Vampyr (1932) dir. by Carl Theodor Dreyer.
If you intend to hang around and your program isn’t already brimming with activities, there are some interesting films on offer across the city this Canberra long weekend.
Over at the National Film and Sound Archive, Melbourne-based DJ and composer Chiara Kickdrum will be joining forces with the Goethe Institut Australia to deliver the second instalment of the KinoKonzert series. Taking her cues from pioneering silent film Vampyr (1932), this immersive experience marries chilling visuals with a gripping original score performed live on stage. Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, this nigh on 90-year-old German-French horror co-production receives a new lease on life thanks to what is proving to be a truly exciting and innovative space in the audiovisual landscape. On that note, check out one of my favourite examples. Very cool.
Screening Friday, 7 pm. Tickets are $25 at the door or online.
Over at Palace Electric Cinemas, the Lebanese Film Festival is also dropping by for a quick stop with two films over two days. A Certain Nasser (2017) is a documentary tribute to legendary Lebanese film-maker Georges Nasser. Despite only three directorial credits to his name due to the outbreak of the protracted Lebanese Civil War which effectively ended his career, Nasser forever remained a loyal champion of his homeland and a staunchly idealistic father figure to Lebanon’s cinema industry, endlessly striving to evolve it in whichever way he could. Screening Friday, 9 pm. Tickets available through Eventbrite.
The second and final inclusion in the Lebanese layover is the polarising and politically-charged social fable Capharnaüm (2018). In short, this is the story of a child who decides to sue their parents. “Why are you suing your parents? For giving me life.” With such a tagline, this is clearly a challenging but undoubtedly fascinating film experience which has divided critics. Winner of several Audience Awards at the Melbourne, Norway and Sarajevo Film Festivals respectively, it has been considered a heavy-handed overreach by some, a thought-provoking and emotionally compelling tale by others. Director Nadine Labaki also picked up the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Make up your own mind. Screening Saturday, 7 pm. Tickets available through Eventbrite.
More information on the Lebanese Film Festival HERE.
Back over at the NFSA, in anticipation for next month’s Japanese Film Festival at Dendy Cinemas, there will be a special FREE program of classic Japanese films about passion and obsession. Entitled Alternative Women: Japanese Film Festival Classics, the four-film line-up includes:
Manji (1964) – a complex melodrama about a lesbian love-affair between a housewife and a model set in affluent Japanese society. Adapted from the novel Quicksand by Junichiro Tanizaki. Screening Saturday, 2 pm.
Kagero-Za (1981) – a sensual celluloid trip as a 1920s playwright meets a beautiful woman who may just be the ghost of his patron’s deceased wife. Directed by the late legendary luminary Seijun Suzuki. Screening Saturday, 4 pm.
A Geisha (1953) – the story of a young woman, Eiko, taken in by an older geisha mentor, Miyoharu. As Eiko seeks to forge a new life for herself as an apprentice geisha, or ‘maiko’, cruel realities of the profession soon set in. Screening Sunday, 12 pm.
The Affair (1967) – Unhappily married, Oriko begins pursuing pleasure with others and, in doing so, comes to better understand her mother’s previous position. Much to the misplaced scorn of a younger Oriko, her widowed mother had sought comfort with younger men. Now, Oriko’s extramarital exploration will entail both dilemma and awakening. Screening Sunday, 2 pm.
All screenings are FREE but bookings are essential. More information on the festival and bookings HERE.
If on Monday you still need some more movies, head over to Dendy where you can pick up $5 Standard Tickets and $10 Premium Tickets for one day only. Sessions are already selling out so be quick if you want to cap off your long weekend and ring in the new month with Dendy.
Happy long weekend, Canberra!
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