BBFF 2017 Program

FESTIVAL PROGRAM

SPONSORS

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

CULTURAL PARTNER

Festivals Australia MAJOR MEDIA PARTNERS

THE BYRON SHIRE

OFFICIAL WINE PARTNER

netdaily GALA CATERING PARTNER

VENUE PARTNERS

Trattoria Basiloco Byron Bay

MAJOR SPONSORS

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

ACCOMODATION SPONSORS

MEDIA PARTNERS SURF SPONSOR

SPONSORS

KellyMorton cons u lt a nt

www.kellymorton.com.au

SUPPORTERS

2 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 2017

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GENERAL INFORMATION

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT The world has changed since BBFF celebrated its 10 year anniversary in 2016 – and has become a more uncertain, dangerous place.

As a global citizen, alert to the storms and eddies of contemporary life, BBFF has selected films for 2017 reflecting that anxiety, with compelling works exploring war, terrorism, oppression, ecocide, and mental health.

But Byron Bay Film Festival, like the Bay itself, also provides an oasis of sanity amidst the chaos – the fake, the flaky and the frightening.

This year’s films contain tales of empowerment, or hope, of courageous, dedicated people and their struggles against power and bigotry - and indeed, in many cases, their victories.

While in Byron, look across the Bay at the mountains to the north – blue, looming shapes that offer stability, a kind of security in their permanence. Our spirits find it impossible not to soar, not to rejoice in the fresh sparkling ocean, the clean air, the vast sky.

This year’s Official Selection provides similar uplifting experiences: girls brutalised beyond belief evolve into community leaders; indigenous artists find outlets for their

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traditional culture, helping to keep it alive; those haunted by uncertainty and instability find redemption through love and a sense of purpose.

Most topically, our opening night choice is a clarion call for what the festival stands for: individual freedom, equal rights, respect for all living things. And it’s a re-enforcement of the notion that a kind conversation can change the world we live in.

Virtual Reality will return to BBFF2017 – along with a very different kind of Art Exhibition, music features strongly, not just in our Gala Closing film Rumble and our film program but as live performances amongst the screenings and parties.

In 2017 we are playing host to a number of great films having their Australian or world premiere here in Byron and I thoroughly encourage you

J’aimee Skippon-Volke Festival Director to come along to experience and share this very special occasion. More than any other year we are joined by the cast, crews and musicians behind the exceptional selection that makes up BBFF2017.

Of particular note is the outstanding Australian feature One Less God, whose Australian premiere, we’re proudly hosting. The world premieres of An American in Texas, Amplify Her and Heavy Water, a big wave surf film, are not to be missed. We have a number of great Australian films to catch with attending cast and crew including Ellipsis – David Wenham’s Directorial Debut, Blue, Jungle, That’s Not Me, The Last Dalai Lama? and Roller Dreams.

As we skate towards 2018, in a world that sometimes feels like it’s not what we signed up for BBFF provides an opportunity to look outwards and within, to take away lessons learned by others and to make time for inspiration.

See you there!

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 3

GENERAL INFORMATION

TICKETS Choosing your films is easy

Your phone is your ticket

Go to bbff.com.au or download the easyto-use BBFF App for Android phones and iPhones. This app is combined with an online ticketing system which includes a number of helpful features:

Buy tickets easily on your mobile with our apps and receive QR coded tickets for presentation and scanning at the door.

You be the Judge Vote for your favourite film. Ticket-holders will be able to vote for their Audience Favourite.

Wishlist

Save your seat now!

Browse the program at your leisure, highlight films you’d like to see, without pressure to book on the spot. You can plan your BBFF schedule, add screenings to your calendar and share with friends.

Our system shows you which sessions are selling fast and you’ll love the new brand new seats installed at our HQ, the Byron Bay Community Centre – binging in BBFF is better than ever!

You can create your wishlist and buy your tickets and passes through our website or by downloading the ‘Byron Bay Film Festival’ app from the iTunes App Store, Google Play Store or going to bbff.com.au.

Although tickets are available on the door during the festival all advanced tickets should be bought through the website bbff.com.au or the BBFF App.

Flexi-Passes Buy 6, 10 or 20 tickets at discounted prices, redeem them against the films you want to see. You can book 1 ticket to 6 sessions, or bring your friends and book up to 4 tickets to 1 session, the choice is yours. Book as many films as you like in a single transaction or buy your pass now and book for individual films you want to see later at any of our venues.

Please note: It is a requirement that children under 15 are accompanied by an adult.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this printed program is accurate, however we encourage our audience to visit our website for the most up-to-date information.

At the time of printing filmmakers are still finalising their schedules. For films with multiple screenings visit the website to confirm which session they are attending.

VENUES

Byron Community Centre 69 Jonson St, Byron Bay The Community Centre is our ‘Festival HQ’. We’ll be running an Information Booth and selling tickets at the venue from Wednesday September 27 between 10am and 1.30pm and every day during the festival from 10am to 7.30pm.

Legend Films in this program have icons to help you find the right session.

Pighouse Flicks 1 Skinners Shoot Rd, Byron Bay (next to the Byron Bay Brewery) Tickets are available from 12pm Monday to Friday and 2pm on weekends.

Director’s Pick Environment Social Justice Visual Feast

4 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

Drama Culture Local Surf

Brunswick Picture House 30 Fingal Street, Brunswick Heads Tickets are available Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm and evenings during films and events, and one hour before the film screening.

Feel Good Comedy Action Nominee

Regent Cinema 5 Brisbane St, Murwillumbah The Box Office is open from 11.30am to 9.30pm on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This venue has stairs and no disabled access or disabled toilet facilities.

BCC – Byron Community Centre BPH – Brunswick Picture House PF – Pighouse Flicks RW – Regent Murwillumbah BBFF.COM.AU

GENERAL INFORMATION

SPECIAL EVENTS MUSIC VIDEO SHOWCASE Friday 13 October, 9.30pm Byron Bay Brewery – Free

BBFF FILMMAKERS’ BREAKFAST Monday 9 October, from 8.30am– 11am, Byron Community Centre’s Balcony, Jonson St $20 Share coffee, conversation, and croissants with the creative peeps behind many of the festival’s highlight films at BBFF’s Filmmakers’ Breakfast.

ABC North Coast’s Outdoor Unit will be upstairs at the BBFF HQ – the Byron Community Centre – for a live broadcast, with the wonderful Joanne Shoebridge interviewing directors, producers and actors about the films they’ve made that are screening this year, and the stories behind them.

It’s a chance to mingle informally, meet the talent and listen in to their experience and hard-earned advice, while enjoying something that Byron Bay does so well: excellent coffee and the freshest of nibbles.

Be part of this most intimate of public gatherings, as filmmakers bare their souls to the airwaves. A limited number of tickets to this exclusive event are available to the public through our app and website.

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Video didn’t kill the radio stars … it just made them more creative, and the resulting collaborations between musicians and filmmakers have since the 80s animated and enriched both mediums, providing some of the most exciting entertainment over many decades.

Music videos have provided the springboard for an untold number of feature film careers, the discipline and skills acquired in the tightly defined but imaginatively unconstrained genre taken out and broadened across a bigger canvas.

BBFF celebrates the form, and acknowledges the collaborative efforts of songwriters and directors in a Music Video Award night at the iconic Byron Bay Brewery, home to many fine beverages and Pighouse Flicks.

Finalists vying for the award this year cover a wide range, from the wicked Kai Smythe and his irreverent exhortation to nihilism, F*** Everything, to the nightmarish (Natalie James’ Fires and Curt Manors Adelphi Hotel Nightmare) the empowering (Sound of our People from OneVision’s Mark Robertson and featuring performers from Byron’s Indigenoise and TeddyLewisKing) and the downright trippy (Man Upon the Hill, from Indonesia).

Pull up a bar stool, and join the party.

9th to 20th October 2017 Primary Program

SPROCKETS SCHOOLS SESSIONS

BBFF launched its Schools Sessions 10 years ago, introducing an appreciation for independent film culture to thousands of Northern Rivers students from as far south Maclean to Tweed and beyond…

Students meet the filmmakers and experience content vastly different from what they are exposed to on smaller screens. Three tailored sessions encompassing a wide mix of genres, create an entertaining program that is also an enriching educational experience.

Films have the potential to fire the imagination and inspire new ways of thinking, exposing young people to different ways of seeing the world, and of expressing ideas. They can also act as a powerful catalyst toward building future careers in filmmaking.

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 5

GENERAL INFORMATION

SPECIAL EVENTS

ISSUE BASED FILMMAKING

CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS / TURNING A HOBBY INTO A CAREER

Sunday 8 October, 1–3pm – Free Presented by Screenworks Screenworks presents a panel discussion on issue based film making. Drama and documentary filmmakers discuss the inspirations and challenges they face in bringing pressing issues to the attention of audiences. The filmmakers will talk about the ethical, environmental, social, cultural, political and humanitarian issues they faced and addressed in the making of their films and the responses they expect from audiences.

Guest speakers include: • Anthony Pedone; Writer, Director, Producer An American in Texas • Lliam Worthington; Writer, Director, Producer One Less God • Sarah Beard; Impact Producer Blue • Karina Holden Writer, Director, Producer Blue

BLUE THE FILM BEACH ACTION GET-TOGETHER

Screenworks is a not-for-profit organisation that provides support, leadership and vision for the regional screen industries in Australia, with a particular focus on the Northern Rivers region of NSW.

Join the Filmmakers, Karina Holden and Sarah Bear along with Lucas Handley and more of Blue’s Ocean Guardians for a kid focused gathering to share Ocean Awareness and appreciation. Be fast to book your tickets to the 6pm Screening at Pighouse Flicks and walk to the venue together.

Sunday 15 October, 12pm Filmmakers Lounge, Byron Community Centre – Free

Monday 9 October, 4pm Main Beach

6 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

Two of Australia’s most colourful minds came together to create our BBFF2017 Festival Teaser, lovingly entitled Byron, My Siren.

With the support of Sydney hot-shot Marcel behind it, this cinematic poem was created by Goodoil Films’ Justin McMillan who is a Byron Bay resident, and was written by adman and poet, Marcel founder David Nobay.

With more than 40 Cannes Lions under his belt– ‘Nobby’ is one one of Australia’s most respected admen. McMillan is best known as the co-director of Storm Surfers 3D. Together, the poet and filmmaker are holding this special Masterclass to share their insight into the uniquely collaborative creative process which fueled this work, how their partnership thrives and how a Filmmaker can turn their artistic passion into a full-time career.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

CREATIVE CANADA A decade of artistic connection between Byron Bay Film Festival and the Canadian filmmaking community has this year been formalised into a showcase program called Creative Canada. Highlighting the best of Canadian culture – in film, music and the emerging realities mediums – Creative Canada is based on our nations’ common circumstances and a shared cultural response to them.

