Possible Worlds 2012 Porgram Guide by Possible Worlds

Possible Worlds 7th Canadian Film Festival 13–19 August It ain’t Hollywood!

Air Canada is a proud sponsor of the

Possible Worlds Film Festival

Plan Your Week! DENDY OPERA QUAYS Mon 13 Aug 6pm Starbuck + free drinks reception from 5:30pm

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8:30pm Beyond The Walls p.6 Tue 14 Aug 6:30pm Monsieur Lazhar p.6 8:30pm I Am a Good Person / I Am a Bad Person p.7 Wed 15 Aug 6:30pm Surviving Progress + free drink from 6pm

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8:30pm Collaborator p.8 Thu 16 Aug 6:30pm The World Before Her p.8 8:30pm Goon + free drink from 8pm

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Fri 17 Aug 6:30pm Cloudburst p.9 Sat 18 Aug 4pm 40 Days at Base Camp p.14 6:30pm Wetlands + free drink from 6pm p.14 Sun 19 Aug 4pm Pink Ribbons Inc. p.15

Over 300 hours of on-demand entertainment at every seat

6:30pm Francine (+ short film Ora) p.15 8:30pm War Witch + Awards + free drink from 7:30pm

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DENDY NEWTOWN Fri 17 Aug 6:30pm Indie Game: The Movie + free drink & games from 8pm

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8:30pm Replicas p.10 Sat 18 Aug 6:30pm United States Of Africa + free drink & performance from 6pm

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8:30pm Nuit #1 p.12 ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH HALL (SCREENING PARTIES) Fri 17 Aug 8pm Roller Town + live performances, DJs, free drinks

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Sat 18 Aug 8pm Leave it on the Floor + live performances, DJs, free drinks

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HOW TO BOOK ALL TICKETS $16

Go to aircanada.com, call us on 1300 655 767, or contact your travel agent.

Dendy opera quays special buy 4 get 1 extra free (keep ‘em all or share with friends!) (Valid for single or multiple sessions at Dendy Opera Quays only, must be purchased in one transaction, in person at Opera Quays box office)

Tickets are available to book in advance from each venue. Limited tickets are also available at the door 30 minutes prior to each screening (subject to availability). Book early to avoid disappointment! DENDY OPERA QUAYS 9/2 East Circular Quay W www.dendy.com.au PH 9247 3800 Booking Fee $1 DENDY NEWTOWN 261 King St, Newtown W www.dendy.com.au PH 9550 5699 Booking Fee $1

ST STEPHEN’S CHURCH HALL 189 Church St, Newtown (behind Dendy) W www.leaveitonthefloor.eventbrite.com.au www.rollertown.eventbrite.com.au Booking Fee $2

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Best country in the G-7 to do business over the next five years - Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

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World’s soundest banking system - World Economic Forum

Le système bancaire le plus solide du monde - Forum économiqud mondial

Ranked #1 in the G-7 for availability of qualified engineers in the labour market - Swiss-based Institute for Management Development

Le premier rang parmi les pays du G-7 pour la disponibilité d’ingénieurs qualifiée sur le marché du travail - Institute for Management Development, établi en Suisse

Starbuck Opening Night Mon 13th Aug | 5:30pm drinks, 6pm film Dendy Opera Quays

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Australian Premiere | Dir Ken Scott, Canada, 2011, 103 min, FRENCH, ENGLISH SUBTITLES | Cast Patrick Huard, Julie LeBreton, Antoine Bertrand Winner of 3 Genie Awards including Best Screenplay

Join us for a free drink from 5:30pm!

