The year is 1927, and the setting is South Solitary Island, off the coast of Tasmania - a remote lighthouse island which is cold, rainy, and directly in the path of the Roaring Forties. Meredith Appleton (Miranda Otto), 35, arrives with her uncle, George Wadsworth (Barry Otto), the replacement Head Keeper of the lighthouse. She is a "chin up!" sort of a girl, and she needs to be in these circumstances. Meredith tries to make the best of a bad situation by attempting to make friends with the few occupants of the island, including Assistant Keeper, Fleet (Marton Csokas). However, with a little bit of time, Meredith finds much more than friendship.
Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) is a comic oratorio based on Monty Python's Life of Brian, which retells the tragic tale of Mandy, impregnated by a Roman soldier, giving birth to Brian, a reluctant revolutionary of the People's Front of Judea who falls in love with Judith, gets mistaken for a Messiah and is arrested by the Romans and sentenced to be crucified. It ranges in reference from Handel, through a naughty Mozart duet, to the Festival of Nine Carols, Bob Dylan, and the classic finale "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". Very limited screenings, so get in quick! Tickets $20/$18
In November 1937, high school student and aspiring thespian Richard Samuels takes a day trip into New York City. There, he meets and begins a casual friendship with Gretta Adler, their friendship based on a shared love and goal of a profession in the creative arts. But also on this trip, Richard stumbles across the Mercury Theatre and meets Orson Welles, who, based on an impromptu audition, offers Richard an acting job as Lucius in his modern retelling of Julius Caesar.
The Roman Empire stretches across Europe, from Egypt to Spain, and east as far as the Black Sea. But in northern Britain, the onslaught of Roman conquest has ground to a halt in the face of the guerrilla tactics of an elusive enemy: the savage tribesmen known as the Picts. Quintus, (Fassbender) a confident Roman soldier and sole survivor of a recent raid, marches north with General Virilus' legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the earth. But when the legion is ambushed and Virilus taken captive, Quintus faces a desperate struggle to keep his small platoon alive behind enemy lines. Contains scenes that may disturb some patrons.
Suzanne is a well-to-do married woman and mother in the south of France. Her idle bourgeois lifestyle gets her down and she decides to go back to work as a physiotherapist. Her husband agrees to fix up a consulting room for her in their backyard. When Suzanne and the man hired to do the building meet, the mutual attraction is sudden and violent. Suzanne decides to give up everything and live this all engulfing passion to the fullest. As the frustrated wife prepared to risk everything for passion, Scott Thomas gives a rich, captivating performance while Corsini’s skillful direction captures the subtleties of emotion and character as the story propels itself toward a shocking end. Subtitled
This is a small film with a big heart. Set in a time when e-bay threatens the primeval urge for a first-hand crack at the second-hand, the film follows the fortunes of the Rose family, who live on the idyllic Kapiti Coast of New Zealand, where the sunsets are spectacular, parking is still free and bargains abound. Jill and Brian Rose are happily married and looking forward to their daughter Cheryl, following in their footsteps when long-time boyfriend, mechanic Stu, proposes. Clouds gather, however, when it becomes clear that Cheryl has issues with her mother’s voracious bargain hunting, which she fears will ruin her wedding. Covering up the truth has consequences for everyone involved. Will Cheryl be able to get out of the hole she’s dug for herself, and go through with the widding?
What happens when a world-renowned scientist, crushed by the loss of his eldest daughter, conceives a book which will prove the non-existence of God? This is the story of Charles Darwin and his master-work "The Origin of Species". It tells of a global revolution played out the confines of a small English village; a passionate marriage torn apart by the most dangerous idea in history; and a theory saved from extinction by the logic of a child.
Starring Paul Bettany,
Jennifer Connelly,
Jeremy Northam,
Toby Jones.
The Waiting City tells the story of an outwardly happy Australian couple who journey to India to collect their adopted baby. When they arrive in Kolkata they discover that the adoption arrangements have still to be finalised. Soon the intoxicating mystic power of the city pulls them in separate and unexpected directions and the vulnerability of their marriage begins to reveal itself. The first Australian feature film to be shot entirely in India, This is an intimate, complex love story of transformation, set against the exhilarating epic backdrop of Calcutta.
Renée is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, who meets with society's expectations of what a concierge should be; reliable though totally uncultured. But beneath this façade lies the real Renée: passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers, with their outwardly successful but emotionally void lives. Meanwhile, several floors up, 11-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered and vacuous future laid out for her. But unknown to both Paloma and Renee, a sudden acquaintance with their elegant and enigmatic new neighbour, Mr Ozu, will change their lives forever. Subtitled
Based on an incredible true story, Farewell is an espionage film about events that changed history.
In 1981, Colonel Grigoriev of the KGB, disenchanted with the Communist ideal, decides he is going to change the world. Discreetly, he makes contact with Pierre, a French engineer working in Moscow and little by little passes on documents to him - mainly concerning the United States - containing information which would constitute the most important Cold War espionage operation known to date. During a period of two years, French President Francois Mitterrand and US chief Ronald Reagan were to personally vet the documents supplied by this source in Moscow, to whom the French Secret Service gave the codename ‘Farewell'.