Among these are the plight of our First Nations peoples, and the movement to resurrect their languages and art-forms as imperative to their survival and renaissance; a vast, beautiful, but fragile ecosystem, the lethal threats to which have provoked a groundswell of peoplepowered protest and protective action; and the arts – music, dance, painting, both for their own sake and as a glue that holds cultures together, helps them survive, and creates links with other peoples.

The continued existence of these aspects of our nations is not only uppermost in the minds of our intelligent countrymen and women, they are what make our countries attractive to outsiders: visitors to Australia and Canada want to see First Nations’ cultures alive, thriving; they want to see our unique species, ideally in an unspoilt wild; and they want to immerse themselves in our cultural lives.

One highlight entry at Byron Bay Film Festival this year encompasses these themes: Journeys to Adaka is the story of seven indigenous Yukon artists who look to the past to overcome a legacy of hurt, and become cultural giants and leaders in the process. The Adäka Cultural Festival in Whitehorse, Yukon, is at the film’s centre.

Producer Teresa Earle is coming to Byron Bay for the screening.

The film Rumble covers two of these themes – telling the story of the unheralded contributions of Native Americans in shaping popular song – including rock n roll and the bues.

Rumble: the Indians Who Rocked the World won the Montreal-based filmmakers the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Masterful Storytelling at the Sundance. It is a fine example of excellent reportage, dynamic

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Amplify Her

storytelling via cinematography and editing, and a good cause – a putting right of history, and therefore illuminating, as only cinema can be. Above all, it entertains, stirs things up, as Rumble composer and prototype rocker Link Wray would want it to.

In Amplify Her – the title says it all - three female DJs battle demons from their painful pasts to emerge as beacons in the global festival scene, a story that will resonate with Australian women. It’s a love poem offered in service to the emerging feminine voice, in electronic dance music and all its forms. We welcome co-director, producer, executive producer co-writer and camera operator Nicole Sorochan to Byron for the screening.

Howl is also every woman’s story – a poetic journey of woman returning back to her power and wildness in the forest, and finding her voice. She must turn inward, tune in and listen for her Wild Woman to speak.

Alice Ayalik and I Am From Kugluktuk are companion pieces from young people in the north of Canada, staking their claim to their traditional identities, and inviting us in to befriend them.

Tone is a hypnotic dance of transformation in a metaphorical forest from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, recalling the region’s traditional rituals.

The opening of the curtain on these wonders of Canada’s landscapes and cultures brings that world vividly to us, as only cinema can, and arouses fellow feeling, invites connection, and curiosity.

Byron Bay Film Festival provides a strong voice with which to share these stories and perspectives with other Australians, both within filmmaking and beyond it.

Canadian companies and creatives have been at the forefront of the emerging Virtual Reality industry – a medium which is now embedded within our festival – both through VR “screenings” for the public and through dedicated programs of talks and workshops geared at practitioners and professionals.

BBFF is creating an opportunity for business connections to be built – with innovators seeing each other’s countries as viable, attractive workplaces in their future projects.

With Canadian Creatives driving the Virtual Reality medium forward, BBFF will include a number of Canadian pieces in our Virtual Reality Showcase.

The cultural cross-fertilisation is also invaluable, boosting tourism, artistic collaboration and mentoring, and consolidating a unity of vision across the kilometres, of art – film – as a force for good, celebrating yet transcending difference.

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 7

GENERAL INFORMATION

DREAM WITH YOUR EYES OPEN As artistic expressions evolve with new technologies BBFF is excited to share the potential of light, screen stories and immersive reality.

Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality

The work of one of Australia’s Top Realities Talents – Stuart Campbell, also known as Sutu, will come to life on the walls at BBFF’s Festival HQ. Sutu uses art and technology in new ways to tell stories. He is an author, artist, and interactive designer and the Co-Founder of EyeJack.

By using the Eyejack App on your phone you’ll experience printed art as animated soundscapes.

Also on display will be Eyejack’s Prosthetic Reality Augmented Reality Art book – created in collaboration with Sutu, Code on Canvas and 45 artists and sound designers from around the world.

Check our website for exhibition viewing times.

In 2016 we ran a number of workshops for creatives (and early-adopters) seeking to explore this new medium and we introduced Virtual Reality to hundreds of people for the first time. BBFF’s Virtual Reality ncube8 program returns in 2017.

An Intensive Residency Program has been established for 3 artisᵗs to work with Artist/ Creative Director Luke Bubb and BBFF’s Technical Director Osvaldo Alfaro at Moving Peaks Studios in Bangalow.

Their work will then be available online and at the closing weekend of the festival for others to experience.

Projection Mapping

VR Experiences

Reality is to be found in lightness and darkness – Pablo Picasso

We have a wealth of Virtual Reality Experiences for you to enjoy – both Cinematic and Interactive. For viewing times and booking details visit bbff.com.au/experience-vr

Light comes alive at night and we are proud to partner with Club Sandwich whose work comes to life at BBFF’s Gala Events and at special events across the festival.

Pushing the limits of technology Club Sandwich create unique audiovisual experiences - blending projection mapping, visual design and music.

Connecting multiple collaborators and artists to project combined dreams into reality virtual Club Sandwich have paired with time-lapse and astrophotography wizard Rod Evans to create a magical visual artpiece which brings Rod’s locally shot land and skyscapes to life.

EXPERIENCES INCLUDE:

MIYUBI Miyubi puts you in the body and mind of a Japanese toy robot that is gifted to a young boy on his birthday in 1982 suburban America.

At 40 minutes, it’s the world’s first long-form VR comedy. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and has since been shown at SXSW and at Cannes International Film Festival Next.

Created by Canada’s Felix & Paul Studios, world leaders in VR, in collaboration with Funny or Die and starring Jeff Goldblum.

RONE

Miyubi

Rone

These are just some of the exciting VR experiences which will be on offer at the Festival.

The full VR Program is listed at bbff.com.au.

8 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

Rone was created by one of Australia’s VR Rising Talents Lester Francois Rone and is a distinctive portrait of the titular street artist, whose stunning large-scale portraits of women’s faces can be found adorning forgotten or soon to be forgotten spaces around the city, acting as a commentary on gentrification and the masculine realm of street art.

The VR film takes the viewer inside Rone’s world as we follow him into the rarely-explored spaces in which he works.

THE GIANT A young girl grows endlessly, stumbles upon a liquid that releases the darkest sides of herself, and eventually dissolves into the music of the universe.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

CORAL & I

Coral & I takes viewers beneath the waves in what begins as an artistic wonderland of coral and sea creatures and ultimately aims to have people feel the impact of humans on the reef.

This moving experience was collaboration between Bangalow-based Luke Bubb from Moving Peaks and Matt Hermans from Sydney’s Electric Lens Company with BBFF’s own J’aimee Skippon-Volke co-producing. The production process for this piece forged new ground as ‘Coral’ was designed, animated and render in Virtual Reality.

Many of the animated sea-life elements were developed with Luke using the 2006 Film Marine Passions shot over 1000 dives at Julian Rocks as reference. ‘Coral’ is an evolving piece which will continue to break new ground creatively and technically with each incarnation.

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HUE

FANTASYNTH

What would you do if your best friend lost his senses?

Described as an infectiously cool ride through mind-bending geometry Fantasynth is an audio-reactive experience. You will glide through a procedurally populated environment that comes alight with the music.

For Hue, some days, life is blaring with bawdy and bright banderoles. Other days, it can be a little more pasty and pallid. Hue has had his ups and downs like any of us, but lately the grays have overshadowed the greens and roses has lost their luster. If Hue could remember what the blues looked like, he’d have them, but all the colour’s gone missing from his world.

He’s not depressed per se, but a string of events (it’s complicated) has left him unwilling to engage. As a result, he’s dim to all the wonderment life has to offer and to his own potential to be wonderful. That’s where you come in... You are the antagonist who becomes the protagonist, the once-a-stranger friend who helps Hue embrace life by its full spectrum.

INSIDE MANUS

Hidden by a media blackout, the imprisonment of asylum seekers in offshore detention centres is a foreign concept to most Australians. Inside Manus harnesses the immersive power of VR to take the audience behind the razor-wire to meet the people who are being denied their freedom, their rights, and even their identity.

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 9

GENERAL INFORMATION

GALA OPENING NIGHT FRIDAY OCTOBER 6 – $80 6.45pm Red Carpet arrival for a 7.30pm sharp start The Gala Opening Night for the 11th Byron Bay Film Festival has a special resonance this year.

It’s a launch party for BBFF’s entry into its second decade, a glittering night unlike any in the region to celebrate the timeless glory of cinema, and, importantly, a clarion call from the Byron Bay arts community for marriage equality and civil rights for all.

To accompany the uplifting documentary The Freedom to Marry, BBFF 2017 invites you to step out in style, raise a glass to independence and join the stars of the industry on the red carpet, to help open up 10 big days of film adventure.

THE FREEDOM TO MARRY

USA | 86 min | Dir: Eddie Rosenstein | Prod: Eddie Rosenstein, Jenni Olsen | Documentary | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Opening night’s The Freedom to Marry tells a story of a victory over the forces of ignorance and hatred in the fight to win equal marriage rights for the LGBTQI community in the US. It’s a tale of passionate dedication to a cause, with brilliant advocates Evan Wolfson and Mary L Bonauto devoting their lives to it, ultimately persuading five out of nine Supreme Court justices that marriage equality was a constitutional right.

The documentary’s strength lies in both its political story, and the weirdly incongruous human dimensions to inequality, such as the loving lesbian couple at the heart of the film who are forming a bunch of waifs and cast-offs into a thriving family, but are denied the dignity and legal supports of marriage.

In the US they now have that right – and The Freedom to Marry ends with a celebration … and so does Opening Night at BBFF, with Byron Bay’s sublime authentic Italian eatery Trattoria Basiloco catering the evening with a delicious array of Mediterranean delicacies and a superb selection of signature drinks on offer.

10 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

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GENERAL INFORMATION

GALA CLOSING PARTY SATURDAY OCTOBER 14 – $80 6.45pm Red Carpet Arrival for a 7.30pm sharp start A sadness inevitably descends at the end of such a stimulating, social event as the Byron Bay Film Festival, a 10-day feast of ideas and images and sensations – which is why we finish with a party.

And, this year, a feelgood musical documentary that will have you dancing out of the cinema.

The Gala Closing Party will once again be catered by the Sardinian food wizards at Byron’s muchloved Trattoria Basiloco.

Raise a glass with those who helped make your festival so memorable: actors, directors, fans and the media.

