all in the mix in this, the
most stressful adventure of all.
Accompanying Short: The Kangaroo Guy
By Joel Loxton | AUS | 2015 | 15:00 min | German Premiere
Keith Donavon, a regional MP struggling
to be taken more seriously, is accidentally
drawn into telling a lie during a TV interview. Now he must choose to either face
the consequences from his comments, or
do whatever it takes to avoid being branded as Australia’s newest political scandal.
12
13
17 Sep
13:30h
FRIENDS & FOOLS
SHORT FILMS + Q&A
The Last Stupid Thing
By Thomas Hudson | AUS | 2015 | 07:29 min | European Premiere
On a beautiful cliff by the sea, Ruth and Ellen
play a childish game trying to settle an argument about responsibility. When something
unexpected happens, Ellen has to question
her relationship with Ruth.
3000
By Antonis Tsonis | AUS | 2015 | 19:59 min | Greek with Engl. Subt.
Ari’s parents cannot longer afford his cancer
treatment. His best friend Leon secretly
decides to become a criminal to help, while
his interest in Ari’s sister leads to further
consequences.
Cinematographer Jörg Gruber will attend the screening.
We‘re Here Now
FRIENDS & FOOLS
SHORT FILMS + Q&A
MEAT
13:30h
By Sunday Emerson Gullifer | AUS | 2015 |
09:20 min | German Premiere
Behind the closed doors of an elite boarding
school, Matthews and his friends are cruising
through life – but when a weekend joyride
ends in disaster, he has to deal with the guilt that consumes him.
Back to Earth
By Thomas Wilson | AUS | 2015 |
13:32 min | European Premiere
Twenty-something Lou is aimless after the
death of his brother Jack. Lou finds a way to
resurrect Jack for 12 hours, and the reunion
with his brother provides a chance to deal with the loss.
Total Length: 57 min
By Nikki Richardson | AUS | 2015 | 06:42
min | German Premiere
Two sisters find themselves hiding out in a
public toilet cubicle when the youngest has to
take a pregnancy test.
14
17 Sep
15
17 Sep
15:00h
STUNNING DOCUMENTARY
The Ground We Won
By Christopher Pryor & Miriam Smith | NZ | 2015 | 91 min |
INDEPENDENT THRILLER
+ Q&A
17 Sep
17:30h
Concealed
By Shane T. Hall | AUS | 2013 | 87 min | European Premiere
German Premiere
Beautifully shot in black and white and supported by a lyrical score,
this unusual documentary takes you to a rural New Zealand rugby
club in Reporoa. The film follows a group of rough and warm-hearted
farmers, and semi-professional rugby players on and off the field
over the course of one footy season. An entertaining and intense
look at what it is to be a man.
Max (Simon Lyndon), a struggling actor, has flown to Sydney for the
audition of his life. As soon as he lands things start to go horribly wrong
when his girlfriend Sallie disappears. Frustrated with the police’s lack
of progress in finding her, Max embarks on a desperate search, pushing
him and his childhood friend Richard (Paul Tassone) to both external
and internal extremes in their desperate search to find Sallie.
Director Shane T. Hall and lead actress Joanne Priest will attend
the screening.
Accompanying Short: The Tank Farm
Accompanying Short: Coral
By Rodrigo Gomez-Bolbaran | NZ | 2015 | 17:15 min | Europ. Premiere
The Tank Farm on Auckland’s pristine waterfront is a tightly knit community of people searching for freedom and answers.
64-year-old John has lived there in his car
for 12 years, alongside fellow travellers,
but the City Council has different plans for
this prime real estate.
16
By R. Fitzgerald-Leonard | AUS | 2014 | 10:16 min | German Premiere
When the floodlights at his twilight
football training fail to light his path,
Kevin allows the surrounding darkness to
consume him.
Director Rudolf Fitzgerald-Leonard will
attend the screening.
17
18
19
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE +
RECEPTION
20:15h | Kino 1&2 + Festival Lounge
LOVE IS NOW + DRIFTWOOD DUSTMITES
17:45h | Kino 1
22:15h | Kino 1
THE STRESSFUL ADVENTURES OF
BOXHEAD & ROUNDHEAD +
THE KANGAROO GUY
THE DROWNED DREAMS + HOME +
DISCUSSION
15:45h | Kino 1
FANTAIL
20:15h | Kino 1
14:00h | Kino 1
18:30h | Kino 1
HOPE & BETRAYAL – SHORT FILMS +
Q&A
Sunday | 18 September
Friday | 16 September
THE FUTURE IS NOW – SHORT FILMS
FESTIVAL PARTY
23:00h | Zum Böhmischen Dorf
LUCKY DIP – SHORT FILMS + Q&A
22:45h | Kino 1
POP-UP + A BOY CALLED SU + Q&A
20:15h | Kino 1
SLEEPING DOGS
22:15h | Kino 1
BROKE + VIRAL
19:30h | Kino 1
Thursday | 15 September
CONCEALED + CORAL + Q&A
17:30h
THE GROUND WE WON + THE TANK
FARM
20:00h | Kino 1&2 + Festival Lounge
SPEAR + RECEPTION
15:00h | Kino 1
FRIENDS & FOOLS – SHORT FILMS +
Q&A
13:30h | Kino 1
Saturday | 17 September
Wednesday | 14 September
6th DOWN UNDER BERLIN:
“LIFE HAPPENS”
DOWN UNDER BERLIN 2016 PROGRAM SCHEDULE
CINEMATIC GEM + Q&A
17 Sep
20:15h
Pop-Up
By Stuart McBratney | AUS | 2015 | 91 min | German Premiere
FEEL A TOUCH OF
DOWN UNDER
10
%*
off
nd
food a s
drink
3 x Alto in Berlin Mitte: Adina Hackescher Markt,
Adina Checkpoint Charlie and Adina Hauptbahnhof
Find us also in fascinating cities in Europe:
Hamburg | Frankfurt | Nuremberg | Copenhagen | Budapest
and across Australia & New Zealand
* Present this ad in the Alto Restaurants &
Bars in one of the three Adina Apartment
Hotels in Berlin and get a 10% discount
on food and drinks ordered for up to
4 guests. Valid throughout Down Under
Berlin Festival month September 2016.
