2010 Hola Mexico Film Festival

Alamar (To The Sea)

Hola Mexico Film Festival, the biggest Mexican film festival in the world, is back again with a splendid collection of feature films and documentaries. Kicking off in Sydney tomorrow, Thursday 3 November, it will be showing at Dendy Newtown and Dendy Opera Quays until Sunday 14 November.

2010 marks the centenary of the Mexican revolution, and to celebrate this important milestone, 10 leading Mexican directors have joined forces and produced a compilation of 10 short films under the title Revolucion. The short films explore the idea of revolution and what it means to young Mexicans today.

My picks Alamar, Año Bisiesto and Norteado are all multi-award winning films, promising captivating stories about love, solitude and hope. With a selection of colourful and inspiring characters, these features are fueled with diversity, energy and passion staying true to its Latin American roots.

For more details and a full list of feature films and documentaries and their screening times, check the festival website.

Sydney Latin American Film Festival

The Last Summer Of La Boyita

It’s the film festival season, all right. To launch us into a warmer part of the year, Sydney Latin American Film Festival (SLAFF) is coming to town with over 60 exciting films from all over the South and Central American region. In its 5th year, this not-for-profit, 100% volunteer-run festival, will kick off with a multi-award winning Argentine comedy A Matter of Principles on Wednesday 1 September, at the Dendy Opera Quays. This opening feature is said to be a rather funny drama and a true crowd-pleaser.

Other multi-award winning comedies, both Mexican, are Crossing and Chilango Chronicles. Crossing is about two Mexicans and their hopeless attempt to illegally cross to the US, while the latter is a surrealist take on three ‘chilangos’ (inhabitants of Mexico City) and their lives as their stories intersect. Chilango Chronicles was Mexico’s official selection for the 2010 Golden Globe Awards.

There are quite a number of very interesting documentaries this year, but these two stood out for me most: Sins Of My Father and Chasing Che. The former is a story of the infamous Columbian drug cartel boss Pablo Escobar told by his son Sebastian. It is an fascinating account of an extraordinary childhood and an intimate relationship with his father, Columbia’s public enemy number one. Chasing Che is a documentary made by an Iranian businessman who decides to venture into a four-year journey of South America and Europe in an effort to achieve a better understanding of Che and his vision.

The festival will run until Sunday 19 September at a number of venues. All proceeds from SLAFF will be going towards grassroots community development projects in Latin America. For more info and a complete screening schedule, visit the festival website.

Russian Resurrection Film Festival

Russian Resurrection Film Festival

What better way to celebrate the end of (what seemed a very long) Sydney winter than with a world-class selection of films from one of the coldest countries on this planet, Russia. In its 7th year, Russian Resurrection Film Festival brings a collection of 17 new films (plus a World War II retrospective) and is said to be the largest festival of Russian film outside Russia.

The multi-award winning features One War and How I Ended This Summer, which I failed to see at the 2010 Sydney Film Festival, are my top picks. The former is a captivating story of compassion set in World War II, while the latter is an uncanny exploration of human relationship with each other, time and space. How I Ended This Summer is set on a remote Arctic island, and is praised for its beautiful cinematography.

Two more features sparked my interest and I would be keen to see either the festival opening night romantic drama Man at the Window or Peter on His Way to Heaven, a film about a a mentally handicapped youth in a prison-camp town during Stalin’s Russia.

Russian Resurrection Film Festival opens on Thursday 19 August and runs until Wednesday 1 September 2010 at Chauvel Cinema in Paddington. A selection of films will also be shown in Burwood and Bondi Junction cinemas. For a full listing, visit the Russian Resurrection website.

Sydney Film Festival 2010

Exit Through the Gift Shop

This year’s Sydney Film Festival is jam-packed with some of the best in international and Australian features, shorts, documentaries and archive titles. The full program was announced a few weeks ago and the most popular choices such as Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Messenger starring Woody Harrelson, I Am Love starring Tilda Swinton and Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer with Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall and Pierce Brosnan, have already sold out. Also shown to be very popular and now sold-out are films like New Zealand’s Boy, beautiful animation The Illusionist and Australian feature Caught Inside.

No One Knows About Persian Cats

Because I love all things related to music, I am always very excited about the ‘Sounds on Screen’ selection of films and documentaries. This year, Sydney Film Festival brings an interesting mix of music genres to the screen. Definitely worth seeing is No One Knows About Persian Cats, an Iranian documentary on the underground indie rock scene in Tehran, and The Runaways, a film based on the 70’s all-girl band from LA.

In its 57th year, Sydney Film Festival’s selection of films doesn’t seize to impress. There are hundreds of other beautiful, moving and stimulating films to be discovered. For a full list and session times, check out the festival website. Sydney Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday 2 June and finishes on Monday 14 June.