It’s your last chance at Byron Bay glamour till next year.

See you there!

RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD

Canada | 103 min | Dir: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana | Documentary | 2017 | Byron Premiere

“Irresistible.”

- Screen Daily

The dirty guitar riff that defined Link Wray’s instrumental number Rumble (banned in the US for its “violence”) not only inflamed the rock ‘n’ roll passions in a thousand adolescent breasts, it also proclaimed the influence traditional Native American forms had on much popular music.

“Revelatory in almost every sense.”

- The Hollywood Reporter

Banned by colonists upon fear of death, and never acknowledged as a major strand in the soundtrack of the West’s 20th Century, Native American musical forms overlapped with those of Africa to form the base for gospel and plantation songs, and the blues.

Featured are interviews and footage of performers including Martin Scorsese, Steven Tyler, Steven Van Zandt, Iggy Pop, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Robbie Robertson Jimi Hendrix and Link Wray himself in full fury – and historical recordings of traditional “Indian” singing and music.

You will hear the heritage with your own ears.

poster design

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FEATURE FILMS

DRAMATIC FEATURE FILMS From the terrifying to the titillating, all of contemporary life is here. Comedy, crime, suspense, romance. Whatever your preference in on-screen dramas, BBFF 2017 has something for you.

A DRAGON ARRIVES

AN AMERICAN IN TEXAS

PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SUN 8 | 8pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | WED 11 | 5pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | FRI 13 | 7.30pm

Iran | 108 min | Dir/Prod: Mani Haghighi | Dramatic Feature | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Poland, USA | 93 min | Dir: Anthony Pedone | Prod: Anthony Pedone, Bianca Butti, Kenny Riches, Darko Lungulov, Dan Levin | Dramatic Feature | 2017 | World Premiere

One of Iran’s most exciting and idiosyncratic directors, Mani Haghighi has forged a surreal and experimental work that breaks visual and narrative boundaries.

Bold, flashy and set to a pulsating soundtrack, A Dragon Arrives is a new kind of Iranian cinema.

Lifelong friends and punk band Surgeon General’s Warning (music by rhythm section of Circle Jerks) look to bust out of small town Texas, as 1990 comes to a close. The band drops acid, and carries out calculated acts of vandalism against a system that’s only offering is a dead-end job at the chemical plant, or fighting a meaningless war for oil. As Bush’s Operation Desert Storm ramps up in a concert a of 24-hour newscasts of devotion to country at any cost, the boys see their band, SGW, as the one ticket out of town. Feat. Punk Legends Jello Biafra, David Yow, Zander Schloss and epic music of the period.

BRIGSBY BEAR

ELLIPSIS

FREDDY/EDDY

PIGHOUSE FLICKS | FRI 6 | 8pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SAT 14 | 6pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SUN 15 | 6pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SUN 15 | 4.30pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | TUE 10 | 5pm

Australia | 85 min | Dir: David Wenham | Prod: David Wenham & Liz Kearney | Dramatic Feature | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Germany | 94 min | Dir/Prod: Tini Tüllmann | Dramatic Feature | 2016 | Australian Premiere

USA | 97 min | Dir: Dave McCary | Dramatic Feature | 2017 | Byron Premiere

David Wenham makes his directorial debut with this light and delightful romance, and homage to Sydney.

Freddy is having the biggest crisis in his life. Then, as his world is collapsing, his imaginary childhood friend (and lookalike) Eddy reappears. What at first seems like a big support turns out to be a nightmare.

Freddy loses control over Eddy and violent crimes keep happening. Nobody believes Freddy’s claims that he’s not the perpetrator. How can he prove that the product of his own mind is actually alive? Freddy/ Eddy is engaging and edge-of-the seat suspenseful, but also asks deeper questions about identity and responsibility.

Childhood is when impressionable minds open widest to the mesmerising power of entertainment.

Nearly everyone can recall connecting with a show so completely it feels like a magical world created just for you.

But what if it actually was?

Saturday Night Live’s Kyle Mooney stars along with Claire Danes, Greg Kinnear and Mark Hamill. To say James’ intensely protective parents have kept their son a bit sheltered is an understatement. One dramatic night, James’ insular world is upended.

When James finds a way to tell his story he produces an inventively offbeat and profoundly uplifting love letter to the redemptive power of creativity.

A political prisoner’s apparent suicide leads a Chevrolet-driving detective to a desert island in the Persian Gulf. There, events quickly take a turn for the bizarre as the burial appears to trigger an earthquake.

A geologist and a hippie sound recordist are called in to assist the investigation. But who is the detective working for, really?

Viv (Emily Barclay) and Jasper (Benedict Samuel) bump into each other – literally – on one of the city’s pedestrian crossings and a conversation starts to unfold. A friendship develops, awkwardly at first, and with some warning signs from the slightly erratic Jasper.

As the pair keep each other company on a picaresque tour of Sydney, from Bondi to Henry Lawson’s grave, to the pubs, strip clubs and streets of the Cross, bumping into eccentric and amiable strangers, their reliance on each other grows. It’s admirably low-key, but packed with the innocent thrills of untethered youth letting go, and offering the exciting possibility of random, redeeming love.

Director David Wenham will be in attendance

12 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

Director Anthony Pedone and cast and crew will be in attendance.

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FEATURE FILMS

HÖRE DIE STILLE (HEAR THE SILENCE)

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | FRI 13 | 12.30pm Germany | 95 min | Dir: Ed Ehrenberg | Prod: Lou Binder, Ed Ehrenberg, Ludwig Franz | Dramatic Feature | 2016 | Australian Premiere

A small group of scattered German soldiers occupies a beautiful little settlement of Russian-Germans in Ukraine, 1941. The dozen women and handful of children and old people welcome the Nazi soldiers as “liberators”, saving them from the impending Russian deportation.

The groups grow closer, peacefully, until a village woman is assaulted and the situation changes, with the soldiers and civilians turning on each other. Hear the Silence is a parable about the loss of innocence during times of war that results in brutal pre-emptive or revenge actions and people get trapped in an unstoppable circle of violence.

JUNGLE

LIES WE TELL

BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE | SUN 8 | 7pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | WED 11 | 7.30pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SUN 15 | 2pm REGENT MURWILLUMBAH | SUN 15 | 6pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SUN 8 | 7pm

Australia | 115 min | Dir: Greg McLean | Prod: Dana Lustig | Dramatic Feature | Byron Premiere

When Billionaire Demi (Harvey Keitel) dies, he sets up his trusted driver (Gabriel Byrne) to deal with his Muslim mistress – and her dark past. Byrne is pulled into a life-and-death showdown with her notorious gangster cousin/ex-husband. Lies We Tell is set in the urban jungle, where evil wears a human face. This edge-of-the-seat thriller set across ethnic lines is the work of debut writer and director Mitu Misra. Born in Punjab, India he was raised in Bradford, where he faced appalling racism, which he escaped by going to the theatre. Byrne says of the film, “the subject matter is most original and unique, the culture clash between the Asian and the Western perspective of the world.

That’s very relevant and pertinent in today’s world.”

United Kingdom | 110 min | Dir: Mitu Misra | Prod: Andy McDermott, Malcolm Scott, Daniel Gulliver | Feature | 2017 | International Premiere

Daniel Radcliffe, star of the Harry Potter series, helps to bring to life Byron local Yossi Ghinsberg’s real-life story, a tale as dark and scary as the Amazon jungle it is named after. Ghinsberg was a young Israeli-born backpacker in the early 80s when he and two friends set off from the Bolivian city of La Paz into uncharted Amazon rainforest on what was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. With an increasingly erratic guide – Austrian expat named Karl Ruprechter, who they’d met just days before – their dream trip soon turned into a wilderness nightmare from which not all of them returned. Wolf Creek director Greg McLean says he played it straight on the film, and no exaggerations were necessary. Radcliffe battles brainburrowing, worms, scorpions, spiders and snakes, as well as torrential rivers and murderous mud.

Filmmakers and actor Joel Jackson will be in attendance.

Filmmakers in attendance

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BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 13

FEATURE FILMS

LOVING VINCENT

LAURA (MY ONE AND ONLY)

ONE LESS GOD

REGENT MURWILLUMBAH | SAT 7 | 6pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SAT 7 | 6pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SUN 8 | 4pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | WED 11 | 6pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | FRI 13 | 6pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SUN 15 | 8pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | THU 12 | 12.30pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SAT 7 | 8pm BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE | SUN 15 | 7pm

Not Specified | 95 min | Dir: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman | Prod: Sean M. Bobbitt, Hugh Welchman, Ivan Mactaggart | Dramatic Feature | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Labelled a martyr, a lustful satyr, a madman, a genius and a layabout, the real Vincent is revealed in his personal letters but obscured by myth and time.

Vincent van Gogh once said “We cannot speak other than by our paintings.”

This study of the life and mysterious death of Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh offers a visual experience unlike any other feature film: each of the more than 65,000 frames has been painted by hand in the style of Van Gogh’s painting. Each frame is an oil painting on 1000 canvases, using the same technique as Van Gogh, created by a team of 125 painters, making Loving Vincent the world’s first fully painted animation feature.

Brazil, United Kingdom | 83 min | Dir/Prod: Jonathan Murphy | Dramatic Feature | 2016 | Australian Premiere

A dark thriller adapted from a play by British playwright Dawn King, this version in the Portuguese language, this is a film about obsessive love in the contemporary world of constant communication, played out almost entirely on the phone. In a large Brazilian city, Laura, a single 30-something, has broken up with her married lover, Ben. To spite him Laura goes out on a date with Noah, who she met on an internet dating site. What follows is a cautionary tale about modern romance, the twists and turns showing what dangers, both psychological and physical, lurk in the modern, constantly “hookedup” world.

Australia | 128 min | Dir: Lliam Worthington | Prod: Lliam Worthington, Joel Hagen, Maren Smith | Dramatic Feature | 2017 | Australian Premiere

When Islamic fundamentalists besiege an Indian hotel, the guests battle to escape the systematic extermination and their own conflicting ideologies.

Inspired by true events.

Based on real events from the 2008 Mumbai Attacks, One Less God focuses on a number of guests as they fight for survival. It tells a tale of redemption and sacrifice, of faith and despair – of the light in the darkness. The suspenseful Australian film directed

by Lliam Worthington features a number of great performances from all the actors including Joseph Mahler Taylor and Nathan Kaye. Winning the top award at the Dances With Films, whose chiefs described it as “one of the most masterful works we’ve seen come out of the Australian independent scene”.

