Australian
MUSIC WEEK FILM FESTIVAL
reveals 2018 lineup
.
.
.
Offering a diverse lineup of international features and shorts
This year’s Australian Music Week Film Festival is proud to reveal its diverse lineup of feature and short films set to appear as part of the annual event, which takes place on November 10th and 11th at the GU Film House in Cronulla. Following on from the Australian Music Week industry conference (7-9 Nov), the film festival will feature six feature films, each of which will be accompanied by a short film, and together shaping up no less than 8 Australian Premieres.
The program starts alphabetically with ARADA, a Turkish film which is the first ever scripted feature to be a part of the Australian Music Week Film Festival. The engrossing film follows a young punk rocker in Istanbul who tracks down a cruise ticket to California on the night of his birthday gig. Set during the 1990’s political unrest in the country, and against the backdrop of a record store that brings to mind films like High Fidelity, the film is an enjoyable punk adventure.
In the Indian film Rockumentary: Evolution of Indian Rock, we see how the Western rock scene in the Asian nation has evolved from the 1930s to now, and how Aussie groups like Karnivool have influenced the flourishing scene. Seven years in the making, the film is the most comprehensive look at the scene ever produced, with over 30 artists taking part in the feature.
The Canadian documentarySlave to the Grind looks at the world’s fastest and most aggressive music scene, Grindcore, which was originally fuelled by the leftist politics of Punk Rock, and has developed over the last 35 years to a scene more intense than ever before. The film premiered earlier his year at the Calgary Underground Film Festival, and this screening will mark the Australian premiere of the feature which is slowly but surely making its way around the world.
Sitting as the festival’s most political entry comes the award-winning feature from Cultures of Resistance Film, Burkinabe Rising: The Art of Resistance in Burkina Faso. The documentary looks at creative non-violent resistance in the small, landlocked country in West Africa, Burkina Faso, home to a vibrant community of artists and engaged citizens.
Through art, music and film they show how political change can be achieved when people come together with a creative spirit, with this particular group featured carrying on the revolutionary spirit of former President Thomas Sankara, who was killed in a coup d’etat in 1987. The film documents the trip that director Iara Lee made to the country in 2016, as she meets a remarkable cast of artists, musicians and activists. The film comes to Cronulla after winning Amnesty International and UNESCO Awards.
The only Australian feature to appear at the 2018 festival comes from Melbourne. Now Sound: Melbourne’s Listening will have its NSW premiere at the Australian Music Week Film Festival following its sold-out world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival and a limited cinema release in the city which concludes this week.
.
.
The acclaimed film explores Melbourne’s love of music, focusing on the vibrant scene of Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs, guided by a plethora of culturally relevant artists and a number of subcultures. The film documents the trials and tribulations that constantly threaten to demolish Melbourne’s iconic music culture and the unending passion that revives and sustains it. The film features interviews and performances from bands like Saskwatch, Bedroom Suck, Divide & Dissolve, Jen Cloher, RVG, Courtney Barnett, local labels like Chapter Music and much more.
And finally, from Ireland and Scotland comes Lost in France. Directed by Niall McCann, the documentary looks at the rise of the Glaswegian music scene, revisiting a chaotic trip to France in the mid-1990s, which helped define and cement the careers of indie rock band The Delgados, who established the cult record label Chemikal Underground. The label paved the way for acts like Mogwai, Arab Strap and Franz Ferdinand, who all feature in the film. Each feature film will be accompanied by a short film, with films from India, Australia and the UK represented.
.
.
Of the Australian shorts, there’s Wannabe, a hilarious mockumentary about an Aussie Spice Girls cover band who are getting set to reform. Busking for Change, an insightful look at three buskers living in Sydney, and Elska: Heart + Harp, a short documentary about Gold Coast artist and Harpist Elska, who is one of the Australian Music Week’s performing artists.
