City Hub 15 June 2017

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city hub 15 JUNE 2017

Detained, abused, abandoned: how Australia looks after refugee children

By Georgia Clark The father of two young boys allegedly sexually abused in an Australian onshore detention centre is still languishing behind bars.

The family is waiting for the outcome of an application to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) for reconsideration of a Temporary Protection Visa (TPV). Their initial application was remitted out of concern that significant harm could occur as a result of relocating the family outside Australia.

Last month, the man’s younger son made a complaint of child sexual abuse to his school, saying that the same person who sexually abused his older brother in onshore detention also sexually abused him.

The boys are now living in community detention in Sydney, and have been separated from their father for almost two years. The older brother’s sexual abuse claim is awaiting an outcome in court, while the younger brother’s claim is just beginning.

According to Alison Battisson, their lawyer from Human Rights for All, the reason for the separation of the young boys from their father is unclear.

“The DIBP has never fully explained why they were separated. I believe it was to remove the children from detention, but the DIBP were unwilling to release the father as well.

This seems totally illogical considering what happened to the boys while the DIBP had a duty of care to them. Further, I have been told that the father no longer has legal control of the children. This had never been explained to him.

However in the last two weeks since the second sexual abuse allegation arose, I have been told that the father is still the legal guardian of the children. This is interesting because when I ask for details of the kids (through freedom of information) I’m told the father cannot sign the documents for them. But when the DIBP wants

A recent protest at Villawood detention centre, Sydney. Credit: Supplied

administrative actions taken, then it is up to us,” she said.

The news comes almost a year after thousands of documents were leaked from Nauru and published on The Guardian’s website detailing allegations of abuse, raising concerns about the treatment of detainees.

The leaks prompted a renewed push for The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to examine Australia’s response to the allegations.

Ms Battisson has raised a number of seuxal abuse allegations with the Royal Commission on behalf of other families.

She maintains that action can be taken now to lessen the negative impact on the family of the DIBP’s response to the abuse.

A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said that the children are currently receiving adequate care.

“The Department is aware of this case and can confirm all individuals involved are receiving appropriate ongoing support. We are unable to comment further due to privacy considerations and ongoing court proceedings,” they said.

Ms Battisson said the family is noticeably stressed and emotional after the ordeal, and the boys have been told they can only visit their father if they behave.

“Mentally the boys are very fragile.

Whenever I see them they ask when they can live together as a family, with their dad. They are starting to have behavioural problems.

[They said] that they are told they will not be allowed to visit their father if they misbehave.

They are young kids so they will be naughty on occasion,” she said.

The DIBP would only confirm that visits existed, declining to elaborate on how they handled the children or their behaviour.

“Visits to immigration detention centres are facilitated where operationally possible and appropriate. Visits by the children to their father are facilitated on a regular basis,” they said.

Ms Battisson made an application under the Migration Act to have a residence determination made for the boys’ father, after almost five years in onshore detention.

But the application was knocked back by a representative of the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton on the basis that the powers under section197AB of the Act could only be exercised if the referral was made by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection itself.

Conveniently, it was Mr Dutton who established these very guidelines.

The application for a Temporary Protection Visa for the father and two boys is currently pending reconsideration by the DIBP. Ms Battisson said it had been a long journey for the family, who came from the Middle East by boat, fleeing persecution in their home country.

“The father took his two younger boys by boat, as he could not afford to take his older boys. The family had been waiting in a transit country for more than three years after they had been accepted as refugees by the UNHCR. While the younger boys and their father were making the journey to Australia, the older boys were accepted as refugees by Australia.

The father and the younger boys’ TPV application was initially refused despite having the same factual basis as the older children.

We went to the Immigration Assessment Authority and got a recommendation that the DIBP recognise them as refugees. It is now back with the DIBP.This process has taken five years,” said Ms Battisson.

She said she has had no luck in expediting the process, despite repeatedly contacting the DIBP.

Sex workers rally for equal rights on Whores Day Published weekly and freely available Sydney-wide.

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BY ALEX EUGENE Sex workers rallied for equal rights outside the World Bar, Kings Cross in early June for International Whores Day. Women and men lit up the street with a suite of red parasols, the globally recognised symbol of sex workers.

Jules Kim, the CEO of Scarlet Alliance, the Australian Sex Workers Association said “International Whores Day is an opportunity to celebrate our community and demonstrate sex worker pride. It also provides an opportunity to draw attention to the discrimination and human rights violations that sex workers face daily.”

Despite being legalised in Australia, sex work is reguarly forced to hide under the guise of massage parlours, with widespread stigma still surrounding the industry and conservative councils refusing applications for brothels to operate their businesses.

As Barbarella Karpinski, a writer on sex work, arts, film and queer culture says succinctly, “sex is a job for many, and it is work that deserves union and industry rights as all workers of the world do.”

Jo Haylen, the Labor member for Summer Hill is a long time supporter of local sex workers. She recently spoke at a discussion panel held by the University of Technology entitled “Sex Work Solidarity and Justice”.

“I was proud to be part of maintaining a clear system of decriminalisation of sex work in NSW,” she said.

“NSW is a world-leader in its approach to sex work. Since the Wood Royal Commission, we have known that the best outcomes for sex workers and the broader community is when we manage sex work through a health and social lens and keep police out of the equation.

Ms Kim agreed that legalising sex work is the right policy, to ensure that workers are treated fairly.

“There is a misconception that stigma, discrimination and criminalisation are simply a part and parcel of sex work.

“In fact the opposite is true- sex work is best regulated under a decriminalised framework [so that] it is possible to have anti discrimination protections for sex workers,” she said.

Ms Haylen said sex workers should inform the politics around their industry, not politicians.

“When we talk about sex worker rights, the most important thing is that we listen to sex workers themselves. A paternalistic approach that assumes to know all the answers fails everyone involved,” she said.

Scarlet Alliance CEO Jules Kim and SWOP NSW CEO Cam Cox addressing the crowd at a rally on International Whores Day. Credit: Supplied

NSW Greens MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC also spoke at the forum and echoed Ms Haylen’s comments.

“It is so important to hear first-hand experiences directly from sex workers. Too often in the media and in the public realm, sex workers are denied a voice and people try and speak on their behalf, often with an agenda,” she said.

“Sex work is work and sex workers have the same rights as every other worker – the right to safety, the right to a fair wage and the right to not be exploited.”

Dr Faruqi praised the work of the Scarlet Alliance, and was supportive of normalising sex work as part of life.

“Sex work is part of our society and the more we keep it in the shadows, the more we put workers’ safety at risk. We must start talking about it openly to remove the stigma and discrimination and afford the same respect to sex workers that others in the community have,” she said.

“Organisations such as the Scarlet Alliance, the sex workers’ union, and the Sex Workers Outreach Project have spent years campaigning for solutions to the problems facing sex workers.