Filled with charm, energy and hilarity, Starbuck is a comedy with a whole lot of heart. Québécois slacker David Wozniak can’t seem to get his act together. He works as a delivery boy, owes unsavoury characters a lot of money, and is so ill-equipped for adulthood that his pregnant girlfriend dumps him - so it comes as a surprise when David learns that, thanks to a prolific bout of sperm donation under the alias ‘Starbuck’ twenty years earlier, he’s fathered 533 children. But that’s not all, his progeny are filing a lawsuit to reveal Starbuck’s identity… Is mass-fatherhood a disaster, or could it be the best thing that ever happened to David? Quebec star Patrick Huard (Bon Cop Bad Cop) is goofily charismatic and immensely likeable as the titular Starbuck. Infusing a rich concept with warmth and humanity, Ken Scott delivers a witty and thoroughly entertaining comedy of mass-conception. “A wonderfully sweet and poignant comedy that goes in all kinds of unexpected directions” Toronto Star

Beyond The Walls Monsieur Lazhar (Hors Les Murs)

Tue 14th Aug | 6:30pm | Dendy Opera Quays

Mon 13th Aug | 8:30pm | Dendy Opera Quays AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE | Dir David Lambert, BelgiumCanada, 2012, 95 min, French, English subtitles Cast Guillaume Gouix, Matila Malliarakis, David Salles Official Selection Cannes Critics Week 2012

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A critical hit in Cannes, this well-acted gay romance is stripped of clichés to moving effect. Paulo, a young pianist, goes home with handsome bartender Ilir after a drunken night out. The attraction is evident. Confronted by his girlfriend, Paulo finds himself out on the street. Ilir is not seeking a relationship, but Paulo’s persistence wins him over: The two move in together and their torrid carnal affair turns into something more... One day though, Ilir leaves town for the weekend and doesn’t return. The story goes in unexpected directions, from the warmth of its sexy, often humorous first half to the naturalistic melodrama of the second. A raw and messy romance free of the convenient narrative arcs often found in queer cinema, Beyond The Walls is an affecting and intriguing gay drama with refreshingly complex—and thus realistic—characters.

Dir Philippe Falardeau, Canada, 2011, 92 min, FRENCH, ENGLISH SUBTITLES | Cast Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron | Winner, Audience Award, Sydney Film Festival 2012

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This compassionate and intelligent classroom tale has met with worldwide acclaim. The lives of a class of Montreal primary school children are turned upside down when their teacher suddenly passes away. Stepping in to hastily fill her spot is Algerian migrant Bachir Lazhar, who is himself coping with tragedy. At odds with a school system he doesn’t understand, Bachir and the children slowly overcome their grief… until his own secrets catch up with all of them. Using sensitivity and humour, Philippe Falardeau celebrates the many ways in which we learn from one another, telling a riveting story without resorting to clichés or sentimentality. Featuring incredible performances by French actor Fellag and its cast of children, Monsieur Lazhar is a powerful, elegantly constructed film that’s won over audiences around the world.

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This indie road movie has a refreshing take on identity, creativity and the dysfunctional family. Well-intentioned but misguided filmmaker Ruby White leaves her husband and son in Toronto and embarks on a European film festival tour with her eighteen-year-old daughter Sara tagging along as her assistant. Sara, soon alienated by Ruby’s extroverted but insecure behaviour, splits from her mother to experience Europe for herself. Plagued by solitude, each woman re-examines her life and her choices, confronts her demons, and makes bold decisions before the return home. Working again with her children (Hallie starred in Modra, Jacob in Only, both premiered at Possible Worlds), Veninger has created another microbudget gem which is both personal and universal, with a touching honesty and (self) examination of what it takes to be a good or a bad person. Screening with a short film from the Kino Sydney filmmaking collective made especially for the screening.

“Lambert’s greatest talent may lie in creating characters that we care about and developing a film that brings a few fresh twists to an old familiar tale.” Screen Daily

“An Oscar nominee at this year’s Academy Awards and for good reason, Falardeau’s film is moving, smart and sensitive. Terrific stuff.” Empire Magazine

“As Sofia Coppola did for Lost in Translation, Veninger uses naturalistic acting, keen cultural observations and deadpan comedy to excellent effect.” Toronto Star

Surviving Progress Wed 15th Aug | 6pm drinks, 6:30pm film Dendy Opera Quays Sydney Premiere | Dir Mathieu Roy & Harold Crooks, Canada, 2011, 86 min | Feat. David Suzuki, Stephen Hawking, Margaret Atwood | Official Selection—Paris Environmental Film Festival

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Ronald Wright’s bestseller A Short History of Progress springs to life in a grand cinematic vision. “We are entering an increasingly dangerous period in our history,” declares Stephen Hawking in his artificial voice. “But I’m an optimist.” From the makers of The Corporation and executive producer Martin Scorsese comes an absorbing, multi-faceted documentary on evolution, progress and social change. Presenting the story of human advancement as both awe-inspiring and dangerous, it boldly questions our tireless pursuit of growth and progress, eloquently linking capitalism, biodiversity, genetics and social inequality. The achievement lies not just in the quality line-up of scientists and thinkers, but in the cinematic scale of the film. In association with

Join us for a free drink from 6pm!