Surry Hills Festival

Surry Hills Festival

Any plans for next weekend? The annual Surry Hills Festival is on, where you can check out some live bands, savour delicious multi-culti foods, bump into familiar faces and enjoy the last of warm and sunny days (probably not). The festival has temporarily moved to its old location, Shannon Reserve on Crown Street, with the addition of a second entertainment stage and more stalls located in Ward Park on Devonshire Street. In live bands world, my highlights are Belles Will Ring and Jonathan Boulet in Ward Park, and The Paper Scissors and The Ray Mann Three in Shannon Reserve. Make sure you get there nice and early if you’re into dog shows and pick up poo races. The weather forecast for Saturday is not so great, maybe opt for a pair of gumboots and a brollie. More info and full entertainment lineup is right here.

Hola Mexico Film Festival

Hola Mexico Film Festival

Fourth annual Hola Mexican Film Festival is kicking off in Sydney tonight. The festival runs until Sunday 29 November in both Circular Quay and Newtown Dendy cinemas. My picks are the opening flick Sin Nombre (also screening on Friday 27 and Saturday 28); The Bastards (showing on Friday 20, Monday 23, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29);  I’m Gonna Explode (screening on Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29); and Those Who Remain (showing on Thursday 19, Saturday 21, Sunday 22, Friday 27 and Sunday 29);

Festivals and sideshows

Grizzly Bear

The New Year’s Falls Music & Arts Festival, Pyramid Rock Festival, Field Day, Days Like This!, Big Day Out, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Good Vibrations and the list goes on. Nothing like summer festivals to get out there and check out some extraordinary bands. If you’re going to any of these, lucky you. If not, you might want to consider the odd sideshow or two. I am heading to Lorne Falls Festival again this year and can not wait to kick my boots off and lie in the sun. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Editors and Grizzly Bear are my festival favourits. All of them are doing sideshows in Sydney in early January. Yeah Yeah Yeahs will hit Hordern Pavilion, while Grizzly Bear have just announced the date for their third show at the Recital Hall, as part of Sydney Festival. Second time around, I’m quite keen to see Moby, also performing at Sydney Opera House, and the very fun live  Norweigan electro rockers Datarock. The Temper Trap, Sarah Blasko, Philadelphia Grand Jury, Dappled Cities and Yves Klein Blue are my local favorite picks. And as always, I can’t wait to hear bands I haven’t quite had the chance to hear yet like The View, The Phenomenal Handclap Band and White Rabbits. White Rabbits are doing a side gig at the Oxford Art Factory in the new year as well.

Cat Power

Now, Days Like This! is not necessarily my type of festival, but boy was I happy to see Cat Power on the performers’ bill. I’m a sucker for female singers with breathy voices, and hers is one of my favourites. I will see Cat Power backed by the Dirty Delta Blues (with Jim White from Dirty Three) perform at Waves in Towradgi as her only Sydney (or 60 km south of) side gig.

The Decemberists

I have never been to Big Day Out, but I have managed to catch a few sideshows in the past. This time around I’ll be seeing the Portland, Oregon-based rock band The Decemberists. It’s been a while since I started tracking their tour schedule expecting to see some dates for their, I believe, first ever down under tour. I can not wait to indulge in their theatrical indie folk extravaganza. They will not be doing the Hazards of Love show, which is completely understandable, but a bit sad since I have placed it to sit comfortably within my ‘top 10 albums of 2009’ list. The Decemberists will play at the Metro Theatre.

My picks for Sydney Festival 2010

Camera Obscura

I always get so excited about the Sydney Festival. This time it was no different. Rumours had it the Scottish indie pop-rockers Camera Obscura were going to hit the town this January, and to my extreme delight, yes they are! Often compared to one of my absolute favourite bands Belle & Sebastian, this fine quintet came to my attention only a couple of years ago with Let’s Get Out of This Country. I fell in love with their memorable intimate bedroom pop melodies instantly. This is one band you will absolutely adore in the outdoor settings of the Beck’s Festival Bar.

It won’t be as epic as this year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties, but anything staring the brilliant Warren Ellis assures a spellbinding experience. Dirty Three and Laughing Clowns will perform Ocean Songs and History of Rock ‘n’ Roll Vol. 1 albums in their entirety at the Enmore Theatre on Australia Day. Dirty Three formed in Melbourne in 1991 and are Warren Ellis (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and Grinderman), Mick Turner  and Jim White. Sydney-based Laughing Clowns formed in 1979, after Ed Kuepper left The Saints. Alongside Kuepper and Jeffrey Wegener, the Sydney Festival version of Laughing Clowns will also feature Louise Elliott, Les ‘Biff’ Millar and Alister Spence.

In my opinion, festivals are just as much about seeing your favourite artists, as discovering new ones. I am quite keen to check out the Chicago-formed alternative country husband and wife duo The Handsome Family, especially since I’ve never seen anyone perform in The Famous Spiegeltent before. The Handsome Family have an impressive musical career of 14 years and nine albums! I say bring on some surreal, poetic American folk.

A new addition to Beck’s Festival Bar are the wonderful folk-rockers The Decemberists. This is an unmissable gig people!