“It is time to start paying better attention, and let sex workers’ own knowledge and insight provide a guide to what needs to be done,” she said.

“It’s important for all of us to challenge the regressive, dominant paradigms around sex work,” said Ms Kim. “Once you unpack the whorephobia that we are all subject to, you realise there are no bad whores, just bad laws!” she said. city hub 15 JUNE 2017

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Brutalist building in Glebe to be brutalised “The Bidura House [sits] at the front of the property. This historical villa was designed by Edmund Blackett and has heritage listing, which protects it against development. The Bidura Children’s court sits at the back of the site. it is an impressive example of Brutalist architecture and recently became only the third ‘Brutalist’ building to be registered with us,” he said.

The ‘Save Bidura’ Group has led the charge against the development. ‘Save Bidura’ member Jenna Reed Burns puts it plain words.

“The BCC is solid concrete, it will have a huge impact on the community, especially Ferry and Avon Roads, and the proposed excavation is massive. There are more sustainable outcomes than ripping down all this concrete.”

BY ANNA COMINOS Not many Glebe locals will have seen the Bidura Children’s Court at 357 Glebe Point road, because the building isn’t visible from the street - unless you squint. The second DA of this noteworthy site has local groups fired up with a wave of issues and complaints, and the developers Vision Land ducking for cover as they re-submit their application for the site with the City of Sydney.

Recognised by both the Australian Institute of Architects and the National Trust for its original architecture, the Bidura Children’s Court is one of the most significant ‘Brutalist’ buildings left in the southern hemisphere.

‘Brutalist’ architecture is commonly known for its use of re-inforced concrete and was popular in the 1970’s. The Bidura Children’s Court is widely considered one of the best examples of this style of architecture in Australia. This building, and the Sydney Opera House foyer were both designed by project architect Andy Milcz.

Above: The existing Bidura Children’s Court.

Right: One of the plans for development of the site.

Credit: Supplied

“The government should be protecting heritage sites like this, not ruining them with residential developments. Our community needs childcare centres and community facilities, not more residential apartment towers,” emphasised Jamie Parker, the Greens MP for Balmain.

Kathy Kang is a local resident who has been closely observing the DA applications to City of Sydney. Her greatest concern is the flow-on effects of the development.

“If the developers go ahead with their current plans to demolish the Bidura Children’s Court it will be horrendous. The massive BCC is constructed of re-inforced concrete. The noise and drilling will be endless and the burden to traffic will be relentless.”

Graham Quint from the National Trust said the building is one of just three of its kind on their registry.

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In early June, the National Trust approved adding the Bidura Children’s Court building their register. But unfortunately this listing is not legally binding against re-development and the BCC buildings remain vunerable to demolition.

As one local resident explained, “We need to persuade the City of Sydney to give Bidura Children’s Court local heritage listing and prevent this significant building from being destroyed.

There is a middle ground, the BCC could be retained and re-adapted into a residential site, this would have the least impact on Glebe,” theys said.

For more information contact the City of Sydney (see below) or join https://www.facebook.com/savebidura/

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city hub 15 JUNE 2017

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Sydney set to drown: coastal properties submerged in 80 years Parts of Sydney could be at risk of being underwater in the next century. Credit: Wikimedia commons

BY GEORGIA CLARK The global icecaps are melting with greater inertia than ever before, causing some of Sydney’s most iconic coastal suburbs to be at risk of flooding. A groundbreaking visual map depicting parts of Sydney’s inner city and east underwater by 2100 has prompted concern that some residential properties may not be adequately safeguarded against the risk of coastal inundation.

The data, which was released last week, depicts many coastal properties stretching from Elizabeth to Watsons Bay almost completely submerged in water. Deputy Mayor of Woollahra Council, Susan Wynne said that because the Woollahra coastline is permanently open to the ocean it is also susceptible to high tides and coastal inundation.

“The main coastal management issues experienced within Woollahra are associated with

heavy rain events and high tides which can cause significant coastal flooding,” she said.

According to the ACE Research Centre, Australia will experience roughly a 300-fold increase in flooding events after a sea-level rise of 0.5 m, which will almost certainly be attained this century. The Climate Council predicts that $72 billion worth of Australian homes are susceptible to sea levels rises of 1.1 metres.

With the majority of insurance companies excluding ‘acts of the sea’ from their cover, there are concerns that legal grey areas and the perceived risk of coastal living could see property owners bearing the brunt of coastal inundation in decades to come.

Councillor Wynne said that while insurance cover varies among property owners, and council has a role to play in safeguarding residents, landowners themselves should consider long term solutions to

protecting themselves from coastal inundation.

“At present each State controls the laws that determine what councils can do at the local planning level. Council can help facilitate the protection of private and public land from future storm events, however the longer term solution is more important and that depends on the actions of each individual and each community,” she said.

A NSW Department of Planning and Environment spokesperson said that the government is doing its best to protect property owners by giving councils a funding injection to manage coastal risks.

“The NSW Government will provide $83.6 million for coastal management over the next five years. This funding will assist councils, who are largely responsible for coastal management, in developing and implementing coastal

management programs to respond to coastal values, needs and risks including storms and coastal erosion,” they said.

The Coastal Management Bill, passed by both Houses of Parliament last year, creates an obligation under s22 for councils to give effect to their coastal management programs, and to reduce threats in response to climate change. The reforms include tougher regulations which require coastal protection works to have development approval.

Whether or not the coastal damage is the responsibility of residents or council depends on whether the land is crown land or private property.

A spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Environment said that council bears some responsibility for protecting coastal properties.

“In addition to council led responses to coastal hazards, private landowners can construct coastal protection works, with necessary approvals,” they said.

Greens NSW MP and Environment Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC has expressed growing concern about the potential impact of climate change on coastal communities.

“The Government’s own reports clearly acknowledge the risks of climate change to thousands of residential buildings, roads, railways and other infrastructure that could amount to billions of dollars in damage along the NSW coast.The urgency to act on climate change is real and must be taken seriously,” she said.

But Dr Faruqi said the government’s land clearing laws will exacerbate rising sea levels, and could worsen without a coordinated local, state and federal government effort.

“The NSW Government’s land clearing laws will see the release of millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases which will further exacerbate climate change which in turn contributes to sea level rise,” she said.

Woollahra Council this week screens a preview of ‘A Plastic Ocean’ to raise awareness of the impact of plastic pollution on our oceans.

Disability Scheme penny pinches those in need

BY CHARLI SHIELD As the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) enters its fourth year, there are growing concerns from disability advocates about whether it can provide the choice and control it promised to individuals with disabilities.

The NDIS, which had a target of 120,000 enrolled participants by July 2017, is currently estimated to be behind by up to 20,000 people.