“This mind-expanding ecological documentary bristles with provocative insights and probing questions about humanity and the state of the world.” LA Times

— A hostage situation turns into an insightful conversation about what unites and divides us. Robert Longfellow (Martin Donovan) is a famous New York playwright in crisis: his marriage is on the rocks and his star is on the wane. He flies to LA to visit his mother, call in on an old flame and kickstart a screenwriting career. One night, he catches up with childhood neighbour Gus (David Morse), a right-wing ex-con who still lives at home. During a drunken night, Gus pulls a gun on Martin and decides to hold him hostage. Acclaimed actor Martin Donovan writes and directs his first feature, a tense and talky showdown between two men who couldn’t be more different. Collaborator is a smart parable about a polarised nation where liberals and conservatives are forced to cohabit. It’s also an enthralling, brilliantly acted drama about class, celebrity, politics and the media.

The World Before Her

Goon MA15+

Cloudburst

Thu 16th AuG | 8pm drinks, 8:30pm film Dendy Opera Quays

Fri 17th Aug | 6:30pm | Dendy Opera Quays

Thu 16th Aug | 6:30pm | Dendy Opera Quays

Dir Michael Dowse, Canada, 2012, 92 min | Cast Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill | Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival

Dir Nisha Pahuja, Canada, 2011, 90 min, Hindi & English, English subtitles | Winner Best Documentary Tribeca Film Festival 2012

— Beauty queens and nationalist warriors are the subjects of this daring documentary. Indian-born Toronto filmmaker Nisha Pahuja ventures where few camera crews have tread in this portrayal of two worlds in which young Indian women are being groomed. One is a beauty bootcamp for contestants in the Miss India pageant which promises fame, wealth and emancipation, the other is a militant Hindu fundamentalist camp training girls to become warriors. Pahuja brilliantly examines both the ideological forces pulling at Indian women today, and the polarized world in which we now all live. Wisely leaving judgment to the audience, Pahuja’s provocative film captures the clash of modernity and tradition in the world’s largest democracy, asking probing questions about the roles and responsibilities of women and men in society.

— Ice hockey’s enforcers get a big screen tribute in this gloriously violent and bawdy comedy. Lovable doofus Seann William Scott delivers the performance of his career as thick-skulled nice guy Doug Glatt, whose life is going nowhere until a chance punch-up at a hockey match lands him a new career as an ‘enforcer.’ Glatt can’t skate, but he can punch like the ‘fist of God’, and his puppy-dog ingenuousness and fists of fury are just the thing to unify his ailing, underdog team. With a script by Judd Apatow alumni Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, Goon is loaded with rude, laugh-outloud dialogue and wincingly (and hilariously) brutal blood-on-the-ice punch-ups—but at its centre is an entertaining rags-to-riches (love) story. In association with

Dir Thom Fitzgerald, Canada, 2011, 93 min | Cast Olympia Dukakis, Brenda Fricker, Ryan Doucette | Opening Night Gala, Dublin Film Festival 2012

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Two ageing lesbians hit the road in this rude and uproarious oddball comedy. For over 30 years, Stella and Dot have been through life’s ups and downs as a couple. When Dot is taken away to a nursing home against Stella’s will, the women decide to make a run for it. Their destination is Canada, where same-sex marriage is legal. On the way, they pick up a hunky young hitchhiker with problems of his own, and the unlikely trio barrel down the highway in a last-ditch attempt to make things right. By turns hilariously crude (Stella is as foul-mouthed as she is free-spirited) and poignant, Cloudburst is both an irreverent romantic comedy and a moving melodrama. Oscar-winning actresses Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker shine in one of the most entertaining comedies to come out of Canada in years.