Join us on facebook:
Adina Apartment Hotels Europe
20
www.adina.eu
Pop-Up is a triptych of stories about people affected by one event: An
unemployed father (Eugene Gilfedder) finds a camera containing a single
photo of a woman‘s face. Smitten, he tracks her down. A Romanian
immigrant (Clara Voda) attempts to overcome her heartbreak by giving
away a thousand homemade pop-up cards. A sleep-deprived theatre
director (Greg Powell) seeks deadly revenge on a scathing critic.
Director Stuart McBratney will attend the screening.
Accompanying Short: A Boy Called Su
By Vedrana Music | AUS | 2015 | 07:59 min | German Premiere
Su is in kindergarten and doesn’t speak
English. He spends lunchtimes playing
alone with his favourite ball. When he
loses it to a bully, Su must communicate
in any way he knows how to get it back.
Only when he stands up for himself can he
make friends and leave the ball behind.
21
17 Sep
22:45h
LUCKY DIP
SHORT FILMS + Q&A
Centrepiece
By Hassan Bajwa | AUS | 2015 | 07:36 min | European Premiere
LUCKY DIP
SHORT FILMS + Q&A
22:45h
Copycat from Ballarat
By Stig Wemyss | AUS | 2016 | 09:31 min | International Premiere
Liam, a goofy dad and country veterinarian
turns 40 – and with it comes a crisis. Teased
by another woman and an obnoxious duck,
Liam tries hard to fulfill his dreams.
Producer Janine Kaiser and Director of Photography Adam Lynch
will attend the screening.
17 Sep
A gunman in the US is sentenced to death for
randomly killing people at his workplace. Tom,
a young building worker from Ballarat, mirrors the attack, fuelled by a lifetime of abuse.
The Fruity
By Jamieson Pearce | AUS | 2014 | 10:13 min | Intern. Premiere
A Real Buzz
Lindsay is at his usual barstool, awaiting a
regular night at his gay pub bar. But a proposition from the spunky new bartender, Jorge,
tempts him to take to the stage.
By Lachlan Marks | AUS | 2015 | 07:00 min | European Premiere
Dan, who‘s critically behind in rent, signs up
to participate in a market research session,
only to find himself in a bizarre situation that
takes an escalating physical and mental toll.
Glamour & Glitz!
Dead Sharks
By Nic Barker | AUS | 2015 | 15:35 min | European Premiere
By Matthew Weekes | AUS | 2015 | 07:00 min | European Premiere
A musical, cabaret, neo-noir short film about
a burlesque dancer who attempts to escape
from her underworld crime boss.
A relationship is like a shark. It has to move
forward or it dies. This short portrays different
moments in and different types of relationships.
Who will move on?
Total Length: 57 min
22
23
Berlin in English since 2002
FESTIVAL PARTY
17 Sep
23:00h
CULTURE, REPORTAGE, POLITICS...
WE’VE GOT BERLIN COVERED!
Get Exberliner Magazine delivered to
your doorstep every month and receive a
free restaurant voucher or a pair of tickets to
select exhibitions at the Martin-Gropius-Bau.*
Join us for our official festival party at Zum Böhmischen Dorf. Meet
attending film professionals, fellow film enthusiasts, and team
members of Down Under Berlin for drinks, and dance the night away
with music by DJ Ady Toledano.
OV films
in Berlin at a click
exberliner.com
Venue
Zum Böhmischen Dorf
Sanderstraße 11
12047 Berlin
www.zumböhmischendorf.de
Sign up at
exberliner.com/subscribe
*Subject to availability.
Subscribers in Germany only.
24
25
18 Sep
14:00h
HOPE & BETRAYAL
SHORT FILMS + Q&A
Foal
By Vanessa Gazy | AUS | 2015 | 24:02 min | German Premiere
HOPE & BETRAYAL
SHORT FILMS + Q&A
By Rowena Potts| AUS | 2014 | 09:20 min | International Premiere
14:00h
Headlight
By Petrice Graham | AUS | 2015 | 13:11 min | European Premiere
Rural Australia, 1915: Aurora
is pregnant from her young
lover, Joe. As she braces for
the imminent return of her
older husband, her daughter
Annie struggles to make sense
of the adult world.