With the Senate debating an increase of the Medicare levy from 2% to 2.5% to fund the $22 billion program, there are fears it will cost far more than projected.

Concerns about underfunding have been compounded by reports that enrolled participants are not being equipped with an appropriate level of care, because of the scheme’s cost-saving assessment tactics.

Planning assessments are supposed to establish the “reasonable and necessary supports” a person requires under the scheme.

But many participants have disclosed that they have struggled to access face-to-face planning interviews, which have in some cases been reduced to a half-hour phone conversation.

Gemma Cooney, the Regional General Manager of disability support provider House With No Steps, says that while all of her clients in supported living in northern Sydney and the Illawarra region have received face-to-face interviews, she is concerned by the increasing prevalence of phone interviews among other clients.

“I think it’s fraught with lots of challenges,” she said.

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Three young adults with intellectual disabilities who appeared on the ABC’s ‘The Dreamhouse’ program. Credit: Supplied

“It’s really disappointing for those families that can’t get face-to-face interviews to really explain what they need. And it’s good for coordinators to actually meet the person – to put a face to a name and see that they are dealing with a person, not just a voice at the end of a phone.”

The Hon. Kelly Vincent is the South Australian Dignity for Disability MP. She has cerebral palsy and attends parliament in a wheelchair.

Ms Vincent said the move to phone interviews is simply a cost cutting measure, but that in some cases might actually suit people with certain disabilities better.

“It’s important to give participants an option, because for some people a face-to-face interview will get them the best outcome, but for others, for instance with mobility issues or chronic pain, it may be easier to do it on the phone,” she said.

A study by the ACT’s Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) concluded that excessive administrative hurdles, confusing plan formats, and the use of complex language has prevented many people from being able to manage their plans independently.

A recent University of Melbourne study involving researchers with disabilities also found that complicated planning processes are likely to lead to further systemic inequality in the provision of care under the scheme.

Ms Cooney says the NDIS has not yet proved that it will actually help people with mental health problems.

“Most of my clients in the inner west of Sydney have serious mental health conditions and I’m concerned that they will actually lose out in the NDIS. “We don’t know at this stage if people with serious mental health conditions will get the level of help that they deserve under the scheme to maintain and improve the quality of life that they currently have.”

Despite a litany of challenges currently facing the scheme, however, Ms Vincent is adamant that it is an essential service for people living with disabilities in Australia.

“It’s a scheme that we can’t afford not to have,” she said.

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Are high rise schools Powerhouse Ultimo site looming? given ultimatum

BY ZOHAL ARBABZADA Skyscrapers could be the new look for high schools of the future.

According to Woollahra mayor Toni Zeltzer, Woollahra Municipal council is “not responding to any proposal before it to build or develop a State Government High School within the local government area.”

The Mayor has been responding to discussions raised by local parents about the “demand for a public secondary education facility in Sydney’s east.”

Ms. Zeltzer stated that queries from the community prove the area should consider the “high public demand and poor supply” of school facilities in Woollahra.

The Woollahra Municipal Council is concerned with the need for “more viable options for local parents” when

natural light and natural ventilation” multi-storey schools could provide “an exciting educational environment in the culturally-rich, high-density settings of the 21st century Australian city.”

Mr. Collier said increasingly scarce land available in Sydney and climbing real estate prices are factors leading to the future trend of high rise schools. He emphasised that the benefit of a high rise school is that existing high rise buildings out of use can be purchased and converted into a high school environment.

Mr. Weirick said that high rise schools are beneficial only if they are welldesigned. A high rise school should not be a “detached, super high rise environment” and it should not be “totally sealed for safety.” Such safety concerns must be taken into account in the construction and design processes, he said.

High schools of the future could be skyscrapers. Credit: Kevin Jarrett (Flickr)

The Powerhouse Museum will move from Ultimo to Parramatta.

Credit: Beth Kanter (Flickr)

BY SORAYA PEREZ MOHAMMED Last Tuesday’s hearing over the controversial plan to move the Powerhouse Museum from Ultimo to Parramatta left many shocked and angered. After months of debate and protest, the Upper House Inquiry into Museums and Galleries finally decreed that the move will go ahead.

Protestors were given hope when the case was temporarily stopped in April, with the Government promising to consider other options. Among them was the idea to build a new museum in Parramatta, but still keep the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo.

Now it seems that at best, a small collection may remain at Ultimo. The Minister for the Arts Don Harwin is fighting to salvage the site as an arts space of some kind, though no concrete plans are yet in place. “[One option] was picking up the site at Ultimo and moving it to Parramatta with the collection at the

museum. Instead of doing that, what they’re trying to do is look at whether it’s more viable to keep some kind of arts space at Ultimo, or make a smaller Powerhouse site. But the one at Parramatta will be the flagship site for the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences,” said Mitchell Compton, a spokesperson for the Minister.

He said the best way to implement the move is still being evaluated, because when the former Premier Mike Baird made the commitment, no budgets or strategies had been prepared.

Rebekah Waite, Communications Manager of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences said that Tuesday’s session had only resulted in “a report with recommendations for government consideration, not a decision on how the project will move forward.”

Though a small comfort, at this rate it seems the museum will not leave Ultimo for some time.

Toxic St Paul’s Pride - Pomp, Privilege and Pro-Rape? it comes to secondary education in the area, says the Mayor. This is due to the rapid urbanisation of Sydney, causing the council to consider shifting away from traditional school environments.

“We should be thinking about concentrated sites with more than a few storeys that make use of publicly shared assets like playing fields, parks and local waterways, and the Harbourside for recreational activity,” said Mayor Zeltzer.

But there are concerns about how high rise buildings will impact the traditional school environment that students and teachers are accustomed to.

St Andrew’s Cathedral School is a high rise school in the Sydney CBD. John Collier, the Head of the school, said there needs to be access to playground facilities and effective methods for the movement of students and staff between classes.

High rise schools have many benefits according to Mr. Collier, because they are “essentially office blocks” that have “the advantage of being structurally changeable, as the needs of students and the delivery of education changes.”

This is because office style partitions are easier to adapt than the traditional mode of horizontal schools, he said.

Professor James Weirick, Director of the Urban Development and Design Program at the University of New South Wales, said that multi-storey schools need to have an “effective visual relationship with the ground.”

He said they should not feel or look like a corporate setting. Mr. Weirick stated that with “roof gardens, high ceilings, 8

city hub 15 JUNE 2017

There are only a few multi-storey schools in Sydney, including St Andrew’s Cathedral School and Macquarie Grammar School.

With the cost of land in Woollahra some of the most expensive in Sydney, and a rising population, new high rise schools are needed to accommodate for growing student numbers.

