ADL FILM FEST AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

HOT OFF THE PRESS - International Juries of ADL Film Fest have declared feature fiction I Am Not A Witch and documentary Taste of Cement prestigious prize winners for 2017, joining the previously announced winner of the inaugural AFTRS International VR Award, Nothing Happens.

The 2017 ADL Film Fest International Feature Award winner, I Am Not A Witch, is the feature debut of Zambia-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni, and tells the tale of Shaula, a young, Zambian orphan banished from her village to a ‘witch camp.’ The Jury hailed the film as “unique and bold … surprisingly funny … a bold debut from a bright new talent.”

As far as docos go, the 2017 Flinders University International Best Documentary Award goes to Ziad Kalthoum’s dreamlike Taste of Cement. The film details the tale of Syrian Construction workers who are virtually imprisoned on the site of the Beirut skyscrapers they build. It celebrated its Australian Premiere at ADL Film Fest, and was applauded by the Jury; “a poetic unfolding … we admire the filmmaker’s audacity, ambition and heart … Ziad is a director of talent.”

Documentary winner Taste of Cement screens again Saturday 14 Oct, 2pm at Mercury Cinema

VR winner Nothing Happens screens every day until Sunday 15 Oct in the VR Lounge
 

GET AROUND THE GUESTS OF THE FEST

SATURDAY 14th OCT

2pm - Namatjira Project Talk – Join members of the Namatjira family along with the filmmakers for a discussion about the making of this very important doco hoping to restore justice to the family on and off screen.

5pm – Kiki and Kitty – Come along to the Q&A with writer/creator actor Nakkiah Lui, actor Elaine Crombie, and director Catriona McKenzie and get an inside scoop on this exciting new absurdist comedy series.

5pm – The Sounds of Silence (Rabbit) – Join the post sound crew and go behind the scenes of this brand new Australian film that had its world premiere at ADL Film Fest. KOJO will moderate the discussion featuring producer David Ngo, director Luke Shanahan, and sound team Michael Daren and Tom Heuzenroeder.

SUNDAY 15th OCT

11am - Jim Bettison & Helen James Oration: Meryl Tankard – A much-anticipated insight into one of the two 2017 recipients of this esteemed award. Meet world-renowned choreographer, dancer, creative director, and now filmmaker, Meryl Tankard.

1:30pm - The Last Goldfish – Writer/Director Su Goldfish will be in the house with a Q&A post the screening of her rich autobiographical documentary. The film uncovers the astonishing story of her German Jewish heritage, her family’s suffering under the Nazi regime, and their frantic flight for refuge. 

3:45pm – The Tracker – Join extraordinary director/producer/writer Rolf De Heer for a discussion after the 15-year anniversary screening of what is, in Rolf’s words, ‘the most beautiful film I’ve ever worked on.’ 

chauka please tell us the time? - do we have anything lined up?

Book now or forever hold your peace

The Film Fest finishing line is fast approaching and we have a multitude of must-see screenings to fill the last few days.

Horror Movie: A Low Budget Nightmare is a funny, dramatic insight into filmmaker Craig Anderson’s roller-coaster venture of creating the really, really low budget horror Red Christmas. A tumultuous and ultimately uplifting tale about how films are made and sold in the mostly uncharted world of digital filmmaking and online distribution.

Award-winning Newton (Winner, CICAE Award, Best Film (Forum section), Berlin Film Festival) is a riveting comedy about the voting process, following a conscientious public servant as he navigates free and fair voting in the world of rebel guerillas and corrupt officials.

Off the back of its official selection in the Berlin Film Fest, we have One Thousand Ropes, a beautifully filmed and incredibly well performed tale of family and redemption.

The New York Times hailed Matthew Heineman’s City of Ghosts as “a moving record of extraordinary individual and collective heroism.” The film does not disappoint, presenting an uncompromising and confronting investigation of the role media plays in contemporary warfare through the eyes of the fugitive activists of RBSS.

Shot in secret in the north of Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof’s A Man of Integrity tells the story of Reza, an honest man who refuses to accept that in his country one is either an oppressor or one of the oppressed. Rasoulof continues to create despite the threat of a return to prison. Don’t miss what Varity called “a tense, engaging drama about corruption and injustice.”

Narrated by Colin Farrell, It’s Not Yet Dark is set to be one of the most moving cinematic experiences of the year. It documents the inspiring and emotional story of Simon Fitzmaurice, a young Irishman living with Motor Neuron Disease who refuses to surrender to death, as he directs his first feature film.