Cast and Crew will be in attendance

RADIO DREAMS

THAT’S NOT ME

WATCH THE SUNSET

REGENT MURWILLUMBAH | SUN 8 | 6pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | TUE 10 | 12.30pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SAT 7 | 3.15pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | FRI 13 | 5pm BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE | SUN 15 | 4pm

PIGHOUSE FLICKS | THU 12 | 8pm

USA | 93 min | Babak Jalali | Marjaneh Mohgimi | Feature | 2016 | NSW Premiere

After moving to the United States to pursue the American Dream, Hamid (Mohsen Namjoo) finds himself working at a small Iranian radio station, seeing artistic satisfation through the esoteric programming he puts together. The owners of the station try to cash in on Hamid’s only program that they see fit for commercial success — the bringing together of an on-air jam session with Kabul Dreams and their longtime idols, Metallica. The ensuing collision between artistic integrity and crass commercialism resonates with hilarity and a poignant message, as Hamid fights to maintain a balance between his ambitions and his moral compass.

Australia | 85 min | Dir: Gregory Erdstein | Prod: Alice Foulcher, Anna Kojevnikov, Gregory Erdstein, Sally Storey | Dramatic Feature | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Polly has a problem: she’s an actor with big aspirations, but it’s her identical twin Amy who is scoring all the good roles and screen time. It’s humiliating and it hurts, being “the other one”, mistaken for a rising-star sibling and rejected when her true identity is revealed.

Polly’s parents, her agent, even lovers make their preference clear. Alice Foulcher does a brilliant comic job as the fall girl (and her pesky sibling). When Polly decides to make the most of her sister’s celebrity, she’s headed for trouble. Then, against all good advice and realistic hope, she flies to Hollywood. It’s hilarious and heart-rending at once. Isabel Lucas (Home and Away and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), plays Polly’s glamorous LA-based actor friend, Zoe.

Australia | 82 min | Dir: Tristan Barr, Michael Gosden | Prod: Tristan Barr, Damien Lipp, Michael Gosden, Ally Bjørnstad | Dramatic Feature | 2016 | Byron Premiere

A one-shot feature film that unfolds in real time: In a single afternoon a man comes to grips with the power of his past when his estranged family becomes entangled in its web.

Danny Biaro, an outlaw bikie member wants to change his ways and start a new life with his estranged family. But his past quickly catches up to him and he is compelled to make a decision that will affect his life forever. The journey follows him rushing against the clock to save his family.

Tristan Barr and Damien Lipp will be in attendance

Anna Kojevnikov will be in attendance

14 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

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BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 15

PROGRAM

PROGRAM

3

4 5 6

SUNDAY 8

7 8 9 10

MONDAY 9

11 12

13

11.15am $10 22 Family pass for 4: $35

26 24 29 1.00pm 26 $15

Tone

29

Journeys to Adäka Soop Backstory That’s Not Me Maurice Cole: The First Wave William Finnegan – Barbarian Days Heavy Water

20 28 24 14 27 30 20

One Less God

14

WEDNESDAY 11

FAMILY-FRIENDLY SHORTS You’re it I Am From Kugluktuk Boull Possum The Spring Running Lights Muscles Ztripes iRony Amy Karle: Bringing Bones to Life The Offering Keeping Custom

17

Urban Audio Spectrum 8.1 Degrees of Guilt Schirkoa Des jours et des nuits sur l’aire (Highway Rest Stop)

18

A Dragon Arrives

19

Sengatan Jungle

30 24 12.30pm 28 $15 20 5.00pm 12 $15 28 7.30pm 13 $15

The Realm of Deepest Knowing Eleanor Laura (My One and Only) For Flint ¿Señor o Señorito? (Wedded or Bachelor?)

Keiro City of Joy Welcome to Country Ghost Westwind: Djalu’s Legacy

29 25 14 25 30 25 19 30 25 21

Manners of Dying Höre die Stille (Hear The Silence) On the Road Backstory That’s Not Me Consent Uncanny Valley An American in Texas

27 13 27 24 14 25 30 12

15 16

20 THURSDAY 12

SATURDAY 7

2

The Freedom To Marry

21 22 23

3.15pm $15

FRIDAY 13

1

6.45pm for 7.30pm 10 sharp start $80

5.30pm $15

24 25

8.00pm $15

Edith Suzy & The Simple Man Ilaria The Go-Betweens: Right Here Bionic Girl Roller Dreams Quack Lies We Tell

25 21 26 21 24 20 28 13

11.15am $15

Spear of Faith The Cinema Travellers Growth Plicker The Crows Song Melanie I Remember You Speaking Through Colour The Ghost in the Machine The Last Dalai Lama?

28 21 26 27 29 20 26 28 29 21

12.30pm $15

26

1.30pm $15 4.15pm $15 7.00pm $15

27 SATURDAY 14

FRI 6

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE OPENING NIGHT

29 14 29 12 26 28 25 24 19

Time/ price

20 Ticket Flexipass $230 Page #

Film

Session

Date

10 Ticket Flexipass: $125

TUESDAY 10

TICKETS: Online at bbff.com.au or with the BBFF App 6 Ticket Flexipass: $80

Turtles Are Always Home Radio Dreams The Veiled Freddy/Eddy iRony Strange Beasts Gambling With Minds Baba Crazywise

14

28

5.00pm $15

7.30pm $15

16 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 2017

29

SPOTLIGHT ON BYRON Outback Rider Masa Undertow The Church of the Open Sky Howl Amplify Her YOUNG AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKERS Journey Wolfe Watchdog Mwah Times Of Zoe Nest Dirt Tin Space Is Smaller Than The Space Between Us Man On Pier Spinning In Slow Motion GALA CLOSING PARTY Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World

27 27 30 21 26 19

12.30pm $15 5.00pm $15

7.30pm $15

12.30pm $15

5.00pm $15

7.30pm $15 12.30pm $15 5.00pm $15 7.30pm $15

11.00am $15

1.15pm $15

23

3.30pm $15

11

6.45pm for 7.30pm sharp start $80

BBFF.COM.AU

PROGRAM

33

Roller Dreams

20

$15

28 21 25 28 21

B3

Jungle

13

B4

The Dam Aproximada Grey Space Portrait of a Wind Up Maker Journeys to Adäka

29 24 7.00pm 26 $15 27 20

B5

Night Dancing The Invisible Edge Crazywise

27 7.00pm 29 $15 19

B6

Mrs. S. Juliet That's Not Me

B7

One Less God

27 4.00pm 25 $15 14 7.00pm 14 $15

SAT 7

Creswick The Kindness of Strangers Ellipsis Ztripes Serving Joy

Jungle

BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE Richard Twice The Go-Betweens: Right Here Keiro The Baby Shower The Last Dalai Lama?

SU 8

32

28 11.30am 20 $15 2.00pm 13 $15 25 4.30pm 29 $15 12 22 28 7.00pm

TUES 10

31

Ram Dass, Going Home Fade to Black

THU 12

SUNDAY 15

30

B1 B2

P5 P6 P7

P9 P10

SUN 15

SAT 14

FRIDAY 13

WED 11

P8

P11 P12 P13 P14 P15 P16

6.00pm $15

Passengers Loving Vincent The Turtle’s Pulse Gogi Blue

27 14 29 26 19

4.00pm $15

A Dragon Arrives

12

Fronteria Invisible

25 6.00pm 19 $15

Blue Deep Storage

8.00pm $15

6.00pm $15 8.00pm $15

Loving Vincent

25 6.00pm 14 $15

Lumiére Heavy Water

27 8.00pm 20 $15

Found Watch the Sunset

25 8.00pm 14 $15

A Life Together Loving Vincent Our Wonderful Nature – The Common Chameleon Corp Lumiére Blue

24 14 27 25 27 19

The last journey of the enigmatic Paul WR Brigsby Bear Aproximada Long Yearning Blue

29 12 24 26 19

6.00pm $15

Reset Brigsby Bear Xmile Loving Vincent

28 12 30 14

6.00pm $15

BBFF.COM.AU BBFF.COM.AU

SUN 15

29 14 25 19

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5

Light Sight

8.00pm $15

8.00pm $15

7.00pm $15

25 6.00pm 14 $13

Loving Vincent Schirkoa Radio Dreams

6.00pm 14 $13

Backstory The Cinema Travellers Keiro 8:AM Fade to Black

28 21 25 24 20

Jungle

13

6.00pm $15 8.00pm $15

7.00pm $15

MURWILLUMBAH REGENT CINEMA SA 7

P4

The Veiled Loving Vincent Fronteria Invisible Blue

SU 8

P3

Brigsby Bear

25 8.00pm 12 $15

SAT 14

P2

Bubble Blues

S 15

P1

TH 12

M9

SUNDAY 8

SAT 7

FR 6

PIGHOUSE FLICKS LOUNGE CINEMA

4.00pm $15

4.00pm $13 6.00pm $13 6.00pm $13

SPECIAL EVENTS BBFF Filmmakers’ Breakfast – Monday 9 Oct, 8.30am–11am, BCC – $20 Music Video Showcase – Friday 13 Oct, 9.30pm Byron Bay Brewery – Free Issue Based Filmmaking – Sunday 8 Oct, 1–3pm, BCC Filmmakers Lounge – Free Blue the Film Beach Action Get-Together – Monday 9 Oct, 4pm, Main Beach Creative Collaborations – Sunday 15 Oct, 12pm, BCC Filmmakers Lounge – Free Virtual Reality Experiences and Augmented Reality Experiences See pages 5–9 of this program or check the website for dates and information.

LEGEND Director’s Pick Environment Social Justice Visual Feast

Drama Culture Local Surf

Feel Good Comedy Action Nominee

Feature length films are highlighted in bold.

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 17

FEATURE FILMS

18 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

BBFF.COM.AU

FEATURE FILMS

FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES

AMPLIFY HER

Big surf and the ocean behind it, art, music, mystical madness, and the triumph of the human spirit against appalling odds. Our documentaries bring the far-flung world to Byron, and strengthen and deepen our intimate connection with it.

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SAT 14 | 1.15pm Canada, USA | 87 min | Dir: Ian MacKenzie, Nicole Sorochan | Prod: Nicole Sorochan, Erin Skillen | Documentary | 2017 | World Premiere

Music heals, right? It depends on the depths of the wounds. In Amplify Her, three electronic dance music artists battle demons from their pasts to emerge as beacons in the global festival scene. Blondtron, Applecat and Lux Moderna overcome isolation, illness, and gender bias to give life to their creativity.

This visually dynamic film weaves animated motion comics created by the characters to offer intimate access into the colourful worlds of emerging female artists. Rather than ask the expected: “Why aren’t there more women in this male dominated scene?”, we wonder: “What is unique about feminine expression and how might we all benefit when it flourishes?”