But so far, a future high rise school in the eastern suburbs is only a topic of conversation. Ms. Zeltzer says that “limited footprints of land available” in the area has the council discussing alternative options with the community, addressing factors such as height, transport and parking.

“This is a matter we need to start talking about. Local parents are raising their concerns about the need for a more viable alternative,” she said.

Mayor Zeltzer also said that there are limited options for new community members to send their children to state schools.

“It is not uncommon for local families to have their children enrolled in private high schools since birth. Many are enrolled in the schools their parents and grandparents attended. Attendance fees and enrollment can be expensive and competitive, leaving limited options for new community members,” she said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2016 the Woollahra’s population was 59,860 - almost a 1% increase in just one year. According to ABS, the trend toward an increasing population in the area will continue.

BY KELLY BETTRIDGE The pride of young privileged males, St Paul’s College of the University of Sydney, is now exactly where Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence did not want it to be last week - at the forefront of a damaging expose on the toxic culture within its walls.

This time the college is in hot water because of a Facebook post that compared sex with large women to “harpooning a whale” but was liked and shared almost a hundred times.

“G’day lads, if you ever want to get rid of some chick who either won’t leave your room after a root in the morning, of if you’ve harpooned a whale and she’s taking the whole bed preventing all chances of sleep, I’ll be there with a purposeful cockblock to rescue you,” the post read.

The uncouth incident was met with outrage from female Sydney University students and community members, who then called out the college’s audacious refusal earlier in the year to take part in a cultural review led by former Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick.

Sadly, this episode is just the latest in a running horror story at St Paul’s. From barefaced misogyny, to savage ‘hazing’ practices whereby first year students are dumped in random locations, stranded without food or money, brutally beaten or verbally abused and bullied incessantly to the point of suicide, the prestigious college has been an absolute riotous introduction to adult life for many teenagers.

The all-male college of St Paul’s is a gaggle of elitist boy-men, living off Mummy and Daddy’s income while playing a dangerous game of Lord of the Flies. Sadly, we shouldn’t be overly surprised. The age of the entitled, emotionally corrupt youth is upon us.

To compound these acts carried out by people who are supposed to be beacons of the Australian future, we look to Vice Chancellor Spence and see him on the one hand denouncing St Paul’s sexist culture of weeding out the weak, while on the other, allowing the college to be the only one who has refused to take part in the university-wide Broderick Review.

St Paul’s all-boys College is in hot water again over a sexist Facebook page post. Credit: Kyle Sullivan (Flickr)

The irony is that the Broderick Review itself was triggered in part by a St Paul’s College pro-rape Facebook page in 2009. But instead of a bi-partisan cultural review, St Paul’s College will be investigated by … wait for it…its Old Boys.

Prepare for much secret handshaking and the inevitable “if you scratch my back, I’ll give your Little Johnny a graduate position at my prestigious firm.”

This is playing out like a B-grade 80’s movie where the revolting rich teenager commits a crime and gets away with it courtesy of his wealthy father - “It’s not what you know son, it’s who you know.”

Sadly, even though the college have finally relented and will partake in the Broderick Review, I’m not sure we will see much change in the current university culture. Toxicity of this brevity cannot be undone in mere months.

When and if the college saves face- this time aroundthe community should keep a watchful eye on them, because just like naughty kids, the moment we turn our back, they’ll probably get up to their old antics again.

St Paul’s College warden, Reverend Doctor Ivan Head, and college council chariman Angelo Hatsatouris have both stepped down since the damaging media explosion, as the college prepares to hand over almost $1million for the Broderick Review.

© “Night Skies” Suzy Evans represented by NADA

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9

FEATURE

The Art Of Peace Ben Quilty.

Photo: Courtesy of Ben Quilty

Malek Jandali.

Photo: Courtesy of malekjandali.com

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“All the middle eastern countries - in the 50s they used to have very high quality singers and musicians, and unfortunately, the trend is going backwards.”

It was a difficult challenge to bring Jandali to Australia and Sattouf hopes he will be given mainstream media coverage to shine a light on the creativity and talent in Syria and alter some public misconceptions.

As well as his engagement at the Sydney Opera House, Jandali will be taking part in a talk on World Refugee Day alongside Australian artist Ben Quilty. Entitled Recovering Humanity, the discussion will centre on art in activism with a particular focus on the refugee crisis.

Among special guests on the night will be Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees, internationally esteemed academic and activist, and author of several poetry anthologies.

Prof. Rees has spent much of his life and career fighting for social justice, saying he is motivated by a response to the privilege he has experienced as an educated white man: “I had so much to give back. I became fascinated by the hopes of universal human rights and was appalled by cruelty.”

He too believes in the ability of art in all forms to help educate and effect change: “A painter and a pianist possess that creative repertoire which is essentially non-violent. They can stretch imagination, enrich spirits and often provide that sense of elation which teaches us precious expressions of humanity.”

And with regard to his own chosen creative field: “Far more than even the best prose, poetry can convey those extra dimensions of humanity which enable writers and readers to escape from any preoccupation with materialism. Emotions, figures of speech can paint pictures to put people at ease and even inspire.”

As an academic and activist who has been involved in many arenas in a fight for human rights and social justice, Prof. Rees regards the main messages of World Refugee Day to be inclusiveness, generosity; a disregard of borders, nationalism and acknowledgement that all people need to be cooperative and interdependent: “To respond to the massive movement of refugees around the world, a different kind of sovereignty is needed; a sovereignty of non-violence, a sort of cosmopolitanism of hospitality moved by great music, inspiring art, insightful poetry, pottery, and prose.”

Malek Jandali: A Syrian Symphony For Peace Tour: bravemediaaus.com/2017/04/29/a-syrian-symphony-for-peace/ Recovering Humanity: Ben Quilty & Malek Jandali in Conversation; Jun 20, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Parliament of New South Wales, 6 Macquarie Street, The Strangers’ Room, SOLD OUT

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through beautiful Syria, to remind ourselves of this common heritage we share at the time it is being destroyed before our very eyes.”

Jandali does not shy away from strong political statements, albeit through music. His composition The Silent Ocean directly addresses the tacit global silence on the genocide in Syria.

“I believe that art is nothing if it does not reach every segment of the people and music has this amazing power to change people, who in turn, can change the world. Music transcends time, space and even the geopolitical.”

Australian Syrian Relief was instrumental in arranging Jandali’s visit.The organisation helps refugee families find support and settlement in Australia. Head of the ASR, Khaled Sattouf believes artists and musicians such as Jandali can “help reveal the 3000 year old culture of the Syrian people and counter the stereotype of their being a burden…The idea is to connect the Syrian people with their country of origin and also to enable [the wider public] to look at Syria, not as a place for only conflict and problems and terror…”

Sattouf explains that art is an integral part of Syrian upbringing and communal activity. Music and dance are at the centre of festivities and have an incredible ability to heal and draw people out of isolation.