Join us for a free drink from 8pm!

“The debut feature from the whip-smart Martin Donovan is a well-acted, intimate tragicomedy (…) sets the stage for a culture clash ripe for our times” The Hollywood Reporter

“A well-wrought thought-provoking documentary, a compelling portrayal of two highly motivated groups of women.” BBC News

“Harking back to the robust certainties of Paul Newman’s 1977 bonecruncher Slap Shot, it’s a surprisingly watchable, big-hearted yet unsentimental film” The Guardian

“A bright and breezy alternative road trip, features a pair of indomitable lead performances from Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker” Screen Daily

Indie Game: The Movie Fri 17th Aug | 6:30pm film, 8pm games + drinks | Dendy Newtown Dir James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, Canada, 2012, 96 min Official Selection & winner of Best Editing Sundance Film Festival 2012

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An immensely entertaining look inside the obsessive world of independent games designers. What motivates independent games designers to devote years of their lives to creating interactive alternate worlds, without promise of success or reward? Indie Game: The Movie explores the stories behind indie games such as Fez or Super Meat Boy, and the trials and tribulations of their creators. Will it play? Will it sell? Was it all worth it? The filmmakers get intimately close to their subjects, uncovering their aspirations and vulnerabilities (both endearing and infuriating) and delivering an inspiring tribute to the work of creative entrepreneurs. Beautifully shot and consistently entertaining, Indie Game: The Movie is about much more than gaming—it will resonate with anyone who’s ever had a driving passion.

Replicas Fri 17th Aug | 8:30pm | Dendy Newtown Australian Premiere | Dir Jeremy Power Regimbal, Canada, 2012, 96 min | Cast Selma Blair, James D’Arcy, Rachel Miner Official Selection—Tribeca Film Festival 2012

— Class envy turns to blood thirst in this sinister thriller about obsession and perfection. After the accidental death of their six-year-old daughter, Mark, Mary and their son Brandon escape their busy upscale suburban life and head to an isolated cottage retreat for some quality time. When friendly locals show up at their door, the Hughes do the neighbourly thing and invite them in—a decision they’ll soon come to regret. What if the 99% knocked on the door of the 1% and said, “we want what you have”? This unnerving premise is the starting point for a series of unsettling and claustrophobic scenes shot in creepy charcoal hues. The tension rises to a masterful and violent crescendo and never lets up, as Replicas lodges itself firmly under the viewer’s skin.

Fri 17th Aug | 8pm | St Stephen’s Church Hall, Newtown Australian Premiere | Dir Andrew Bush, Canada, 2011, 76 min | Cast Mark Little, Kayla Lorette, Scott Vrooman Nominated for Best Film, Best Writing, and Best Directing, Canadian Comedy Awards

Play video games and enjoy a free drink after the movie!

“Lays bare the passion behind the pixels, revealing the sweat, tears and sleep deprivation that go into trying to make the latest gaming sensation.” New York Times

Roller Town Screening Party

“A violent home invasion tale infused with psychological and social undertones (…) notable for its strong sense of atmosphere and the arresting performances by its leads.” The Hollywood Reporter

Free drinks & food on arrival! Wear your best 70s threads for our Disco Screening Party feat. DJ Golden State and burlesque performer Tootsie Caloola. Prizes for Best Dressed and Best Limbo!

The Roller-Boogie genre gets rebooted in this hilarious disco spoof. “Disco didn’t die—it was murdered!” Canadian sketch troupe Picnicface (the comedy geniuses behind YouTube memes like “Powerthirst”) make their first feature outing with this hilariously camp homage to 70s roller-disco cinema. A roller-skating obsessed town comes under threat when local gangsters move to replace the iconic roller-disco with a spirit-sapping video games arcade. Local hero Leo is the only man with enough disco fever to take on the thugs, while he fights for the heart of uptown girl Julia against her discohating father, who also happens to be the Mayor. Raunchy, random and with more tiny shorts and tight t-shirts than you can shake a headband at, Roller Town is a rollicking good time. “The laughs come rolling non-stop in this affectionate, bawdy spoof of roller disco movies.” Canadian Front, Museum Of Modern Art, New York