The Ern Malley Affair
18 Sep
A vulnerable teen has a brush
with a local hangout. A raw
and intriguing fictional exploration of the behaviours and
triggers of a young man with
Asperger syndrome.
TRUE COLOURS
By David Valent | AUS | 2015 | 10:17 min | German Premiere
Australian modernist Max
Harris discovers and publishes
the work of an exceptional
but unknown poet – only to
find himself the subject of a
national controversy.
An increasingly desolate teenage schoolboy creates a coded
language using paint colour
sample cards to express his
secret desires and feelings for
the object of his affection.
Writer and Producer Ben Croker will attend the screening.
Total length: 57 min
26
27
18 Sep
15:45h
REFUGEE DOCUMENTARY
+ DISCUSSION
The Drowned Dreams
By Farshid Akhlaghipour | AUS | 2015 | 53:30 min | Farsi with
BITTERSWEET ROMANCE
18 Sep
17:45h
Love Is Now
By Jim Lounsbury | AUS | 2014 | 97 min | German Premiere
English Subtitles | European Premiere
In 2013, 6,400 Iranian asylum-seekers arrived in Australia on Indonesian fishing boats. One of these was carrying a father and his son,
who was struck by lightning and severely burned. After their release
from a detention centre, father and son struggle to begin their new
life in Australia, dealing with physical and psychological ailments
that resulted from their trauma.
The film will be followed by a discussion with Dr. phil. Babette
Gekeler, Institute for Medical Psychology, Charité Berlin.
Accompanying Short: Home
By Charles Williams| AUS | 2015 | 03:45 min | German Premiere
Home is missing planes and sinking boats;
a eulogy for all those, whose bones only
made it as far as the arms of mother
ocean.
28
Propelled by new love, Dean (Eamon Farren) and Audrey (Claire van
der Boom) embark on a formative adventure following the Australian
Harvest Trail, but when Audrey goes missing, Dean discovers significantly more than he ever expected along the way.
Accompanying Short: Driftwood Dustmites
By Malina Maria Mackiewicz | AUS | 2015 | 09:31 min
A bit over a year since the death of her
mother and now ten minutes before dawn
on a warm night of spring holidays, Aishe
watches her dad kissing his new love.
Unable to fall back asleep she wakes up
her little sister for company.
29
CLOSING: GERMAN
PREMIERE + RECEPTION
18 Sep
20:15h
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
By Taika Waititi | NZ | 2016 | 93 min | German Premiere
Taika Waititi is back with a brilliant new film, which takes the
audience on a hilarious hunt through the New Zealand wilderness
in search of an odd couple: misfit kid Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison)
and grumpy uncle Hec (Sam Neill). Full of nerdy and loveable characters, witty dialogue, a great soundtrack, and a special cameo by
the director, this film broke the New Zealand box office record. Not
to be missed!
The film will be introduced by His Excellency Rod Harris, New
Zealand’s Ambassador to Germany.
Join us for a reception with wine and pies sponsored by the New
Zealand Embassy - and for the announcement of this year‘s winners
of the Down Under Berlin Audience Awards for „Best Film“ and
„Best Short Film“.
30
31
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS & SPONSORS
DIE.PROJEKTOREN
agentur für gestaltung & präsentation
32
33
TEAM
TICKETS & VENUE
Down Under Berlin Team
Tickets & Reservations
Festival Management: Frances Hill, Sabrina Wittmann, Berit Becker
Guest Management: Benedetta Severi
PR + Press: Jack Bradford, Charmaine Gorman, Margit Dörner
New Zealand Program: Diana Kluge
Finances: Anke Hädicke
Supporting Team: Barbara Lüders, Florian Hubertus,
Georgina Foley, Sebastian Rasmussen, Maria Linsel
Website Support: Sanaz Safari Sabet
Buy tickets online: www.moviemento.de
Reserve tickets: +49 (0)30 6924 785
Graphic Designer
Regular Ticket: 8€
5-Ticket-Pass: 35€
No other discounts available. Reserved tickets must be collected at
least 30 minutes before the screening. After this time the reservation
will expire and the ticket will be released.
Venue
Jörg Farys (dieprojektoren.de)
Moviemento Kino, Kottbusser Damm 22, 10967 Berlin
Title Photo
How to get there
photocase.com/dowiliukas
Bahn U8 Schönleinstraße or U7/U8 Hermannplatz
Bus M41 or M29 to Hermannplatz
Trailer
Greg Latham (cargocollective.com/gregjlatham)
Festival Photos
Martin Bayer (wartist.org), Jordi Sanjuan Rubio, Kristina Niemann
34
Imprint
Down Under Berlin – Australian Film Festival e.V.
Kottbusser Damm 22, 10967 Berlin
www.downunderberlin.de
[email protected]
35
36