“In spite of all the troubles and all the trauma they have been through, they have a chance to dance and play and sing and things like that…as they did in the homeland.”

Sattouf is sad to see the decline of civilisation in Syria and throughout the Middle East due to dictatorial governments and misplaced vengeance.

Licence No. 173676c

By Rita Bratovich War devastates absolutely. It leaves carnage and rubble amongst which lie shattered remnants of dignity and identity. Citizens become refugees, defined by what war has done to them and forgotten for who they really are. They escape with the meagre things they can carry - clothing, mementos. It is only when they reassemble in another place that they realise they also took with them their shared experience, their culture, history, ideology.

Music, art, and literature are the collective memory of a population, and invaluable when individual minds become unreliable through trauma and grief.

Malek Jandali is a Syrian musician and composer who understands and utilises the potential of music to help unify and heal. Raised in Syria, he moved to America at age 18 on a music scholarship. He has received world-wide acclaim equally as a pianist and composer as for his dedication to humanitarian causes. Founder of non-profit Pianos For Peace, an organisation that uses music and education to spread its message of peace, Jandali has helped raise money and awareness for refugees.

“Nothing compares to experiencing the transformative power of music and making positive change in the lives of people and communities,” Jandali says.

His music is heavily influenced not only by Syrian tradition, but by his emotional reaction to the devastation in his homeland; it is melancholy, searing, raw. Jandali will premier a specially written work for his concert at Sydney Opera House, saying: “We will travel together on a musical journey

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Cyrano de Bergerac

Damien Ryan. Photo: Kate Williams

Whilst we inhabit this very Kardashian century, saturated with social media and image, attraction is never more than skin deep and style trumps substance at every turn. Enter Cyrano de Bergerac to prove that this notion is at best only half true. It’s the great love story where soldier/poet Cyrano de Bergerac falls in love with the beautiful intellectual Roxanne – but can she see past the schnoz? Enter Christian who has the looks but not the charm and much less the mind.

This version of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 classic was first brought to the stage four years ago by independent theatre company Sport For Jove, winning rave reviews and the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Independent Production. This adaptation, written and directed by Damien Ryan, moves the setting from seventeenth century Paris to the Belle Époque era, and the beginning of The Great War. Cyrano embodies the powerful, individual spirit, crushed by a world that barely tolerates difference. He is at once brilliant and lost, a romantic and full of self-loathing. Rostand was clearly inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but in Cyrano de Bergerac there are two Romeo’s beneath Juliet’s balcony and only together do they make the perfect man. After all, two’s company – three’s a crowd.

Full of profoundly human concerns, like what is love and what happens to love when we get past its clichés and false ideals? It was an overwhelming triumph from its first performance. Maybe for those who want to live, love and take some chances. (GW) Jun 15-24,Thu–Sat 7:30pm,Thursday 15th 11:30, Saturday 24th 1:30pm. York Theatre, Seymour Centre, Cnr City Rd and Cleveland St, Chippendale. $25-$49.Tickets & Info: www.seymourcentre.com or Ph: 9351 7940

Schools’ Shakespeare Carnival Final educates entire generations, influencing their tastes and sensitivity.

High school students from all over NSW have been competing over recent months to make the final of the annual Schools’ Shakespeare Carnival on Sunday June 18. Run by the Sport for Jove Theatre Company, the carnival brings together the most talented to workshop their pieces throughout the day with seasoned professionals and at night perform their work at the Seymour Centre.

The carnival provides a unique opportunity for students to challenge themselves, learn new ideas from their Duologue Performance Abbottsleigh peers and gain confidence by showing Writers can change the way we think and help their individual creativity on stage.The us to make sense of our reality. William students compete in categories from solo to group Shakespeare has been dead since 1616, but his acting, music, dance, set and costume design.All to legacy prevails. His writing awakes the same celebrate the genius of William Shakespeare. emotions that it did 400 years ago.

The event generates a space for conversation The literature of the world is moved by his quill. and reconciles the influence of the past with The ink of his writing draws the path and inspires youthful interpretations. (MG) others to follow his steps. Shakespeare’s work not Jun 18, 6pm. Seymour Centre, Corner of City only entertains, surprises and distracts individual Rd & Cleveland St, Chippendale. $20. readers. He shapes the notion of art and our Tickets & Info: www.seymourcentre.com or understanding of the human spirit. He also Ph: 9351 7940

a&e

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city hub 15 JUNE 2017

12 STAGE 13 SCENE 14 Sounds 15 SCREEN

REVIEW: Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore The setting is not pretty; a ghetto in city suburbia, the performance space is covered in spray painted graffiti, it reeks of poverty, neglect and desolation, amid the detritus are empty milk crates, a stained mattress, a waste disposal bin, empty cans and rubbish, black garbage bags filled with junk.

A cohesive group of four fresh faced young actors from ATYP, Caitlin Burley, Jeremi Campese, Mia Evans Rorris and Josh McElroy, act like they really own this space. Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is a street wise anarchistic blend of modern day horror and ancient Greek mythology.

Written by playwright Daniel Evans and based on Sophocles’ Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, from 429 BC, it won the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award in 2014-15.

Requiring a maturity beyond their years and accompanied by a red alert language warning, Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore deals with shocking adult themes like incest, rape, alcohol/drug abuse, self-mutilation, infanticide, patricide, suicide and family violence.

There is a delinquency that these actors relish in, and an edginess.Their youth gives the play credibility.They are perfect for this performance, have conviction in their own ability and act with inspiring capability.

It’s not always clear what is happening with the

Josh McElroy, Jeremi Campese and Caitlin Burley. Photo:Tracey Schramm

characters but their ancient names roll off the tongue like celestial poetry; Hæmon,Antigone, her brother Polynices, Oedipus, his sons, Eteocles and Polynices and his mother, Jocasta, minotaur, and places like the plague ravaged Thebes, Corinth and Crete. (MS) Until Jun 24, Wed-Sat 7pm & Sun 5pm.

ATYP Studio 1, Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. $35.Tickets & Info: www.atyp.com.au or Ph: 9270 2400

Art Heist

A new painting, The Fat Dragon, is recently on display at the Wade Gallery – in Dulwich Hill. The mysterious benefactor, Adrian Bailey, has his eye on it but will need help from the cities sneakiest art thieves. That’s where you come in!

As a team of up to four, you will sneak into the gallery and steal the painting, being sure not to alert the guards, get caught on camera, or trip an alarm.You will have just 45-minutes to get in and get out with the painting.

Art Heist is an example of an immersive theatre experience. It puts the audience member in the actual show rather than just passively watching someone else performing the action, says director Jim Fishwick.