United States of Africa: Beyond Hip-Hop Sat 18th Aug | 6pm drinks, 6:30pm film Dendy Newtown Australian Premiere | Dir Yanick Létourneau, Canada, 2012, 86 min, French & English, English subtitles | Feat Didier Awadi, Smockey, Zulu Boy, M-1 | Critics’ Choice Award, Montreal Documentary Film Festival

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A fascinating insight into hip-hop’s role as a catalyst of social change in modern Africa. United States of Africa follows Senegal’s superstar Francophone rapper Didier Awadi across Africa as he records Presidents d’Afrique, his tribute to the progressive revolutionaries of Pan-African politics and their struggle to realise the dream of a united, independent Africa. Connecting along the way with Dead Presidents’ M-1, Burkina Faso rapper Smockey and South Africa’s Zulu Boy, the charismatic Awadi paints a compelling portrait of a continent whose youth refuse to accept the role of victim. A rousing call for change and political consciousness, this is also a revealing look at Africa’s vibrant hip hop scene.

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A man and a woman collide over the course of one night in this erotic but cerebral drama. On a sweat-soaked dance floor young people jump to the beat in slow motion, eyes closed, lost in the music (Elysian Fields’ cover of Serge Gainsbourg’s Les amours perdues). They are together yet they are alone. Clara and Nikolai connect, go back to his place, have sex. When Clara tries to sneak out, Nikolai wakes. They begin to talk. In real time, a one-night stand evolves from torrid, candid lovemaking to brutally honest confessions about love, youth, fear, desire, and the death of idealism. 30-year-old Anne Émond’s impressive debut is a daring and intimate study of a lost generation walking through life like angry ghosts. Served by two talented actors sharing formidable chemistry, Nuit #1 is cinema at its most raw, radical and rebellious.

Sat 18th AuG | 8pm | St Stephen’s Church Hall, Newtown Sydney Premiere | Dir Sheldon Larry, Canada, 2011, 109 min Cast Ephraim Sykes, Phillip Evelyn, Miss Barbie-Q Opening Night Film—Brisbane Queer Film Festival

In association

Join us for a free drink from 6pm!

Leave it on the Floor Screening Party

“A claustrophobically intense drama (…) impressive performances by well-cast, attractive leads.” Variety

Free drinks & food on arrival! Win prizes with your best moves in our ballroom dance-off feat. DJ Ted Dansin’, Dear Bobby (boylesque) + Marzi Panne (drag)!

A roof-raising queer musical from choreographers of Beyonce and Michael Jackson. When handsome young Brad is kicked out of home for being gay, he’s taken in by a family of queers and queens—the House of Eminence—who compete in monthly downtown dance-offs. Brad’s arrival stirs up a love triangle and causes rifts in the House’s social fabric, which they’ll have to mend if they’re to beat their arch-nemeses at the next Ballroom showdown. A high-energy, runway-strutting ode to the LA Ballroom scene, Leave it on the Floor tells an upbeat coming-out story with irresistibly catchy tunes, mind-blowing dance routines and a talented roster of up-and-coming performers. Tackling issues of homophobia, identity and community with the glamour and intensity of a music video, Leave it on the Floor will have you vogueing in the aisles. “Gay, glam and Glee-full… Leave it on the Floor would charm any audience into submission.” Screen Daily

40 Days at Base Camp Sat 18th AuG | 4pm | Dendy Opera Quays AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE | Dir Dianne Whelan, Canada, 2011, 89 min | Official Selection, Banff Mountain Film Festival

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A terrifying and mesmerising stay at the world’s most extreme camp—Mount Everest. Many spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to attempt the world’s highest peak, one in twenty die. Dianne Whelan’s documentary is both a riveting look at what motivates these climbers, from the utterly amateur to the hard core, and a breathtaking ode to the splendour and terror of Mount Everest. The film explores the transformation of Everest from what was once a revered, sacred space to the mountain theme park it’s in danger of becoming. Following three teams as they attempt the summit, Whelan interviews the climbers, volunteer doctors, sherpas and sponsors that allow thrill-seekers to reach the peak. It’s your chance to discover what it’s like to summit Mount Everest without leaving your cinema seat!

