melbourne international film festival 2014

20,000 DAYS ON EARTH

Reviewed by GREG KING Documentary Directors: Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.20,000 Days On Earth documents a fictitious day in the life of one Nick Cave, of Australia's most iconic creative artists and one of the darlings of the alternative rock scene for over three decades. Directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard take an unusual approach with this informative and entertaining look at singer Nick Cave and his …

HAPPY CHRISTMAS – interview with director Joe Swanberg

by GREG KINGHappy Christmas is the latest film from independent filmmaker Joe Swanberg, one of the darlings of the "mumblecore" movement, whose films often centre around real-life, believable characters and situations. His films provide some insights into human nature and are truthful and at times painful. His films are often minimalist in style and structure, have an improvised look and feel, and much of the …

PREDESTINATION – interview with Michael and Peter Spierig

by GREG KINGThe opening night film at MIFF 2014 was Predestination, a mind-scratching sci-fi thriller that plays around with the conventions and paradoxes of time travel. It is based on a short story written by Robert Heinlein, and stars Ethan Hawke as a "temporal agent" on one final mission, and Sarah Snook in a challenging role. To find out more about the film, Greg King spoke to the directors, twin filmmaker …

THE ANIMAL CONDITION – interview with director Michael Dahlstrom

by GREG KINGThe Animal Condition is a provocative and thought provoking new documentary exploring the murky ethics of animal farming. Featuring interviews with politicians, animal welfare activists, this documentary from filmmaker Michael Dahlstrom is objective and even-handed in its treatment of an issue that has moved from a fringe issue into the mainstream consciousness.For his Movies At Dusk program, …