“So in this case instead of watching someone do an art heist, the audience are in the planning room, pouring over the documents, putting together the information about how they can crack the gallery open and get some of the artwork out.”

Similar to an escape room experience where you go into a room and have to solve a series of

Arts Editor: Jamie Apps For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au and don’t forget to join the conversation on Twitter at @AltMediaSydney

puzzles to escape, immersive theatre is still largely experimental and involves puzzle and game elements.

“It’s an extension of the best shows, the one’s where you find yourself leaning forward because your so excited by what’s happening, so I’m just taking that impulse to its logical conclusion of leaning so far forward that your in the show,“ Fishwick says.

This sure sounds like a lot of fun, so get a group of four together for a night out. (VP) Jun 1–Jul 30, Various performance times, Jetpack Theatre, 404 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill, $162 for a group of 4.

Tickets & Info: http://www.jetpacktheatre.com/art-heist/

Contributors: Alannah Maher, Alicia Sim, Athina Mallis, Barbara Karpinski, Caitlin Burns, Chantal Walsh, Craig Coventry, Daniel Jaramillo, Emily Shen, Georgia Fullerton, Greg Webster, Irina Dunn, Jade Morellini, James Harkness, Joseph Rana, Leann Richards, Lisa Seltzer, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Olga Azar, Peter Urquhart, Rita Bratovich, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Sarah Pritchard, Shon Ho, Zeiya Speede, Jade Morellini,Vanessa Powell, Olivia Lyle, Alexander Yujin, Ellouise Bailey, Manuel Gonzalez.

Chamber Pot Opera Photo: John Marmaras

Magical, transformative and highly intimate, Chamber Pot Opera hails from a sell-out season of the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Giving a strong and powerful voice to the stories of three women, this opera blends together wellknown music from the likes of Puccini, Mozart and Bizet.The elaborate but cosy Ladies’ Powder Room of Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building will be transformed into an intimate sanctuary for women to express themselves.

“I have always been interested in exploring the role that women play in opera – which are so often limited to the ‘bitches, witches and breeches’ roles” said Clemence Williams,

director and co-creator of the performance.

The intimate fusion of space and powerful music allows audience members to become transfixed into the complex stories of these women. An abusive relationship, the uncertainties of dating as well as career aspirations are each thematically explored.

In addition to exploring complex female characterisation, the opera experiments with traditional operatic spaces to heighten accessibility and inclusivity.

“It’s quite a specific location,” said Clemence, “each show is moulded to the space it is being performed in.”

As an audience member you will be immersed into the space as the performers utilise the decorative mirrors, the hand dryers and the toilet stalls to weave together a stunningly transformative and sensorial experience.These aspects create moments where the realities of the world including shared histories, traumas and fantasies are braided together within an atmosphere of magic and utopia.

For an intimate 45 minutes your world will become interwoven with theirs. (EB) Until July 22, 7pm & 8:30pm daily (excluding Tue & Thu).The Ladies’ Powder Room, Level 2, Queen Victoria Building, George Street, Sydney. $35-$25.Tickets & Info: https://www.trybooking.com/PZKA

The Clean House The Clean House, written by Sarah Ruhl is bringing comedy and magic-realism to the stage, voicing the “dirtiness” that life can bring into the everyday.

The show follows Lane, who tries to keep every facet of her life clean, her live-in maid, Matilde who aspires to be a comedian and Lane’s depressed sister who finds solace in cleaning. When Lane’s husband, a surgeon, falls in love with a patient, it stirs up her household and causes Matilde to come to her rescue.

Director, Rosane McNamara said,“It isn’t really dealing with cleaning, but rather how we like to have things clean in life… Life is really messy, death is messy and love is very messy… you’ve got to accept the mess and live with it.”

The play is fun and entertaining, yet it also deals with issues present in today’s society, acting to prompt the audience to think about their own lives.

“This play doesn’t only entertain the audience, but makes them question and think… it addresses how we like to have our lives neat and tidy and comments on feminist issues and what is expected from women… Women are expected to clean up the mess,” McNamara said.

The incorporation of magical realism elements, encourages the audience to use their imagination to cross the barrier of realism and

THE NAKED CITY

THE DYNAMIC 80s REVISITED

With Coffin Ed Back in the Sydney of the 1980s, nobody it seemed was complaining about the lack of live music venues, harsh lockout laws and the kind of overregulation that dogs so many clubs and pubs today.There was political and police corruption aplenty but when it came to entertainment an element of laissez faire prevailed.

Venues regularly exceeded their allowed number of patrons, closing times were often “fudged” and whilst there was the occasional noise complaint, residents living within earshot of pubs and clubs were nowhere near as litigious as the bright young things who have since moved in. Needless to say the filthy pokies were yet to invade the local pub scene and many hoteliers embraced the idea of having live music as a regular revenue raiser.

It was interesting to witness during the current Vivid Festival, some of the long held nostalgia that exists for this period in Sydney. Punters flocked to the highly successful Kings Bloody Cross series of talks in the World Bar whilst in the Kings Cross Hotel, there were packed screenings of the 1983 movie Going Down, which one reviewer described as “24 hours in the lives of four women living their life in the fast, seedy, lane, featuring bonus sex, drugs, booze, rock ‘n roll and vomit …”. Wow, were the 80s really that wild?

Amidst the mayhem of the this low budget flick is a scene set in one of the city’s thriving live music venues featuring a relatively unknown band at the time – The Dynamic Hepnotics. The exterior shot suggests the

Manzil Room, but the interior was actually filmed in Sonia’s in the Leichhardt Hotel.

It was in pubs such as this in the 80s that bands such as the Hepnotics honed their musical skills and built their fan bases with weekly residencies that went on for month after month. Unlike today’s often manufactured pop stars and overnight sensations, bands in those days spent many years paying their dues in venues such as Sonias.

The Dynamic Hepnotics were once such combo but all that changed for them in 1984 when they released what was to become the hit summer anthem on the Australian airwaves – Soul Kind Of Feeling. The most played record on Australian radio it was a game changer for the band and saw them embark on three years of top level touring and recording.

Whilst the group officially disbanded in 1987, like many Australian bands of that era there was always the possibility of a reunion. It’s taken over thirty years but with the reissue of their back catalogue the band have finally agreed to a much anticipated reunion show. Sadly the band will be without drummer Robbie Souter who passed away a few weeks ago, but the concert is now seen as a tribute to the musician regarded as the heartbeat of the group.

If you were a part of the vibrant 80s culture or a millennial who perhaps would like to experience that vitality of that era then check out The Dynamic Hepnotics when they play The Factory Theatre in Marrickville on Saturday June 17.

the script provides a “lovely look at human nature.”