Farewell smuggled out information that would cause ructions that sounded the death bell of the Soviet Union. Subtitled
Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner. The film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader and many of the world's most infamous graffiti artists at work, on walls and in interview.
The 16-year old girl Harriet Vanger disappeared without a trace, on September 29th 1966. Nearly forty years later a journalist by the name of Mikael Blomqvist gets an unusual assignment. He's contacted by the industrial leader Henrik Vanger, who wants him to write the history of the Vanger family. The family chronicle is just a cover for the real assignment: to find out about what really happened to Harriet.
He gets help from the young and troubled computer hacker Lisbeth Salander. Together the odd couple starts to dig in the past of the Vanger family and meet a darker and bloodier history than they ever could have imagined... Subtitled
Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction: stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse; their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime.
Put it in your diary now - on Wednesday the 4th of August we'll be hosting the St Kilda Film Festival!
Don’t miss your chance to see this selection of shorts that includes Festival award winners and stand out favourites. These exciting films, which cover a diverse range of subject matter ranging from laugh out loud comedy to quality drama, share an infectious passion for the medium, limited only by the size of their relatively modest budgets. These short filmmakers push the creative envelope producing work which delights and provokes. TIckets $10 single or $15 for two. So bring a friend or three!
When a successful British ghost-writer, The Ghost (Ewan McGregor), agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), his agent assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start - not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang's long-term aide, died in an unfortunate accident. The Ghost flies out to work on the project, in the middle of winter, to an ocean-front house on an island off the US Eastern seaboard. As The Ghost works, he begins to uncover clues suggesting his predecessor may have stumbled on a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA. Resonating with topical themes, this atmospheric and suspenseful political thriller is a story of deceit and betrayal on every level - sexual, political and literary.
Based on a true story, Everlasting Moments follows the story of Maria, who is married to an alcoholic and womanizing dockworker. Her husband leaves the worries of family responsibilities entirely to Maria. Her situation is desperate until she meets a camera shop owner who encourages her to start taking and developing photographs. She soon begins to see the world in new ways that threaten her already perilous situation. Subtitled
Marie-Jeanne and Robert have three children: Albert, Raphaël and Fleur. This portrait of their family is sketched out over twelve years, through five key days. Five crucial days in the life of a five-person family. Five days that are more important then any others, and after which nothing will ever be the same again.
Could there be a more hot-button topic than terrorism these days? Although it is historically the subject of serious documentaries and intense dramatic films, renowned British comedian Chris Morris finds the humour (and ultimately the humanity) in this extremist world.
Four Lions tells the story of a group of British jihadists who push their abstract dreams of glory to the breaking point. As the wheels fly off, and their competing ideologies clash, what emerges is an emotionally engaging (and entirely plausible) farce. In a storm of razor-sharp verbal jousting and large-scale set pieces Four Lions is a comic tour de force; it shows that - while terrorism is about ideology - it can also be about idiots.
Based on the novel by legendary pulp writer Jim Thompson, Michael Winterbottom's latest work tells the story of handsome, charming, unassuming small town sheriff's deputy Lou Ford. Lou has a bunch of problems. Woman problems. Law enforcement problems. An ever-growing pile of murder victims in his West Texas jurisdiction. And the fact he's a sadist, a psychopath, a killer. Suspicion begins to fall on Lou, and it's only a matter of time before he runs out of alibis. But in Thompson's savage, bleak, blacker than noir universe nothing is ever what it seems and it turns out that the investigators pursuing him might have a secret of their own.
Grégoire, a Parisian film producer, has it all — a beautiful wife, three adorable daughters, and a buzzing career. On the surface he seems invincible, maintaining humour and charm as he tirelessly juggles the demands of his production company with his family's needs. But when Grégoire's reserves — both financial and emotional — reach a dramatic breaking point, his family's love and resilience is
tested. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and featured at the Toronto and London Film Festivals, The Father of my Children is an extraordinarily
perceptive new drama from emerging young talent Mia Hansen-Love, and a deeply moving portrait of family in tumult. Subtitled
Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of Millennium magazine, has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse under-age girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation. Subtitled
Two ex-cons kidnap a young woman and plan to make a mint on the ransom. Their hostage is Alice Creed, daughter of a rich businessman, chosen by Danny and Vic as their passport to a better life. Terrified and immobile at first, it soon becomes clear that Alice isn't about to let her captors use her as capital without a fight. As determined to escape as Vic and Danny are to succeed, Alice enters into a battle of wills which strains the already fractious relationship between the two men. As the deadline for the exchange draws nearer, all three are brought close to breaking point, with Vic and Danny's foolproof plan descending into a desperate struggle for survival.
A sexy comedy of errors about a very modern family. The Allgoods are a close family experiencing life's typical ups and downs: 18-year-old daughter Joni is heading off to Stanford University and starting to distance herself from her parents; 14-year-old Laser is hanging out with a deadbeat friend who constantly leads him into trouble. The only difference is that this family has two mums. Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) have been together for years, deeply in love, and had both children through artificial insemination. This loving but strained home life is thrown into comic disarray when the kids track down their biological donor-Dad, Paul (Mark Ruffalo), and invite him home for dinner.