Nicole Sorochan will be in attendance

BLUE

CITY OF JOY

CRAZYWISE

PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SAT 7 | 8pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SUN 8 | 6pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | MON 9 | 6pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | FRI 13 | 8pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | SAT 14 | 8pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | THU 12 | 5pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | TUE 10 | 7.30pm BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE | THU 12 | 7pm

Australia | 70 min | Dir: Karina Holden | Prod: Karina Holden, Sarah Beard | Documentary | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Blue is the story our generation need to hear. The industrialization that has occurred in the oceans over the last century, mirrors the events that triggered mass extinctions on land. Industrial scale fishing, habitat destruction, species loss and pollution have placed the ocean in peril. The very nature of the sea is being irretrievably altered. A provocative journey into the ocean realm witnessing this critical moment in time when the marine world is on a precipice.

Our ocean has been the guardian of life on Earth.

Now it is our turn to be guardians for the ocean.

Filmmakers in attendance

BBFF.COM.AU

USA | 74 min | Dir: Madeleine Gavin | Prod: Allyson Luchak | Documentary | 2016 | Byron Premiere

The remarkable story of groups of young women surviving horrific abuse in the middle of violencetorn Eastern Congo. The City is a transformational leadership community conceived, owned, and run by local Congolese, healing women from their past trauma through therapy and life skills programming while providing them with the essential ingredients needed to move forward – love and community.

Women emerge as leaders demonstrating the power of the human spirit in their discovery of hope. The film shares the unlikely friendship that develops when a Congolese doctor, Denis Mukwege (Nobel Peace Prize nominee), The Vagina Monologues author Eve Ensler and the charismatic Congolese human rights activist Christine Schuler-Deschryver join forces to create this safe haven.

USA | 81 min | Dir: Kevin Tomlinson, Phil Borges | Prod: Kevin Tomlinson, Phil Borges, Julia Geier, Judy Kaplan, Sandy Jeglum, Debra Thompson Harvey | Documentary | 2017 | Australian Premiere

What if a psychological crisis was seen as having the potential to be a positive transformative experience, instead of an illness, a “broken brain”? Human-rights photographer Phil Borges searches out indigenous cultures that identify “psychotic” symptoms as an indicator of shamanic potential. Back in the US, he follows two young Americans diagnosed with a range of mental conditions. Adam suffers devastating side effects from medications before embracing meditation. Ekhaya, 32, survives several suicide attempts before spiritual training to become a traditional South African healer. Crazywise introduces another way of approaching mental health, and offers a beacon of hope.

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 19

FEATURE FILMS

FADE TO BLACK

HEAVY WATER

JOURNEYS TO ADÄKA

REGENT MURWILLUMBAH | SAT 14 | 6pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SUN 15 | 11.30am

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SAT 7 | 5.30pm PIGHOUSE FLICKS | WED 11 | 8pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SAT 7 | 1pm BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE | TUE 10 | 7pm

Australia | 84 min | Dir/Prod: Jeremy Ervine | Documentary | 2017 | Byron Premiere

USA | 90 min | Dir: Michael Oblowitz | Prod: Michael Oblowitz, Philipp Manderla, Douglas Kaplan | Documentary | 2017 | World Premiere

Canada | 58 min | Dir: Fritz Mueller | Prod: Teresa Earle | Documentary | 2017 | International Premiere

Tough corporate CEO Peter Short is told he has only months to live after he is diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. Not wanting to face a painful death, he considers his options, including obtaining the lethal drug Nembutal. Once he has it, he devotes his considerable energies to sparking a national debate about voluntary euthanasia in Australia, teaming up with Senator Richard Di Natale and other euthanasia advocates to introduce an assisted dying law. It’s a long road however, and frustrating. The film follows Peter’s story, from businessman to activist, exploring the issue of assisted dying from several perspectives.

It’s frank, confronting and surprisingly humorous.

Heavy Water takes a close look at Nathan Fletcher’s relationship with big wave surfing, tracing his lineage back to his grandfather, one of the pioneers of Oahu’s North Shore, and examining the consequences that Fletcher and his friends have faced in the pursuit of their passion for big waves. A journey through the eyes of the surfing community that delves deep into the mind-set of the big wave culture and its roots.

The film culminates in a never before done, next level performance that once again raises the bar of what is possible in surfing.

Michael Oblowitz will be in attendance

The story of seven indigenous artists who look to the past for the strength to overcome a legacy of hurt, becoming cultural giants and leaders in the process. In preparation for the Adäka Cultural Festival in Whitehorse, Yukon, artists and their families reconnect with their ancestors, healing, and moving personal mountains to each find their light.

The process is familiar – rehearsals, training, crafting – but the backdrop of distant northern communities and the intimate access serve up both difficult lessons and inspiration. A moving portrait of self-empowered indigenous communities at an inflection point in history.

Teresa Earle will be in attendance

MELANIE

DES JOURS ET DES NUITS SUR L’AIRE (HIGHWAY REST STOP)

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | MON 9 | 5pm Netherlands | 72 min | Dir: Susanne Helmer | Prod: Shelmerfilm, SeriousFilm | Documentary | 2016 | Australian Premiere

The model on the 1970s cardboard box of an inflatable hair-drying hood looks a little shy; somehow not eager to be a model. This triggers filmmaker Susanne Helmer to start an experiment by guessing how this woman’s picture appeared on this hood-dryer box and what kind of life she led. And then, after searching for the model, to compare these suspicions with the real lifestory. The imaginary, suspected life – partly played by the filmmaker herself – leads the documentary story and sometimes provides the film with a feeling of playing a game. The result is a thoroughly made, humorous film about expectations, human life in general, a vanished past era and film construction itself.

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | WED 11 | 12.30pm France | 81 min | Dir: Isabelle Ingold | Prod: Delphine Schmit | Documentary | 2016 | Australian Premiere

A portrait of a highway rest stop in the middle of the Picardy countryside. A place like in a dream, rustling with the thoughts and lives of those who pass through it and who work there, but also a real place, a genuine observation post of today’s Europe and where the violence of single market competitiveness is bluntly visible, along with contemporary rootlessness and solitude engendered by our modern world.

20 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

ROLLER DREAMS

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SUN 8 | 4.15pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SUN 15 | 7pm Australia | 82 min | Dir: Kate Hickey | Prod: Cecilia Ritchie, Diana Ward | Documentary | 2017 | Byron Premiere

It’s 1984 and Venice Beach, CA, is at the very centre of a pop culture explosion. Young people of colour seeking refuge from the turmoil of inner city life flock to the eclectic ocean community to create a brand new phenomenon: roller dancing! The talent and vibrant personality of this multicultural roller ‘family’ draws massive crowds and influence Hollywood. But just as roller dancing flourishes, politics, money and gentrification conspire to take their dreams away. This crowd-pleasing feature doc from first time director (and GIRLS editor) Kate Hickey features the music of James Brown, Prince and the Gap Band.

Cecilia Ritchie will be in attendance

BBFF.COM.AU

FEATURE FILMS

SUZY & THE SIMPLE MAN

THE CHURCH OF THE OPEN SKY

THE CINEMA TRAVELLERS

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SUN 8 | 11.15am

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SAT 14 | 11am

Australia | 88 min | Dir: Ian Darling, Jon Muir, Suzy Muir | Prod: Ian Darling, Mary Macrae | Documentary | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Australia | 55 min | Dir/Prod: Nathan Oldfield | Documentary | 2017

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | MON 9 | 12.30pm REGENT MURWILLUMBAH | SAT 14 | 4pm

An intimate, funny and uplifting film about a couple who live a simple life off the grid on a remote property in southeast Australia. Suzy is a strong and independent spirit, a black belt in karate; John has climbed Mt Everest, skied to the South and North Poles. Now they have put down roots and with patience, labour, knowledge and skill they have grown a garden of riches. But when all seems perfect, life takes an unexpected turn. With bravery and conviction, they confront perhaps their greatest challenge. It’s a modest story with big questions at its heart: our relationship to each other, to nature and to other creatures, the care of the planet and ourselves, and our own mortality.

A luscious visual love poem that explores gratefully lived surfing journeys. It is a sea soaked celebration of the exquisite preciousness of being alive. An inspired and endearing representation of the surfing experience, where all participants are worthy and welcomed – to learn, play and grow together – in inclusive, sacred playgrounds beneath The Church of the Open Sky. Local filmmaker Nathan Oldfield, (Lines From A Poem, Seaworthy, The Heart & The Sea and Gathering) shoots on location in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka, and features Dave Rastovich, Lauren Lindsey Hill, Tom Wegener, Belinda Baggs, CJ Nelson, Alex Knost, Johnny Abegg, Neal Purchase Jr, Jasson Salisbury, Devon Howard and many others.

India | 96 min | Dir/Prod: Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya | Documentary | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Cannes prize-winning The Cinema Travellers is a journey with the traveling cinemas of India, which bring the wonder of the movies to faraway villages annually. Seven decades on, as their lorries and cinema projectors crumble and film reels become scarce, their audiences are lured by slick digital technology. Filmed over five years, The Cinema Travellers accompanies a shrewd exhibitor, a benevolent showman and a maverick projector mechanic who bear a beautiful burden: to keep the last traveling cinemas of the world running.

Best Documentary Nominee

Nathan Oldfield will be in attendance

THE GO-BETWEENS: RIGHT HERE

THE LAST DALAI LAMA?

WESTWIND: DJALU’S LEGACY

BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE | SAT 7 | 4pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | SUN 8 | 1.30pm

BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE | SAT 7 | 7pm BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | MON 9 | 7.30pm

BYRON COMMUNITY CENTRE | THU 12 | 7.30pm

Australia | 98 min | Dir: Kriv Stenders | Prod: Joe Weatherstone | Documentary | 2017 | Byron Premiere

USA | 82 min | Dir: Mickey Lemle | Prod: Mickey Lemle, Linda Moroney | Documentary | 2016 | NSW Premiere

A rockumentary with a poignant undercurrent. The Go-Betweens were Australian indie rock trailblazers, with a legacy that influenced countless bands in their home country and abroad. Emerging in the late 1970s and attaining cult status in the early 1980s around a nucleus of singer-songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan and drummer Lindy Morrison. Others joined, complicating relationships further and the band dissolved in acrimony in the late ’80s. From 2000, Forster and McLennan released three more critically acclaimed albums before McLennan died, aged 48, in 2006. Directed by Kriv Stenders (Red Dog) and described as “an emotional, rolling thunder of a film, one this extraordinary band deserves”.