“The play is a really rewarding experience. It is delicate and simple, the more you work with it, the more layers unfold… I really admire Sarah Ruhl’s writing, it’s delicate and poetic… Where most plays just give you a plot, this performance uses theatre that is sophisticated and humerous, providing a very rewarding night at the theatre,” McNamara concluded. (JM) Until Jul 8. New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown. $22-$35.Tickets & Info: https://newtheatre.org.au/the-clean-house/

Supanova Sydney 2017

By Jamie Apps Supanova is the ultimate celebration of geek culture where that fandom comes to life. Celebrating the worlds of film and television, fantasy, comic books, anime, sci-fi, cartoons, books, gaming and collectables, there is a genre here for everyone.

Throughout the day Supanova attendees will have the opportunity to learn from masters of various crafts and games. The Magic: The Gathering booth for example will be showcasing their wide range of products whilst hosting ‘learn to play’ classes for new players, who then get to keep the cards they used for free.

Supanova isn’t simply a marketplace though. Fans will also have to opportunity to meet the stars of some of their favourite shows, comic book writers and and various other creators. Some of the highlights on the bill this year include Superman himself Dean Cain, Chris Hemsworth (Thor),The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun and RWBY voice actor Arryn Zech just to name a few.

RWBY is an animated show created by internet video production company Rooster Teeth. Originally the show was simply a web-series available on Rooster Teeth’s website and Youtube but it has since blown up to monumental levels, which Arryn says was never something she expected.

Arryn Zech

“I was pretty shocked when RWBY blew up the way it has. We’re worldwide, we’re on television in Japan, we’ve got anime and a video game so it’s astonishing.”

For Arryn shows like Supanova are one of the best parts of her job.

“The anime scene tends to have a lot of very dedicated cosplayers so it’s one of the best feelings to have someone come up to my booth in a Volume Four outfit with full weaponry and then it’s also really exciting to see a little girl dressed up in a Volume One outfit.”

Jun 16-18, Fri 1-8pm, Sat-Sun,10am6pm.The Dome - Sydney Showgrounds, 1 Showgrounds Road, Sydney Olympic Park. $28-$850.Tickets & Info: www.supanova.com.au city hub 15 JUNE 2017

13

Live Music Guide LIVE WIRE Sydney

By Jamie Apps

D.D. Dumbo: Finished 2016 by taking out Triple J’s Award for Australian Album of the Year. In the new year, the accolades continued with two placings in the Hottest 100, the prestigious award for APRA Song of The Year and a nomination for the Australian Music Prize.Tonight he returns to a Sydney stage.

Thu, Jun 15,The Metro The Wildbloods: The Sydney four piece return to the stage and road tomorrow night to begin the celebrations for their forthcoming album All The Adversity. Named after the Italian proverb that states Southern Italians have ‘Wild Blood’, the European/Australians channel the likes of The Arctic Monkeys,The Strokes and Catfish And The Bottlemen.

Fri, Jun 16, Miranda RSL Dynamic Hepnotics: Sadly after the untimely passing of drummer Robbie Souter this show will no longer feature the original lineup from the 80s. Before his passing through Robbie stressed that this show should go ahead so it will now be dedicated to his wonderful legacy as both a great drummer and dear friend.

Sat, Jun 17,The Factory The Martini Lounge: A 1950s cocktail bar incarnation with blues & jazz by The Hanged Men, accompanied by dancers, contortion and variety acts! The hard hitting vocals of Fran “Big Mama” Liddle will be swooping the room to support this amazing cast belting out 50s and

60s inspired classics by Nina Simone, Tina Turner and Billie Holiday.

Sheena Miss Demeanour will perform her Martini Glass act set to the music of the live band, just to name a few of the mesmerising acts on display throughout the evening.

Sat, Jun 17,The Basement Grim Rhythm: Have a reputation for being an incredible live band after exclusively playing live for the past six years. They’ve played hundreds of shows in capital cities and regional centres, and toured with bands like The Smith Street Band, High Tension and The Shrine.

Sun, Jun 18, Frankies Pizza Lorenzo Rositano & Friends: This young cast of opera’s emerging artists will provide an incredible program of highlights from opera, operetta, musical theatre and popular songs by some of the world’s most famous and loved composers such as Verdi, Puccini, Lehár, Tosti, Lloyd-Webber and many more.

Sun, Jun 18, Lennox Theatre Live at Lunch: Leading soprano Amelia Farrugia and international flautist Jane Rutter praise the light of the moon with Chopin’s Nocturnes, Debussy and Fauré’s Clair de Lune, Dvorák’s Song to the Moon and Japanese folk song Moon over Ruined Castle. Accompanied by pianist John Martin,Amelia and Jane will also perform popular songs including Moon River, How High the Moon and Cat Stevens’ Moon Shadow.

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Ayla

By Jamie Apps Brisbane’s young singer/songwriter Ayla is the latest in a batch of musicians who make you contemplate how and why you hadn’t achieved as much as they have at such a young age. Ayla first broke onto the scene at just 18 and has now returned at 21 years old with a fantastic new single, Shallow End, teasing an upcoming EP. Even Ayla herself says it still feels “funny and doesn’t seem real” to be such a recognisable name in Australian music. Following her debut EP Ayla was compared to Lana Del Rey and Lorde but even through all of this she has still maintained a humbleness.

“I actually have more trouble the

The Protesters – Postcolonial World

other way, in terms of having confidence.” said Ayla, “I definitely don’t feel like anything has gone to my head, I just feel super lucky to be able to do music.”

from simple acoustic songs and took them to a level which I could never have envisioned for them.” explained Ayla, “With that EP though I wasn’t as ready to be as involved in the production aspect as I was with the new EP. With the new EP I was ready to be a little bit more involved so I sat there with Sam [Cromack] in the studio which was really fun.”

For the upcoming tour Ayla says she plans to play all of the songs from both EP’s to date which means not only will there be “some songs that have not been heard” but also that she now has a “full set of songs that feel real which is really exciting.”

Jun 23, 8pm. Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Road, Marrickville. $10+b.f.Tickets & Info: www.factorytheatre.com.au

Bare Bones - Bad Habits

The Protesters saunter into the listeners ears with their second album Postcolonial World.

Clear and pure lyrics, against a reggae beat make hard words taste more like honey to the listener.

Somehow, though they are directed squarely at the thought processes in their audience, the lyrics are wrapped up in rhythmic bubble wrap, softening their impact.

The band plays across genres backing it all up with a constant stream of laid back reggae. Bouncing along in easy lengths; the rhythms blend and change, encouraging the listener to dance along with deep thought.

Stretching them out across the rhythm, smiling along with the hard hitting politics, they deliver these messages with ease and casual finesse.

Listeners will delight in the newest offering from The Protesters, embracing the beat along with the importance of the message. (SP) WWWW

POSITIONS

Struggling with confidence wouldn’t appear to be conducive with an upcoming national tour but as Ayla told us the stage is actually where she feels the most confident. “I know it sounds tacky but I feel like that’s a place where I am meant to be. Being on stage is an amazing feeling and where I feel the most comfortable.”

