by GREG KING God's Own Country is a gay themed romance set on the bleak moors of Yorkshire - sort of like Wuthering Heights meets Brokeback Mountain if you will. But the film deals with some big issues as well, such as European immigration, class, sexuality. It is the debut feature from actor turned director Francis Lee. Greg caught up with Francis while he was in town to introduce screenings of the film at the Melbourne International Film Festival to find out more about the making of the film and some of the influences that shaped it. God's Own Country hits Continue reading
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME – interview with Luca Guadagnino
posted by Leave a Comment
by GREG KING Call Me By Your Name is a sensitive coming of age story set in a sun-drenched rural part of Italy in the 1980s. It is based on the novel by Andre Aciman, and tells the story of 17 year old Elio (Timothee Chalamet), the son of a respected archaeologist, who is attracted to Oliver (Armie Hammer), the American intern who spends the summer with his family. Greg spoke to director Luca Guadagnino about making the film, the appeal of the story to him, and working with the two stars. Guadagnino was in town for the film's premiere at Continue reading
JUNGLE – interview with producer Gary Hamilton
posted by Leave a Comment
by GREG KING Gary Hamilton's career in the arts and entertainment industry spans over 30 years. He has played a pivotal role in launching the careers of such international superstars as Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrmann, Hugh Jackman and Heath Ledger. In 2002, Hamilton founded Arclight Films, one of the world's leading independent film sales companies, which has produced films such as Wolf Creek, Predestination, and more. His latest production is the adventure Jungle, which is based on the true story of Yossi Ghinsberg, who spent three weeks stranded in the Continue reading
ARAB FILM FESTIVAL 2017 – interview with Fadia Aboud
posted by Leave a Comment
by GREG KING The 14th Arab Film Festival screens in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra in August. In Melbourne, the festival screens at the Cinema Nova from August 25-August 27. The festival aims to foster understanding and acceptance of different cultures with a handful of feature films and short films from the Arab diaspora. There is even a film from Australia this year with the romantic comedy Ali's Wedding. There is a focus on women and how they deal with prejudice and a largely patriarchal society, but a couple of films also look at how men Continue reading
MIFF KIDS/MIFF SCHOOLS – interview with Melbourne International Film Festival programmer Thomas Caldwell
posted by Leave a Comment
by GREG KING The Melbourne International Film Festival screens from Aug 3 through until Aug 20. One of the strong programming strands has always been the Next Gen strand. This year it has been renamed as MIFF Kids and MIFF Schools. MIFF Kids has a focus on animated films, including a 25th anniversary screening of the classic Aladdin, while MIFF Schools draws upon films that can be used to support the school curriculum. In a specially curated program, this strand showcases film in those popular languages that students study like Continue reading