In this documentary, The Dalai Lama explains that Tibetan Buddhism is both a religion and a “science of the mind” and shares his crystallized understanding of the nature of mind, and its part in the creation and alleviation of all of our suffering. His urgency and dedication come through in the film, as he now turns 82, and must deal with the questions of aging and death, and whether he will reincarnate as The Dalai Lama, or if he will be the last of the lineage that has existed for millennia. Featuring the music of Philip Glass and Tibetan composer and musician, Tenzin Choegyal.

BBFF.COM.AU

Musician Tenzin Choegyal will be in attendance

Australia | 86 min | Dir: Ben Strunin | Prod: Nick Batzias, Kate Pappas, Ben Pederick, Ben Strunin, Virginia Whitwell, Paul Wiegard | Documentary | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Yolngu warrior, shaman and father Djalu Gurruwiwi, with some help from global pop star Gotye, must find a way to bring two worlds together to save his culture. Djalu Gurruwiwi, an ageing Yolngu elder and master Yidaki (didgeridoo) player, is a custodian of his people’s ancient Songlines that have stored his clan’s Knowledge, Culture and Country since the birth of time. But Djalu is running out of time to pass on these Songlines, entrusted to him for the future of his people. His sons and community, struggling to come to terms with the consequences of colonisation, are lost. When Djalu breaks with tradition in an effort to save the Songlines, world-famous musician Gotye becomes an unexpected family member and helps amplify the songs to the world.

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 21

SHORT FILMS

FAMILY FRIENDLY SHORTS As we step into the cool darkness of a cinema, we’re relieved of the momentum of the world outside: we can relax, soak up the magic on the screen, lose ourselves. For children, the experience is doubly magical – and there’s often a subtle learning going on too.

BBFF 2017’s selection of short films and animations provide a fun and lively alternative to traditional children’s entertainment, and their reliance on small screens. As well as great films children get to meet the filmmakers and experience a Q&A. YOU’RE IT

I AM FROM KUGLUKTUK

BOULL

POSSUM

BCC | SAT 7 | 11.15am

BCC | SAT 7 | 11.15am

BCC | SAT 7 | 11.15am

BCC | SAT 7 | 11.15am

Australia | 4 min | Dir/Prod: Steve Bastoni | Short | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Canada | 3 min | Dir: The Youth of Kugluktuk | Prod: Zoe Miles | Short Doc | 2017 | Australian Premiere

Russian Federation | 3 min | Dir: Elizaveta Manokhina, Polina Manokhina | Prod: Andrey Dobrunov, Nikolay Makovsky | Animation | 2017 | Australian Premiere

New Zealand | 15 min | Dir: Dave Whitehead | Prod: Sadie Wilson, Paul Murphy, Dave Whitehead | Short | 2016 | NSW Premiere

A film about playing in a digital age.

The world is your playground, it’s just sometimes hard to see.

Steve Bastoni will be in attendance

We are from the tundra behind the rocks, playing dice games from our ancestors who have passed. We are from Kugluktuk

Two fish find out that finding harmony makes their little world a much safer place.

Two young brothers hatch a plan to head into the woods and hunt for a notorious possum named Scar.

Dave Whitehead will be in attendance

THE SPRING

RUNNING LIGHTS

MUSCLES

ZTRIPES

BCC | SAT 7 | 11.15am

BCC | SAT 7 | 11.15am

BCC | SAT 7 | 11.15am

USA | 13 min | Dir: Delaney Buffett | Prod: Chloe Corner, Delaney Buffett | Short Doc | 2017 | Australian Premiere

Lithuania | 11 min | Dir: Gediminas Siaulys | Prod: Migle Pelakauske | Animation | 2017 | Australian Premiere

Australia | 9 min | Dir: Genevieve Kaiser | Prod: Sleena Wilson | Short | 2017 | Australian Premiere

BCC | SAT 7 | 11.15am BCC | SUN 15 | 4.30am

In Weeki Wachee Springs, the decades old local tradition of performing in mermaid shows is more than a job – it’s a craft.

This is a story about the eternal miracle of life and death.

While awaiting a visit from his father, Zac retreats into his 8-bit, 2 player realm of adventure with his companion Muscles, the hero from his favourite video game.

22 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

Denmark | 10 min | Dir: Amalie Næsby | Prod: Niclas Caroc Warner | Animation | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Ziggy is the coolest zebra on the savannah. All the other zebras worship him.

BBFF.COM.AU

SHORT FILMS

YOUNG AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKERS Byron Bay Film Festival is a magnet for the country’s aspiring young filmmakers, drawn by the festival’s appreciation of independence and originality. Whether they’re making art out of politics or pop music (and often both), exploring inner or outer landscapes, or simply playing with the idea of film, Australia’s young filmmakers represent a vast reservoir of talent, the best expression of which finds an audience here.

Almost all of the Young Australian Filmmakers will be in attendance.

The winner will be chosen by a Jury which includes: Renowned Film Critic Peter Thompson, Actor Martin Sacks, Actor, Producer, Distributor Dustin Clare, Actor and Producer Camille Keenan and BBFF’s Festival Director.

JOURNEY

WOLFE

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm

Australia | 7 min | Dir/Prod: Radheya Jegatheva | Animation | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Australia | 16 min | Dir: Claire Randall | Prod: Shannen Tunnicliffe, Claire Randall | Short Doc | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Alone in space, will two star-crossed lovers ever find home?

Growing up, Mister Wolfe, Nick’s imaginary friend, helped him make friends and build confidence. But, when he hit puberty, Nick’s imaginary friend revealed himself to be much darker.

WATCHDOG

MWAH

TIMES OF ZOE

NEST

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm

Australia | 10 min | Dir: Cody CameronBrown | Prod: Jess Parker | Short | 2017 | NSW Premiere

Australia | 7 min | Dir: Nina Buxton | Prod: Stephanie Westwood, Emma Roberts | Short | 2017 | NSW Premiere

Australia | 9 min | Dir: Tim Carlier | Prod: Paul Forza | Short | 2017

Not Specified | 12 min | Dir: Rex Kane-Hart | Prod: Eve Gill | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

A lonely man’s compassion for life is tested whilst presiding over his favourite fishing cliffs.

On her way home at night, a teenage girl encounters a man who wants her attention.

DIRT TIN

SPACE IS SMALLER THAN THE SPACE BETWEEN US

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm Australia | 8 min | Dir: James Fraser | Prod: Holly Fraser, Sharath Ravishankar | Short | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Dirt Tin is the last decent club in Sydney, and everyone wants in. Makes sense? Except the place is a dump.

No, seriously, it’s a dump. A literal dumpster.

BBFF.COM.AU

A scientist develops an artificial intelligence in order to prove whether or not a god exists.

MAN ON PIER

Alone and afraid, young Martin must navigate through a labyrinth of an uncertain future.

SPINNING IN SLOW MOTION

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm Australia | 4 min | Dir: Tamara Hardman | Prod: Tamara Hardman, Kurt Roberts | Short | 2017 | NSW Premiere

Two relative strangers recount their mutual love and subsequent fictional relationship conceived in a dingy adult video store. Unbeknownst to the pair, their love is not, as they believe, unrequited.

Australia | 6 min | Dir: Ebony Maree | Prod: Angel (Kellie Scheuner) | Short | 2017 | NSW Premiere

BCC | SAT 14 | 3.30pm

An artist receives a visit from one of her old paintings and must choose between truth or vanity.

Life is hard when you’re young, free, gay and single.

Australia | 12 min | Tess Emmerson | Danica May Artner | Short | 2017 | NSW Premiere

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 23

SHORT FILMS

SHORT FILMS Like spokes in a wheel, short films hold the festival together, allow it to effortlessly roll. And great things come in small packages. Like short stories, short films can tell huge tales – a lifetime packed into a few minutes. Love, death, laughter, sadness – we are granted brief entries into other lives, unfamiliar worlds. They remain with us like a dream – only half-remembered but deeply enriching.

8.1 DEGREES OF GUILT

8:AM

A LIFE TOGETHER

BCC | WED 11 | 12.30pm

RM | SAT 14 | 6pm

PF | FRI 13 | 6pm

Mexico | 6 min | Dir/Prod: Gibran Ramos | Short Doc | 2016 | Australian Premiere

USA | 8 min | Dir/Prod: Emily Pando | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

After a devastating quake in 1985, Gibran Ramos’ parents changed their outlook on how to raise him.

A numbers-obsessed character who lives life very carefully misses an opportunity to cherish every breath before all counters hit zero.

Australia | 13 min | Dir: Simon Direen | Prod: Simon Direen, Merinda Brown | Short Doc | 2017 | NSW Premiere

APROXIMADA

BABA

BACKSTORY

BIONIC GIRL

BPH |TUE 10 | 7pm PF | SAT 14 | 8pm

BCC | TUE 10 | 7.30pm

BCC | SAT 7 | 3.15pm BCC | FRI 13 | 5pm RM | SAT 14 | 4pm

BCC | SUN 8 | 4.15pm

USA | 15 min | Dir: Kyle Carver, Dan Larson | Prod: Kyle Carver | Short Doc | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Tucked in the forest, the Aproximada began to slowly take shape, a symbol of man’s curiosity, perseverance and determination.

Australia | 14 min | Dir: John Fink | Marcus Gillezeau, Annie Kinnane | Short | 2017 | Byron Premiere

A story about family and one of the most difficult moments in our lives – coming to terms with the impact of dementia on our parents.

Filmmakers in attendance

24 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

Daughter and Davo have journeyed through life together for 24 years, navigating through hardship and bad luck, while remaining fiercely loyal to each other.

Germany | 8 min | Dir: Joschka Laukeninks | Prod: Benjamin Horstkotte, Tobias Wichura, The Marmalade Films Hamburg | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

A young protagonist fights his way through adolescence and falls in love.

Just as everything seems to be working out for him …

AMY KARLE: BRINGING BONES TO LIFE

BCC | SAT 7 | 1pm USA | 4 min | Dir: Charlie Nordstrom | Prod: Amy Karle | Short Doc | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Amy Karle is an artist fascinated with the mysteries of life. Her most recent work uses the building blocks of life: cells.

France | 14 min | Dir: Stéphanie Cabdevila | Prod: Jérémy Rochigneux | Short | 2015 | Byron Premiere

A scientist has created her own android clone to replace her in the outside world, to face it for her.

BBFF.COM.AU

SHORT FILMS

BUBBLE BLUES

CONSENT

CORP

CRESWICK

PF | FRI 6 | 8pm

BCC | FRI 13 | 7.30pm

PF | FRI 13 | 8pm

BCC | SUN 15 | 4.30pm

France | 25 min | Patrick Volve | Jérémy Rochigneux | Short | 2015 | Byron Premiere

Australia | 13 min | Dir/Prod: Clare Sladden | Local Short | 2017

Argentina | 9 min | Dir/Prod: Pablo Polledri | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Two worlds collide when a young director prepares a conceptual film around a block of flats where routine, solitude and depression are what the inhabitants face every day…

After meeting online, a woman allows a virtual stranger into her home to fulfil an agreement.