Wetlands (Marecages) Sat 18th AuG | 6PM drinks, 6:30PM film Dendy Opera Quays Australian Premiere | Dir Guy Édoin, Canada, 2011, 111 min, French, English subtitles | Cast Pascale Bussieres, Luc Picard | Official Selection, Venice Film Festival

— A farming family is torn apart by secrets, hardship and fate in this riveting melodrama. In Quebec’s drought-ridden Eastern Townships, Jean (Luc Picard) and Marie (Pascale Bussières) fight to keep their dairy farm afloat, relying increasingly on their reluctant teenaged son Simon, himself struggling with guilt and illicit longings. Wetlands charts the fragile bonds and conflicting desires of a family plagued by misfortune and hit by the harsh economic realities of faming life. Shot in lush, bold colours against majestic widescreen vistas, Wetlands skilfully blends naturalism and melodrama. With powerful performances, Guy Edoin’s captivating drama zeroes in on the parallel fates of Marie and Simon—each seeking freedom against tough odds—to weave an ambitious tale of identity, guilt and emancipation.

Pink Ribbons Inc. Francine Sun 19th Aug | 4pm | Dendy Opera Quays

Sun 19th Aug | 6:30pm | Dendy Opera Quays

Dir Léa Pool, Canada, 2011, 97 min | Official Competition, International Documentary Festival Amsterdam

Australian Premiere | Dir Melanie Shatzky & Brian M. Cassidy, Canada, 2012, 74 min | Cast Melissa Leo | Official Selection Berlin Film Festival 2012

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Inconvenient truths about the pink ribbon movement are revealed in this controversial film. Breast cancer has become the poster child of corporate cause-related marketing. Countless women and men walk and shop for the cure, raising millions to put an end to the disease, yet cancer rates are on the rise and treatment options haven’t much improved in 40 years. Who really benefits from this pretty pink campaign? Léa Pool’s rousing, well-argued film challenges many of our assumptions about cancer, health care and what we can do to make a difference. Exposing the corporate hijacking of what marketers have labelled a “dream cause”, this fearless film tackles key issues such as the allocation of research funds, the victimisation of cancer patients, the commercialisation of philanthropy and the way our desire to help can sometimes have the opposite effect.

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Stark naturalism serves this searing portrait of a damaged woman finding her way in the world. Francine is released from prison into a world alien to her. She moves into a small shack in a rural town and attempts to find work. Withdrawn, scarred and ill-equipped to relate to others outside the codified confines of jail, she finds some solace in the company of animals. Oscar-winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) gives a startling, brutally honest performance in this minimalist observational study in marginalisation. The filmmakers craft a non-judgmental portrait which achieves vast emotional depth and eloquence by stripping storytelling to its true essentials.

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Screening with Ora The 16-minute 3D film ORA is a collaboration between filmmaker Philippe Baylaucq and choreographer José Navas. The first film ever shot with zero natural light, it uses infrared thermal imaging technology to conjure sublime images of bodies in motion.

Join us for a free drink from 6pm! “Whelan brings a photographer’s eye and a storyteller’s ear to this inhuman environment and returns with a revealing look at the men and women who take on mountains.” Cinema Montreal

“A triumph of naturalism by first-time feature director Edoin, the latest and possibly most gifted of the younger generation of Quebecois filmmakers.” Screen Daily

“Blending expert testimony with emotional appeals from a support group for women diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, this stinging indictment raises an all-together different call to arms.” LA Times

“In this spare, striking drama, Melissa Leo’s unerringly contained performance provides shattering insight into a woman powerless to resist the destabilising forces of her life… a legitimate discovery.” the NY Times

Possible Worlds Awards The Awards will be announced on August 19th at the Closing Night screening of War Witch. All feature films are eligible for the Possible Worlds Award for Best Film, bestowed by a distinguished jury. Prize is a return trip from Canada to Sydney for the filmmaker, courtesy of Air Canada. The jury is comprised of film critic and festival programmer Eddie Cockrell, Canadian writer and producer David Fedirchuk and film journalist Alice Tynan. Rate each film you see at the Festival and get your vote in for the Audience Award for Best Film ($1,000). You’ll go into a draw to win a $2000 credit towards any 2013 Cosmos tour of Canada (based on 2 people travelling together, www.cosmostours.com.au).