In just three short years since breaking onto the scene Ayla has not only grown in confidence on stage but also in the recording studio. Whilst she is incredibly thankful to Elliot Heinrich, the producer of her debut EP When The World Ends, for kicking off her career a change was needed to continue the career progression.

“Elliot really kicked everything off for me because he took my songs

Sydney’s own Bare Bones have come out of the gate with the accelerator already flat to the floor despite Bad Habits being their debut full length record.

Opening track Thick As Thieves kicks the maelstrom of off-kilter guitar riffs and southern punk inspired record instantly into gear, so if you’re immediately hooked then this record will continue to deliver the goods.

The strongest element of Bad Habits is the writing as the band delves into all of the dark, twisted ways we drag ourselves down.

The concept, styling and mixing of Bad Habits is so consistent throughout the record, far and away beyond what one should reasonably expect from a debut and thus places Bare Bones on a solid foundation for growth moving forward. This consistency though comes with a downside in that the album can feel increasingly flat upon each subsequent listen. (JA) WWW

Seymour Centre and Sport For Jove preSent...

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June 15th - 24th, Seymour Centre www.sportforjove.com.au

Hotel Coolgardie

The Promise

This low-budget Australian Documentary traces the experiences of two young Finnish women who arrive in Australia and land a three month contract working as barmaids, in a small country town called Coolgardie, in Western Australia.

They quickly learn that a town with a mere population of 1000 has limited resources for pleasure, so they spend most of their spare time in the pub socializing with the locals.

The cameras follow them around as they adapt to the constant swearing, the pissheads, larrikins and the constant verbal abuse from management, who regard them as unsuitable for the job.

The Promise is an ambitious film, falling short through trying to do too much.

Its three central characters, Mikael (Oscar Isaac), Ana (Charlotte Le Bon) and Chris (Christian Bale) form a love triangle around which the story loosely revolves.

Loosely, because Mikael’s story is really the centrepiece - and it is epic. Add to that the setting: the historically true depiction of Turkish atrocities against the Armenians during World War I, and you get a plot that is too congested for any of the elements to have emotional resonance.

Audiences will learn about the locals through filmed interactions, the ups and downs in their lives and the banality of living in such a small town. The ladies slowly bond and form friendships with the patrons, often providing support.

Production values are low in this very unique documentary which doesn’t stimulate the intellect, but does successfully spawn the occasional laugh, usually at the expense of a stereotyped Aussie yobbo or drunken old codger.

(MMo) WWW

Whitney: Can I Be Me

Nick Broomfield’s new documentary about Whitney Houston is a portrait of a woman whose extraordinary voice and rare beauty brought fame and fortune that, instead of bringing happiness, led to her ultimate demise.

Whitney: Can I Be Me compiles historical and

behind the scenes footage, media clips, and interviews with family and close associates, splicing together a fractured biography. Yet it still feels like it has missing pieces. This probably has a lot to do with Whitney’s extremely reserved and reticent nature.

Much is made of the close friendship between Whitney and her assistant Robyn Crawford, with a strong suggestion that they were in fact, in love. Conspicuously little is made of the highly reported violence that devastated Whitney’s marriage to Bobby Brown.

The film is longer than it needs to be, sagging and feeling repetitive at about the three-quarter mark, however it is still a heart-breaking look at the slow disintegration of a gifted woman who only wanted to find and live her truth.

(RB) WWW

The performances are all strong and the filming is beautiful, but the narrative is unreasonably focused on the two men and their love for the same woman which feels trite, even indulgent, given the enormity of what is happening around them. When some truly horrific events occur, they end up feeling like convenient plot points to serve the main story. It is a well made film and should satisfy those who enjoy a bit of melodrama with their war history.

(RB) WW1/2

Screenability at Sydney Film Festival The 64th Sydney Film Festival is more than just whirlwind premieres, red-carpet openings and international guests for Sydneysiders to indulge in. There is also an incredibly important and enlightening program of films showcasing the works of filmmakers with a disability.

“Screenability is an international program showcasing films by filmmakers with a disability from France, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. These titles offer gripping insights and unique perspectives, with creatives with a disability leading the narrative,” said Sydney Film Festival’s Screenability Programmer Sofya Gollan.

The program will showcase six cutting edge films across a range of genres. The films included are My Name is Emily, Pulse, documentary Lust for Sight, and short films Drumming is Like Thunder, Struck, and Milky Pop Kid. Sofya talked us through the exciting elements of the films by saying, “The stories range from the viewpoint of an artist losing his most vital sense, to the experience of a queer teen with a disability in a body-swapping sci-fi, and a tale of teenage love told by a filmmaker immobilised by motor neurone disease. These films, made by those with lived experience of disability, are boldly breathing new life into storytelling.”

Screenability at the Sydney Film Festival is part of a suite of initiatives by Screen NSW designed to boost the participation of underrepresented groups in the screen industry. The Festival has also expanded its access and inclusion policy, introducing audio

Pulse

described and open captioned screenings, and a relaxed screening (My Life as a Zucchini) to complement the Festival’s program - which includes over 90 English subtitled films. (JA) Jun 14-17, Various screening times. FREE$19.90+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sff.org.au city hub 15 JUNE 2017

15

7–18 JUNE 2017

SCREENABILITY FILMMAKERS WITH DISABILITY. PROVOCATIVE WORLD CINEMA. FEATURES

LUST FOR SIGHT

MY NAME IS EMILY

PULSE

THU 15 JUN 6:55 PM SAT 17 JUN 11:00 AM When a filmmaker is told by his doctor that he can’t see colours, he sets out to define what it means to see. The knowledge that he may lose it all fuels his lust for sight.

THU 15 JUN 4:30 PM FRI 16 JUN 6:45 PM On Ireland’s misty coast, Emily (Evanna Lynch, Harry Potter series) is flung into foster care after her father is institutionalised. She prepares a daring escape.

WED 14 JUN 6:00 PM FRI 16 JUN 4:30 PM Pulse is the ambitious debut of the talented Daniel Monks, who writes and stars in this body swap drama blending sci-fi with sexual teen angst and identity crisis.

DRUMMING IS LIKE THUNDER

THE MILKY POP KID

STRUCK

You can take away Duncan Armstrong’s drumkit, but you can’t take away his desire to make music and perform. A story of the inspiration of music.

On the sand dunes of her local beach, a female With a twinkle in her eye, actor and disability consultant Jules attempts to share with actor Craig jogger returns to a traumatic place looking for closure. what life is like living with a disability.

Jules however has the last laugh.

SHORTS

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13/6/17 5:00 pm