Ambition, exploitation of labour, environmental pollution, human degradation, surplus value, corruption and much more in the amazing world of free market!

Australia | 9 min | Dir: Natalie Erika James | Prod: Emma Haarburger, Natalie Erika James | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Filmmakers in attendance

While a young woman helps her father pack up his house, they are both increasingly aware of the presence that they always knew was there.

Filmmakers in attendance

Filmmakers in attendance

DEEP STORAGE

EDITH

ELEANOR

FOR FLINT

PF | WED 11 | 6pm

BCC | SUN 8 | 11.15am

BCC | THU 12 | 12.30pm

BCC | THU 12 | 5pm

Australia | 14 min | Dir: Susan Earl | Prod: Jannine Barnes | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

United Kingdom | 15 min | Dir: Christian Cooke | Prod: April Kelley, Sara Huxley, Fiona Neilson | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

France, United Kingdom | 20 min | Dir: Sophie Russell | Prod: Laura Jackson | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

USA | 18 min | Dir: Brian Schulz | Prod: Matthew Mills, Brian Schulz, Chris Vivion | Short Doc | 2017 | NSW Premiere

Since his wife Edith’s recent death, Jake has taken to drinking and isolation. He believes that she’s haunting him. And there’s another death to consider …

On holiday in France, fifteen-year-old Eleanor falls madly for an older family friend. Out of her depth, however, events soon take a turn she never anticipated.

In the face of adversity, citizens of Flint rally together to forge a new and powerful narrative that flows with hope and optimism.

FOUND

FRONTERIA INVISIBLE

GAMBLING WITH MINDS

GHOST

PF | THU 12 | 8pm

PF | SAT 7 | 8pm PF | MON 9 | 6pm

BCC | TUE 10 | 7.30pm

BCC | THU 12 | 7.30pm

Australia | 10 min | Dir: Genevieve ClaySmith | Prod: Genevieve Clay-Smith, Sarah Johnson, Erin Black, Ash Meeraiya | Short Doc | Byron Premiere

Australia | 19 min | Dir: JP O’Brien | Prod: JP O’Brien, Hayley Beveridge | Short | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Gus, a stuttering loner, lives with his mum. When she dies he becomes homeless and moves their things into a local storage facility…

Australia | 20 min | Dir: Richard Hughes | Prod: Dave Christison | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Ten years on, a father’s relentless search for his daughter leads him to a remote farmhouse, three states away from where she went missing.

Belgium | 28 min | Dir: Nico Muzi, Nicolás Richat | Prod: Gancho | Short Doc | 2016 | Australian Premiere

As big landowners’ rush for palm oil to produce ‘green’ fuel peasant farmers and indigenous people are displaced.

Sharing experiences of various mental health advocates who have lived experience of mental illness and the Australian mental health system.

You’ve got Buckley’s hope. Based on a true story, Ghost is a re-imagining of convict William Buckley’s first contact with the Indigenous Australians.

Filmmakers in attendance

BBFF.COM.AU

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 25

SHORT FILMS

GOGI

GREY SPACE

GROWTH

HOWL

PF | SUN 8 | 6pm

BPH | TUE 10 | 7pm

BCC | MON 9 | 5pm

BCC | SAT 14 | 1.15pm

Australia | 9 min | Dir: Viviane Frehner, Stefan Jose | Prod: Viviane Frehner | Local Experimental Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Australia | 10 min | Dir: Benjamin Gerbanas | Prod: Taylor Deen | Short Doc | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Netherlands | 10 min | Sil Van Der Woerd | Oak Motion Pictures | Experimental | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Not Specified | 13 min | Dir: J’aime Leigh Gianopoulos | Prod: Camilla Vernet | Experimental | World Premiere

A dance film about unity, isolation and longing for connection. Breathtaking Australian location, the universal language of dance and a potent sound track leave you feeling stirred and motivated

Jack Stone, urban beekeeper, is on a mission to turn grey spaces into thriving eco-environments.

A family moves into a new house and lives there for twenty years. Sliding through time the house gets bigger, richer and more luxurious, while the family is growing apart hopelessly.

Howl is every Woman’s story. A poetic journey of Woman returning back to her power and wildness, and finding her voice. She must turn inward, tune in and listen for her Wild Woman to speak.

Filmmakers in attendance

Filmmakers in attendance

I REMEMBER YOU

ILARIA

IRONY

JULIET

BCC | MON 9 | 7.30pm

BCC | SUN 8 | 1.30pm USA | 15 min | Dir: Minka Bleakley | Prod: Andrew Lahmann | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

BCC | SAT 7 | 1pm BCC | TUE 10 | 7.30pm

BPH | SUN 15 | 4pm

Australia | 12 min | Dir/Prod: Ramon Samson | Short | 2016

An elderly man with Alzheimer’s is visited by his estranged son.

A heartbroken man finds himself entangled in a romantic fantasy when he rents a stranger’s apartment.

Australia | 8 min | Dir/Prod: Radheya Jegatheva | Animation | 2017 | Australian Premiere

A film that explores the relationship between man and technology... told from the perspective of a phone.

France | 11 min | Dir: Marc-Henri Boulier | Prod: Anaïs Bertrand | Short | 2015 | Australian Premiere

As technology evolves and new styles come and go, it becomes more and more difficult for mankind to find their own place…

Filmmakers in attendance

KEEPING CUSTOM

KEIRO

LIGHT SIGHT

LONG YEARNING

BCC | SAT 7 | 1pm

BPH | SAT 7 | 7pm BCC | THU 12 | 5pm RM | SAT 14 | 6pm

RM | SAT 7 | 6pm

PF | SAT 14 | 8pm

Iran | 7 min | Dir: Seyed M. Tabatabaei | Prod: Simin Farrokh Ahmadi | Animation | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Australia | 24 min | Dir/Prod: Elliot Spencer | Experimental | 2017

Australia | 12 min | Dir: Annie Benzie | Local Short Doc | 2017

After eight years of marriage Roger and Gwen decide to participate in a traditional wedding ceremony in Gwen’s mother’s village, on Normanby Island, PNG. Filmmakers in attendance

France | 5 min | Dir: Tatiana Jusewycz, Benoît Leloup, Franck Menigoz, Zoé Nérot, Charlotte Poncin | Prod: ArtFX | Animation | 2016 | Australian Premiere

A young girl travels with a gigantic creature which goes with her until she reaches adulthood.

26 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

M.E., the imprisoned character in a room, is attracted to a hanging light and tries to catch it. But the room itself becomes an obstacle on his way.

A poetic cinematic exploration of the lives of Chinese factory workers and the nature of repetitive industrialised work.

BBFF.COM.AU

SHORT FILMS

LUMIÉRE

MANNERS OF DYING

MASA

PF | WED 11 | 8pm

BCC | FRI 13 | 12.30pm

BCC | SAT 14 | 11am

USA | 17 min | Dir/Prod: Tay Steele | Surf Short | 2017

USA | 22 min | Dir: Bo-You Niou | Prod: Jeremy Chang | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Australia | 4 min | Dir/Prod: Dominic de Salis | Local Surf Doc | 2017

From Hawaii to Tahiti, Lumiére takes us behind the lens of North Shore photographer Amber Mozo, to find what the ocean gives to her in spite of what it took away.

A death row warden, bonds with an inmate when the burden of his duties becomes too heavy for him to bear.

MAURICE COLE: THE FIRST WAVE

A short film based on the personal journey of Byron Bay based Japanese shaper Masami Yaguhci.

Filmmakers in attendance

BCC | SAT 7 | 5.30pm Australia | 6 min | Dir/Prod: Peter Baker | Surf Doc | 2017 | Australian Premiere

A compelling story of a gifted Aboriginal surfer’s battles with the law, mental health and himself.

Filmmakers in attendance

MRS. S.

NIGHT DANCING

ON THE ROAD

BPH | SUN 15 | 4pm

BPH | THU 12 | 7pm

BCC | FRI 13 | 5pm

Australia | 7 min | Dir: James R. Woods | Prod: James R. Woods, Shaun Dougherty, Gabrielle Scollay | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

United Kingdom | 6 min | Dir/Prod: Barney Cokeliss | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Poland | 23 min | Dir: Bartosz Nowacki | Prod: Mike Stern Sterzynski, Maciej Stern Sterzynski, Malgorzata Galka | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Surfing is the winner in the end.

Every night, Bob sees a beautiful young woman dancing outside his window.

He is transfixed by her. Wonders if she’s real. Then things become more complicated...

OUTBACK RIDER

PASSENGERS

PLICKER

BCC | SAT 14 | 11am

PF | SUN 8 | 4pm

BCC | MON 9 | 5pm

Australia | 25 min | Dir: Peter John | Prod: Cheyne Grace | Local Short Doc | 2017 | World Premiere

Australia | 14 min | Dir: Simon Portus | Prod: David Curzon | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Korea | 3 min | Byungjun Kim | Byungjun Kim | Experimental | 2017 | Australian Premiere

Country music artist Steve Grace is determined to fulfil his dream of riding his motorcycle from Byron to the iconic Birdsville Hotel. Breathtaking visuals and confronting interviews capture the severe and harsh conditions endured by those living on the land.

A divorced father is desperate to spend more time with his six-year-old son.

During a long ride a woman picks up a hitchhiker – from the very beginning the man does not come across as trustworthy…

OUR WONDERFUL NATURE – THE COMMON CHAMELEON

PF | FRI 13 | 8pm Germany | 4 min | Dir/Prod: Tomer Eshed | Animation | 2016 | Byron Premiere

The feeding habits of the common chameleon as never seen before…

PORTRAIT OF A WIND UP MAKER

BPH | TUE 10 | 7pm Spain | 4 min | Dir/Prod: Darío Pérez | Animation | 2015 | Australian Premiere

Filmmakers in attendance

Filmmakers in attendance

BBFF.COM.AU

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 27

SHORT FILMS

QUACK

RAM DASS, GOING HOME

RESET

RICHARD TWICE

BCC | SUN 8 | 7pm

BCC | SUN 15 | 11.30am

PF | SUN 15 | 6pm

BPH | SAT 7 | 4pm

Australia | 5 min | Dir/Prod: Nicole Sullivan | Local Short | 2016

USA | 31 min | Dir/Prod: Derek Peck | Short | 2016 | International Premiere

USA | 10 min | Dir/Prod: Matthew Salton | Animation | 2016 | Australian Premiere

A young man heads out for his weekend sport of duck hunting when his world collides with an innocent nature loving girl.