Possible Worlds On Tour CANBERRA Monsieur Lazhar will screen at ARC Cinema on Monday 20th August, hosted by the High Commission of Canada. National Film & Sound Archive McCoy Circuit, Acton ACT 2601, PH (02) 6248 2000 For more info visit http://bit.ly/PWcanberra WOLLONGONG

War Witch Closing Night Sun 19th Aug | 7:30pm drinks, 8:30pm film Dendy Opera Quays Sydney Premiere | Dir Kim Nguyen, Canada, 2012, 90 min, French & Lingala, English subtitles | Cast Rachel Mwanza, Serge Kanyinda | Winner Best Film & Best Actress—Tribeca Film Festival 2012

JOIN US FROM 7:30PM for a free drink and the announcement of the Possible Worlds awards before the screening, at the Elizabeth Room, Sir Stamford at Circular Quay Hotel, 93 Macquarie St Sydney.

This hard-hitting yet understated coming-ofage drama makes for a bewitching experience. 14-year-old Komona tells her unborn child the story of how she became a solider. Kidnapped aged 12 by the rebel army, forced to carry an AK 47 and kill for a cause she doesn’t understand, Komona’s only escape and friend is Magician, a boy who wants to marry her. Despite the horrors around them, the teenagers fall in love… Set in an unnamed sub-Saharan country, War Witch is a powerful story of love in a time of war, brought vividly to life by young Rachel Mwanza, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actress in Berlin this year. Quebec filmmaker Kim Nguyen’s lyrical vision—at once brutal and beautiful, thought-provoking and immensely moving—is the source of the film’s haunting power.

Pink Ribbons Inc. and Surviving Progress will screen at the Centre for Canadian Australian Studies on Monday 20th August. University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong NSW 2522, tel: (02) 4221 5841 For more info visit http://bit.ly/PWWollongong

Team Director Mathieu Ravier | Festivals Manager & Co-programmer Karina Libbey Marketing & Sponsorship Manager Nick Jarvis | Festival Coordinators Tim Mall & Adele Moleta Interns Andrew Townson & Fiona Humphreys The Festivalists Ltd | www.thefestivalists.com | admin@thefestivalists.com | 02 9281 5608 Publicity Lisa Barnes, Kabuku PR | Cover photography Matthew Lahoud (www.vyoo.com.au/matt) Design Alexandra De Bonis (www.alexandradebonis.com)

“Met with nearly universal critical acclaim at its Berlin premiere (…) a genre benchmark and a breakout work.” The Hollywood Reporter Visit www.possibleworlds.net.au for ticketing updates, giveaways & latest news. For enquiries (no bookings) call Karina on 02 9281 5608. Films start at the advertised time, unless otherwise stated. All festival films (unless otherwise noted) are restricted to persons over 18 years of age. This relates to the requirements of holding a film festival, as set by the Classification Board, and is not necessarily a reflection of the films’ content.

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Thank you Mario Ste Marie, Sharon Pinney, Renaud Lessard Ste-Marie, Jeannie Foster, Diane Yanire, Catriona Kerr, Kathleen Prokopovich, Demi Hopkins, Dr Debra Dudek, Michael Small, Mary Lou Hayman, Bruce Jeffreys, Greg Morgan, Alex Parker, Jo McAlister, Kirsty Esson, Chris Finneran, Alice Tynan, Eddie Cockrell, David Fedirchuk, Meaghan Brander, Heather Idoine, Craig Jessup, Geraldine Co, Belinda Dyer, Lisa Barnes, Michelle Carey, Nashen Moodley, Samira Farah, our special guests from Canada and all our volunteers.

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