From the UK comes Broadband, a beautifully shot short that looks at a musical project that brought together dozens of musicians through the internet, resulting in a uniquely collaborative song and video. Somewhere In Their Heads is a short documentary about the record of Curse of Lono’s second album As I Fell. Shot and edited by acclaimed music filmmaker Gregg Houston (Noel Gallagher, Two Door Cinema Club), the film follows the band as they record between London and the US desert in Joshua Tree, taking audiences behind the scenes of the songs as they engage in deeply personal conversations about death and heroin addiction.
And finally, there’s Mixtape, a documentary that explores the music scene of Old Delhi, India. The film traces how Sonotek Cassettes and Sonic Entreprises have created entire subcultures of regional and Islamic devotional music, against the shifting tides of technology. It will accompany the Indian feature also in the program, Rockumentary. Festival guests and special events around the screenings will be announced closer to the date.
The Australian Music Week Film Festival is curated by Larry Heath, founder of the National Live Music Awards and website The AU Review. Heath also curates the Courtyard Sessions at the Seymour Centre and the In The Round at Leadbelly.
.
FULL FILM LINEUP:
Feature Films:
ARADA (Turkey)
Rockumentary: Evolution of Indian Rock (India)
Slave to the Grind (Canada)
Burkinabe Rising: The Art of Resistance in Burkina Faso (Burkina Faso/Bulgaria/US)
Now Sound: Melbourne’s Listening (Australia)
Lost in France (Ireland/Scotland)
Short Films:
Wannabe (Australia)
Mixtape (India)
Broadband (UK)
Busking For Change (Australia)
Elska: Heart + Harp (Australia)
Somewhere In Their Heads (UK)
Each feature film will be accompanied by a short film, in the order listed above.
When: 10th and 11th November 2018
Where: GU Filmhouse, Cronulla
How Much: Free for Australian Music Week Badge Holders, $10 tickets per film for everyone else. Individual tickets on sale in the coming weeks, direct through the cinema.
Session times and full ticketing details will be posted on the Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/
.
ABOUT AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK:
Australian Music Week is Australia’s most accessible, grassroots music industry conference bringing together artists and industry professionals at the forefront of the grassroots music scene 7-9 November for more than 150 live performances, 3 days of industry panels and masterclass workshops, followed by Australia’s only dedicated Music Film Festival (10-11 Nov). For more details about the conference and festival, head to australianmusicweek.com.
.
MORE ABOUT THE FILMS:
Feature Films:
ARADA (Turkey)
A young punk rocker in Istanbul tracks down a cruise ticket to California on the night of his birthday gig. Based on the director’s personal family story. Film sets during the 90’s unrest political Turkey.
Rockumentary: Evolution of Indian Rock (India)
This documentary feature film chases the roots of western music in India starting from the 1930s and its transition through the decades till 2018 (present times) when rock music has flourished in the country! Today, we have music festivals, college band competitions, pubs & bistros dedicated to the culture of rock music in India…. The phenomenon that stepped into India & embraced The Indian society as its own, way back in 1940s. 7 years in the making, the most Comprehensive documentary film on India & its rocking generation! 1 Nation, 7 decades, 30+ artists, One feature documentary film, presenting to all Rockumentary- Evolution of Indian Rock.
Slave to the Grind (Canada)
Grindcore is the world fastest and most aggressive music. Originally fuelled by Punk Rock’s leftist politics, Grindcore’s growth over the past 35 years has seen a series of newcomers more intense and violent than the originators.
Burkinabe Rising: The Art of Resistance in Burkina Faso (Burkina Faso/Bulgaria/US)
A small landlocked country in West Africa, Burkina Faso is home to a vibrant community of artists, musicians, engaged citizens who carry on the revolutionary spirit of Thomas Sankara, killed in a coup d’état led by his best friend and advisor Blaise Compaoré, who then ruled the country as an autocrat for 27 years, til a massive popular insurrection led to his removal. Today, the spirit of resistance and political change is mightier than ever and it permeates every aspect of the Burkinabe life. It is an inspiration, not only to Africa, but to the rest of the world.
