Sydney to feast on film

May 19, 1993
Issue 

By Karen Fredericks

The 40th Sydney film festival was launched by George Miller on May 4. In his speech, Miller credited the festival with providing the vital inspiration for himself and the whole "first wave" of Australian film makers.

This year's festival, like the ones which so inspired Miller, Jane Campion, Gillian Armstrong and others, is crammed with films from the furthest corners of the world, providing a feast of different cinematic styles, techniques and points of view. Whether you are interested in film, or just in people and their stories, this festival will provide non-stop audiovisual stimulation from its opening on June 11 to its close on June 26.

The festival opens with a world premiere screening of the Australian film The Heartbreak Kid, (based on the play of the same name by Richard Barrett, who collaborated on the script). Directed by Michael Jenkins and produced by Ben Gannon, the film is described as an "unusual love story between 17 year old Nick (played by newcomer Alex Dimitraiades) and his 22 year old teacher, Christina (played by Claudia Karvan) both from Greek-Australian families".

The festival also features the incredible El Mariachi, written, directed, produced and filmed by Spanish-speaking Texan Robert Rodriguez, on a $7000 budget which he raised by working as a "lab rat" at a research hospital. Rodriguez wrote the script for his film around assets he and his friends owned, or to which they had easy access — a pit bull, a motorcycle, a school bus, a jail, two bars and a ranch. The result, a feature-length action adventure, was such an audience pleaser it has become the lowest budgeted film to be given a theatrical release by a major studio in recent years.

Rodriguez has since been signed to a two-year production and development deal with Columbia Pictures, and will produce a big budget version of El Mariachi and probably several sequels.

Green Left readers will be given the opportunity to win free tickets to the festival's late night "Green Screen", a special screening of films with an environmental theme, on Friday June 25. Details will be given closer to the date.

Other special evenings include "Once I had a secret love; lesbian lives on film", "New Asian Directors", including Korean and Taiwanese offerings, and "This is spinal rap", three films on the phenomenon of US rap music.

The major festival screenings will be at the State Theatre during the festival fortnight, with morning and matinee screenings at the Mandolin Cinema. Festival subscription prices range from $100 to $190, depending on session times and reservation of seats. Combination and special event tickets are also available. Ring the festival office on (02) 660 3844 for more information.

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