Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Ray Argall. 1984 was a pivotal year for iconic Australian rock band Midnight Oil. Formed in the early 70s from Sydney’s vibrant north shore, Midnight Oil forged its reputation for energetic live shows in the pub rock scene, with front man Peter Garrett finishing their sets exhausted and bathed… Continue Reading »
GURRUMUL
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Paul Williams. This is a reverential and respectful documentary about blind indigenous singer Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunipingu, who died at the age of 46 in July 2017 from liver and kidney disease caused by hepatitis, which he contracted as a child. According to traditional aboriginal lore, after a person has… Continue Reading »
NO STONE UNTURNED – interview with Trevor Birney
by GREG KING No Stone Unturned is a new documentary from Alex Gibney. The film is a murder mystery that reveals the kind of secrets governments keep. In 1994, six people were gunned down as they watched the World Cup in a small pub in a village in Northern Ireland. Decades later, family members looking… Continue Reading »
ST KILDA FILM FESTIVAL 2018 – interview with David Batty
by GREG KING As part of the 2018 St Kilda Film Festival, there will be a retrospective on the career of filmmaker David Batty. He reflects on 35 years of filmmaking in remote Aboriginal Australia. There will be an opportunity to view rarely-screened gems from his vast archive of work interspersed with personal anecdotes in… Continue Reading »
HAVE YOU SEEN THE LISTERS?
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Eddie Martin. Another warts-and-all documentary about another deeply troubled, self-obsessed and self-destructive artist wrestling with his personal demons and the high cost of fame. This local film charts the rise and fall and the highs and lows of Anthony Lister, a celebrated contemporary Australian street artist who was Brisbane’s… Continue Reading »
PECKING ORDER
Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Director: Slavko Martinov. Last year we saw Chicken People, a US documentary set against the background of competitive chicken raising, and we met three people obsessed with raising their chickens and competing in best of show competitions. This quirky and off beat New Zealand documentary explores some similar territory in… Continue Reading »