Now Sound: Melbourne’s Listening (Australia)
Now Sound is a feature length documentary exploring Melbourne’s love for music. Guided by a plethora of culturally relevant artists, the film focuses on the vibrant music scene of Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs. Showcasing unique artists and exalting subcultures, Now Sound documents the trials and tribulations that constantly threaten to demolish Melbourne’s iconic music culture and the unending passion that revives and sustains it. Music is the voice of culture; Now Sound is a documentary about listening.
Lost in France (Ireland/Scotland)
In Glasgow in the mid-1990s, flourishing indie rock band The Delgados established cult record label Chemikal Underground, heralding a renaissance of independent music in the city that would bring the likes of Mogwai, Arab Strap and Franz Ferdinand to the world. Lost in France, an exhilarating new documentary, explores the rise of this Glaswegian music scene, revisiting a defining, chaotic trip to France in the musicians’ early careers.
Featuring a stunning mix of live performances and frequently hilarious interviews, the film reunites key label personnel in an intimate exploration of friendship, memory and making music. Hosted by the Glasgow Film Festival, Lost in France screens as a special cinema event on 21 February followed by an exclusive performance broadcast live via satellite to cinemas across the UK and Ireland from the Glasgow O2 ABC, featuring a supergroup including Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand), Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai), RM Hubbert plus The Delgados’ Emma Pollock and Paul Savage
Short Films:
Wannabe (Australia)
In this Mockumentray; a documentary film crew follow the manager of North West Melbourne’s third most popular ‘Spice Girls’ tribute act. Will he be successful on his quest to reunite the girls for one last show?
Mixtape (India)
It is a documentary that explores local music and video producer in Old Delhi. It explores this through the lens of an entrepreneur,Hansraj Railhan who runs Sonotek Cassettes and a qawaal, Rais Anis Sabri who has been associated with Sonic Entreprises for over a decade.The film traces how these two companies created entire subcultures of regional and Islamic devotional music, against the shifting tides of technology.
Broadband (UK)
Broadband is a musical project bringing together musicians across the world via online submission, collaborating into one continuous take music video. A song demo by Alistair Addley was sent to multiple musicians across UK and the globe who recorded themselves playing their own instruments along to the demo. Each contribution was displayed on laptop screens in this continuous take performance.
Busking For Change (Australia)
Busking for Change, a short documentary showcasing the problems and advantages of bringing free performances to the streets of Sydney. The film stars three different buskers with different performances including singing/songwriting, a magic show, and an accordionist. The fast pace of the modern day and people carrying less cash is a problem these three buskers share. Added with councils out to take them off the streets, it breaks them on occasion.
Elska: Heart + Harp (Australia)
‘Heart + Harp’ takes an intimate look into the story of Gold Coast music artist ELSKA – who has redefined the humble harp by marrying the delicate instrument with the power of a loop pedal. The short documentary uncovers ELSKA’s early years on the harp, her connection to the Gold Coast, losing her musical identity, and her hunger to return to her craft to prove anything is possible. ‘Heart + Harp’ is a project graciously funded by the RADF 2018 ‘Activate Music’ program. The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) is a partnership between the Queensland Government and the City of Gold Coast Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
Somewhere In Their Heads (UK)
‘Somewhere In Their Heads’ is a short documentary about the recording of Curse Of Lono’s second album ‘As I Fell’. Shot and edited by acclaimed music filmmaker Gregg Houston (Noel Gallagher, Two Door Cinema Club, Michael Kiwanuka, Foy Vance), ‘Somewhere In Their Heads’ follows Curse Of Lono as they record between London and a remote, desert studio in Joshua Tree, California. The film offers a unique glimpse into the recording process and the stories behind the songs, including deeply personal conversations about heroin addiction and the death of family members.
.
Follow Australian Music Week Film Festival
Website / Facebook / Twitter
.
.
amnplify EH