A profound and poetic encounter with cultural and spiritual icon Ram Dass, at his home on Maui in the final chapter of his life.

Canada | 16 min | Dir: Jeremy Lutter | Prod: Jocelyn Russell , Arnold Lim | Short | 2015 | Australian Premiere

Filmmakers in attendance

A female android discovers she has feelings for her owner and must put her life on the line to gain a human connection.

‘Richard Twice’ was on his way to stardom and a huge success when he mysteriously walked away from it all.

SCHIRKOA

SENGATAN

SERVING JOY

SOOP

RM | SUN 8 | 6pm BCC | WED 11 | 12.30pm

BCC | WED 11 | 7.30pm

BCC | SUN 15 | 7pm

BCC | SAT 7 | 3.15pm

Australia | 11 min | Dir/Prod: Frank Magree, Paul Henri | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Australia | 14 min | Dir: Martin Sharpe | Prod: Ivan Bradara | Short | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Australia | 11 min | Dir: Eden Diebel | Prod: David Bedelis | Short | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Joy is preparing for the most important dinner party of her life. As the wine flows and facades drop, the painful veneer of middle class decorum begins to crack.

Take one reclusive woman and her dead husband; add two incompetent detectives and a halfwit bloᵏe who can’t paint a straight line…

India | 13 min | Dir: Ishan Shukla | Prod: Sharad Varma | Animation | 2016 | Byron Premiere

In the city of bag-heads, a senate member faces a tough choice between political career, brothels and love for a mysterious woman.

Based on true events. An Australian traveler finds himself caught up in the darker corners of of Indonesia.

Filmmakers in attendance

SPEAKING THROUGH COLOUR

BCC | MON 9 | 7.30pm Australia | 5 min | Dir/Prod: Darius Devas | Short Doc | 2017 | World Premiere

Through his connection to painting and dancing, Mbatha finds a powerful and joy-filled way to express himself.

Filmmakers in attendance

SPEAR OF FAITH

STRANGE BEASTS

THE BABY SHOWER

BCC | MON 9 | 12.30pm

BCC | TUE 10 | 7.30pm

BPH | SAT 7 | 7pm

United Kingdom | 16 min | Dir/Prod: Gibran Ramos | Short Doc | 2017 | Australian Premiere

United Kingdom | 5 min | Dir: Magali Barbe | Prod: Red Knuckles | Short | 2017 | Australian Premiere

France, United Kingdom | 15 min | Dir: Joseph Pierce | Prod: Katie Jackson | Short | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Fatherhood, faith and mortification of the flesh as a sign of love and devotion…

Strange Beasts allows you to create and grow your own ‘pet’ – but how far can it go?

May and Christian are having a baby shower party, whether they want to or not.

Filmmakers in attendance

28 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

BBFF.COM.AU

SHORT FILMS

THE CROWS SONG

THE DAM

BCC | MON 9 | 5pm

BPH | TUE 10 | 7pm

France | 20 min | Dir: Joachim Monvoisin, Charlotte Vitaioli | Prod: 36secondes, Youpi Banga, IdeaLuv | Experimental | 2016 | Australian Premiere

Australia | 16 min | Dir: Brendon McDonall | Prod: Ilana Lazar | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

BCC | MON 9 | 7.30pm

A lifelong friendship is under siege when two mature Australian men visit the monolithic dam that defined their young lives…

Visual artist Jeremy Hawkes, diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s Disease, suspends his medication, allowing the tremors to suffuse his work.

In a snowy no man’s land, a young woman meets a biker. Hunted by a dark car, the two characters fall slowly into an endless story.

THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE

THE INVISIBLE EDGE

BPH | THU 12 | 7pm Australia | 3 min | Dir/Prod: Poppy Walker, Sophie Hexter | Local Short Doc | 2016

Australia | 16 min | Dir: Ian W Thomson | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

Two brothers struggle with the rivalry in their relationship, to find the unspoken words which will avert a family tragedy.

Filmmakers in attendance

Filmmakers in attendance

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

THE LAST JOURNEY OF THE ENIGMATIC PAUL WR

THE OFFERING

THE REALM OF DEEPEST KNOWING

BCC | SUN 15 | 4.30pm

PF | SAT 14 | 6pm

Australia | 15 min | Dir: Ben Dickinson | Prod: Andrew Seaton | Short | 2016 | Byron Premiere

France | 17 min | Dir: Romain Quirot | Prod: Jerome Lateur | Short | 2015 | Byron Premiere

Stranded alone in the middle of the night, a young woman is approached by a man offering to help her. Can she trust the stranger in front of her?

The red moon threatens our existence on Earth. Our only hope is the enigmatic Paul WR, the most talented astronaut of its generation.

Two musicians and a dancer make an ancient and sacred ritual offering to the earth.

THE TURTLE’S PULSE

THE VEILED

TONE

TURTLES ARE ALWAYS HOME

PF | SUN 8 | 6pm

PF | SAT 7 | 6pm BCC | TUE 10 | 5pm

BCC | SAT 7 | 1pm

BCC | TUE 10 | 12.30pm

Canada | 2 min | Dir/Prod: John Graham | Experimental | 2017 | Australian Premiere

Lebanon | 12 min | Dir/Prod: Rawane Nassif | Experimental | 2017 | Byron Premiere

A hypnotic dance of transformation in a metaphorical forest.

Rawane Nassif uses the Qanat Quartier of Doha, Qatar – with its faux-Venetian canals and façades – as a starting point for an abstract reflection on the concepts of place, authenticity, and home.

BCC | SAT 7 | 1pm Peru | 7 min | William Silva Reddington, Guille Isa | Darrell Hartmann, Oliver Hartmann | Experimental | 2016 | Australian Premiere

BCC | THU 12 | 12.30pm South Korea | 3 min | Dir/Prod: SeungHee Kim | Animation | 2017 | Australian Premiere

To know someone on deepest level becomes the deeply rooted love which is the source of life.

Filmmakers in attendance

Chile | 9 min | Dir/Prod: Mayra Castro | Local Short Doc | 2017 | Byron Premiere

A small sensory journey/collage of coasts, beaches and waves from different countries that invites us to reflect on how nature makes us feel.

Filmmakers in attendance

BBFF.COM.AU

Australia | 13 min | Dir/Prod: Joshua Long | Short | 2016 | NSW Premiere

As a daughter grinds away as caretaker for her father she discovers some memories are best left hidden under the veil of dementia.

BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 29

SHORT FILMS

UNCANNY VALLEY

UNDERTOW

URBAN AUDIO SPECTRUM

BCC | FRI 13 | 7.30pm

BCC | SAT 14 | 11am

BCC | WED 11 | 12.30pm

Argentina | 9 min | Dir: Federico Heller | Prod: German Heller | Short | 2015 | Byron Premiere

Australia | 23 min | Dir: Peter Spann | Prod: Stephen Johnson | Local Short | 2017 | World Premiere

Germany | 4 min | Dir/Prod: Marina Schnider | Experimental | 2016 | Australian Premiere

In the slums of the future, VR junkies satisfy their violent impulses in online entertainment. An expert player discovers that the line between games and reality is starting to fade away.

Jonny taught Bella to surf. She lives for the perfect wave. They were star crossed lovers. His dark passions drew them into a destructive vortex she barely survived…

An audio-visualization through manipulation and animation of video recordings in the city of Berlin.

¿SEÑOR O SEÑORITO? (WEDDED OR BACHELOR?)

BCC | THU 12 | 5pm Spain | 9 min | Dir: Cristina Piernas, Victoria Ruis | Prod: Victoria Ruis | Short | 2015 | Australian Premiere

In a world dominated by women, Bernardo will have to get through a singular interview to access to the secretary’s position that he wishes.

Filmmakers in attendance

WELCOME TO COUNTRY

WILLIAM FINNEGAN – BARBARIAN DAYS

BCC | THU 12 | 7.30pm Australia | 10 min | Dir: Dean Gibson | Prod: Helen Morrison | Short | 2016

A hot shot public servant is sent to a remote Aboriginal community to prepare for the Prime Minister’s visit.

Filmmakers in attendance

XMILE

PF | SUN 15 | 8pm BCC | SAT 7 | 5.30pm Australia | 5 min | Dir/Prod: Darius Devas | Local Short Surf Doc | 2017 | World Premiere

A portrait of Pulitzer prize winning author William Finnegan, narrated with excerpts from his memoir Barbarian Days. Featuring Rusty Miller.

Filmmakers in attendance

Spain | 14 min | Dir: Miguel Ángel Font Bisier | Prod: HT Producciones | Short | 2017 | Byron Premiere

Year 2184. The Earth no longer produces oxygen, and body implants allow humans to survive in the new order. Nature’s new order.

THANK YOU! Byron Bay Film Festival, now in its 11th year, has only thrived because of the support of businesses that have helped with partnership or in kind.

Their generosity has enabled us to grow into Australia’s most relevant, fun and largest regional film festival, and this year is no different.

We extend a special thanks to Zilzie Wines, our official wines partner, who bring bubbles and flair to our Galas and Special Events. They are also offering ticket-holders special offers through the Cellars bottle shop and the Beach Hotel.

This year we are fortunate to have Trattoria Basiloco as our official catering partner, providing Mediterranean delicacies on both Opening and Closing Gala nights. Show your BBFF tickets

during the festival at Trattoria Basiloco and receive 10% off your bill during the festival.

Targa are also offering our patron’s 10% off.

If you’re coming from further afield Byron Bay Hotel & Apartments are offering 10% off when you use the code BBFF17.

La La Land are on board as the BBFF Official After Party venue hosting many after party’s, including the Official World Premiere After Party for Heavy Water on Saturday 7th October and The Brewery hosting the Music Video Showcase and Party on Friday 13th October in conjunction with Byron Music.

We are helped throughout the festival by Byron Bay Coffee Company, who have been partners since the festival’s inception, and an integral aid to its development.

We also thank APRA AMCOS, Cobs Popcorn,

30 BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017

Sulis Lifestyle Salon and Spa, and give special acknowledgment to ISLAND LUXE for being a major partner who have assisted with the BBFF being able to bring some of the industry’s most creative talents to Byron and helping BBFF look fabulous!

Please support our partners who support the Byron Bay Film Festival bringing cinema for the senses to the Bay. The festival would also not be possible without the tireless efforts of our volunteers. Filmlovers, students, and community members make up teams working on Submissions, Operations, Technical, Media, Workshops, Schools, Bar, Catering, Classifications, Décor, Box Office and Guest Liaison bring a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm to BBFF. They make the magic happen!

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The North Coast’s independent news www.echo.net.au BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL – FRIDAY 6 TO SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2017 31