4 minute read
Melbourne International Film Festival comes to the Peninsula
Peninsula Cinemas Rosebud has been chosen as one of the venues to screen a selection of movies this month from the Melbourne International Film Festival. The festival runs from August 3-20 in metro and regional cinemas, and its online streaming platform MIFF Play will be available nationally from August 1827. The films screening in Rosebud are:
Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story, Friday, August 11, 7.45pm: With interviews, rare archival footage and an electrifying soundtrack, Ego dives into Michael Gudinski’s psyche and unorthodox tactics, his successes and failures, and reveals the unstoppable frontman of a cultural movement and music empire.
This Is Going To Be Big, Saturday, August 12, 3.30pm: Every two years, the Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School puts on a play. Told from the teenagers’ perspective and documenting their experiences of autism, clinical anxiety and acquired brain injury, the film follows them, their families and the school staff as they weather the highs and lows leading up to showtime.
Blue Jean, Saturday, August 12, 7pm: This multiaward-winning debut is an intimate portrait of a lesbian teacher living a double life in Thatcher’s England. Blue Jean is a searing, sensitive debut that captures the grey atmosphere of Thatcherism and its particular challenges for queer communities. It also resonates with our times: a subtle reminder of the need for continuing vigilance in the face of fear and hostility.
How To Blow Up A Pipeline, Sunday, August 13, 1pm: Eight young Americans hatch a plan to destroy an oil pipeline in the Texas desert with hopes of sending shockwaves through the fossil fuel industry. How to Blow Up a Pipeline plays out like a thrilling heist movie, yet at its core it’s a rousing journey into the fiery heart of the climate justice movement.
The Rooster, Sunday, August 13, 4pm: Mark Leonard Winter’s film is a delicate dramatisation of masculinity, mental health, and the solace found in companionship. Starring Hugo Weaving and Phoenix Raei, The Rooster unfurls as a distinctive, unforgettable tale of two individuals confronting life’s challenges and discovering what hides behind the bravado.
Australia’s Open, Friday, August 18, 7pm: From its humble beginnings, the Australian Open has grown into one of the highest-profile sporting events in the country. Director Ili Baré interviews sports journalists, industry figures, and players old and new while
exploring sport’s relationship with patriotic pride, athletes’ duality as heroes and humans, and the controversies courted by this million-dollar business.
Best MIFF Shorts, Saturday, August 19, 3.30pm: A collection of the best short films from the festival chosen by the MIFF Shorts Awards jury and the MIFF Shorts programmers.
Shayda, Saturday, August 19, 7pm: Shayda finds refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her sixyear-old daughter, but when her estranged husband re-enters their lives, her path to freedom is jeopardised. This Sundance Audience Award-winner is a moving story of resilience, the desire for independence, and the sacrifices and strength of a mother’s love.
You Can Call Me Bill, Sunday, August 20, 1pm: This gracious and heartfelt film shows William Shatner as a much more multidimensional character than you might give him credit for as he muses on a galaxy of topics from showbiz to family, the environmental crisis, and mortality.
Theater Camp, Sunday, August 20, 3.30pm: When a lighting mishap sends revered summer camp director Joan into a coma, it could be curtains for her cashstrapped musical theatre program, so the misfits who work as camp instructors decide to put on a show. This mockumentary won Sundance’s US Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble.
Photo: Brian Purnell
