FILM
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MIFF PROGRAM PREVIEW The 62nd annual Melbourne International Film Festival has unveiled its full program for 2013. MIFF will open on Thursday July 25 with Pedro Almodóvar’s I’m So Excited; and the closing night film has now been revealed as J.C. Chandor’s Robert Redfordstarring, castaway drama All Is Lost, which is one of dozens of films to be coming from Melbourne fresh off screening at Cannes, writes Anthony Carew.
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
my OPEN day
Computer Chess
UNIVERSITIES
Here’s a bunch of our festival picks!
AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS USA, David Lowery David Lowery’s debut earnt plenty of praise at Sundance for its Terrence Malick-aping style and its fierce lead performances from Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck.
BASTARDS France, Claire Denis Coming direct from Cannes, Bastards has been called ‘minor Denis’, hewing closer to the realm of the commercial thriller than the glorious art-film abstractions of The Intruder or White Material. But even lesser Denis is greater than most else on in cinemas.
Frances Ha
FRUITVALE STATION
PUSSY RIOT: A PUNK PRAYER
USA, Ryan Coogler
Russia/UK, Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin
Much-acclaimed American indie drama arrives at MIFF before its eventual cinematic release, and possible place on the 2014 Oscars slate.
Standing in defiance of modern Russia, punk ‘actionists’ Pussy Riot became 2012’s great indie-rock cause célèbre after being jailed for the treason of critiquing the state in sloganeering song.
COMPUTER CHESS
GINGER & ROSA
USA, Andrew Bujalski Like Pablo Larraín’s No, the latest film from mumblecore maestro Andrew Bujalski evokes the ’80s by shooting on archaic VHS ‘technology’; the wobbly video-lines adding authenticity to a drama concerned with the extreme nerdery of coding.
UK, Sally Potter Potter’s soap-operatic portrait of best gal-pals coming of nihilist age against the nuclear terror of Cold War ’60s Britain features famous faces across its cast (including, Mad Men nerds, Christina Hendricks playing piano accordion once more). But it’s owned by its lead, Elle Fanning, who submits an unendinglyprofound performance, further clawing her way out of the dank shadows of sibling-trailing childstardom, now just one of America’s most amazing young actors.
COSMIC PSYCHOS: BLOKES YOU CAN TRUST Australia, Matt Weston The bogan Godfathers of Grunge are portrayed, years on, as a kind of absurdist fairytale: farmers from the bush who somehow ended up touring the world, opening stadiums for Pearl Jam, etc.
FRANCES HA USA, Noah Baumbach
MUSIC
Noah Baumbach. All-time mumblecore pin-up Greta Gerwig. Girls oddball beefcake Adam Driver. I’m so there.
Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer
MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS USA, Tom Berninger The National – a band readying an impressive forthcoming LP, Trouble Will Find Me – have always had an interesting dynamic: singer Matt Berninger and his mumbly baritone flanked by two pairs of brothers. Touring High Violet, he invited his own brother, Tom, on the road; and the result is anything but your regular rockumentary, instead a portrait of a band as confluence of squabbling siblings.
UPSTREAM COLOR
FEE HELP
SCHOLARSHIPS
USA, Shane Carruth The long-awaited follow-up to Primer has already become one of the best-reviewed films of the year; its heightened cinematic ‘vision’ furthering Carruth’s claim as one of American indie cinema’s most interesting new voices. The good oil from film nerds I trust is that if you love it, you’ll love it desperately, deeply, profoundly. For more festival picks head to theMusic.com.au WHAT: Melbourne International Film Festival WHEN & WHERE: Thursday 25 July to Sunday 11 August, various locations
TAFES
GIVEAWAY: We have two MIFF e-Mini Passes up for grabs. e-Mini Passes provide admission to any ten sessions, plus three bonus weekday sessions before 5pm (Mon-Fri). For your chance to win stalk the Inpress Facebook.
OPEN DAYS
SUNNY SIDE UP With a whirlwind first year under her belt, Thelma Plum shares some choc biscuits and a cup of tea with Tyler McLoughlan and reflects on learning the ropes alongside Bob Evans and Emma Louise before heading out nationally to do it her way.
risbane folk songstress Thelma Plum has plotted an impressive career trajectory since being unearthed by triple j 12 months ago with a homemade demo of Father Said. The 18-year-old recorded her debut EP Rosie with Tony Buchen (John Butler, Washington), won a Deadly Award for being the best emerging Indigenous talent, played Woodford and Bluesfest and experienced life on the road with two well-loved Australian musicians. She still has to pinch herself sometimes.
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“I’m totally surprised about everything!” Plum explains. “Twelve months ago I was nannying and dog-walking; I was playing gigs at, well I guess any gig I could get, but like at coffee shops and places like that… When I won the Unearthed competition, that was really unexpected; I didn’t even know about the competition!” Rosie’s feature track, Around Here, is a deceptively uplifting acoustic singalong that literally la-di-da’s its way to a big fuck you, directed at Plum’s ex-boyfriend. On tour supporting Emma Louise, Plum was greatly excited to be hearing her own vitriol sung back at her. “You know what? When we were in Adelaide… people in the audience were singing along to – well they were
singing along to a couple of the songs – but really loudly to Around Here. And then I started to mess myself up because I thought it was the reverb bouncing on the back of the wall coming back at me and I was trying to sing quietly so I could figure out if it was just me being a crazy person or like actually people were singing! And then I forgot the words [to Around Here]… How do you forget la-di-da?” she laughs in disbelief. “I forgot it and stuffed it up, but then I heard that people were singing, so it was awesome.” Plum’s performance ability has been helped along by a poise that belies her youth. When Plum suggested to a chatty Friday night crowd to listen up as she opened for Emma Louise in Brisbane, they actually did. One would never guess it was only her second time on tour, though it helped having Kevin Mitchell as a guiding light on her debut journey as support for Bob Evans. “He’s ridiculous; he’s just so cool…” Plum admits of Mitchell. “The very first show was in Brisbane and we met him, and I think the first thing he said was, ‘I’m going to the bottle’o, do you guys want anything?’ And I was like, ‘Okay, no thanks!’” I was so new to all of that
stuff and we got to hang out with him in every single city; in his hometown in Perth he showed us around and was kind of like a little bit of a big brother and a mentor and was giving us heaps of advice. He’s amazing.” Plum is in prime shape to showcase her EP through five states on the Rosie tour. “I think it’s gonna be so much fun; I’ve never done a headline show except for my EP launch, so it’s gonna be great,” she says excitedly, oozing the inimitable optimism of youthful vigour. “You have nerves; you think ‘Oh are people gonna come?’ But even if three people come I’m gonna be so happy that people bought tickets to see me.” WHO: Thelma Plum
COLLEGES
One website has everything you need to know about choosing the right tertiary institution for you myopenday.com.au
WHAT: Rosie (Footstomp/Warner) WHEN & WHERE: Friday 26 July, Northcote Social Club
Where every day is Open Day
For more interviews go to themusic.com.au/interviews • 17