Brooklyn 30 Lafayette Avenue CommunicationsDepartment Academy Brooklyn NY 11217-1486 Sandy Sawotka of Telephone: 718.636.4111 Melissa Cusick Music Fax: 718.857.2021 Fateema Jones www.bam.org Tamara Mccaw Molly Gross Kila Packett 718.636.4129 News Release [email protected]
As Part of Next Wave Down Under, BAMcinematek Presents Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s, A Four-week Film Festival Comprising More Than 30 Films
Special guests-including Anthony LaPaglia and Rachel Griffiths to participate in Q&As during series, which includes early work of actors Russell Crowe, Toni Collette, Guy Pearce, Susie Porter, and David Wenham and movies directed by P.J. Hogan, Geoffrey Wright, and Clara Law
Next Wave Down Under is presented in partnership with Series includes seven New York premieres
Brooklyn, August 23, 2001-As part of Next Wave Down Under-BA.M's month-long celebration of Australian arts and culture-BAMcinematek presents Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s throughout the month of October. The wide-ranging, four-week series will feature more than 30 films largely drawn from the last decade of Australian $ FOREIGN filmmaking, a period of dramatic change in Australian cinema. Killing the Koala is curated by AFFAIRSAND ~t~'$."'._,1$,V TRADE prominent Australian film critic and progranuner Paul Byrnes for the Australian Film
through the Australia International Commission, in association with BAM's Curator-at-large Adrie1111eMancia and Associate Cultural Councrl Curator Florence Almozini. Screenings will take place at the four-screen BAM Rose Cinemas at 30 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn.
~-~-~SRAUAN ia....A.:.~ "I think people will be surprised, possibly even shocked, when they see this series of COMMISSION contemporary Australian films. They're much funnier, tougher, and more diverse in style than people might expect. That's why we are calling it 'Killing the Koala,' to shake out some preconceptions," commented Byrnes.
BAM's Next Wave Festival Film festival highlights include Gillian Armstrong's Oscar and Lucinda, featuring Cate is sponsoredby Blanchett and Ralph Fiennes; Jocelyn Moorhouse's Proof, featuring Oscar-winner Russell
PHILIP MORRIS Crowe and Hugo Weaving; Geoffrey Wright's Romper Stamper, also featuring Crowe; The C O M P A N I E S I N C. Boys, directed by Rowan Woods, with Oscar and Tony Award nominee Toni Collette; PJ. Hogan's Muriel's Wedding, an early film with Rachel Griffiths and Collette; Stephan Elliott's The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, featuring Guy Pearce and Weaving; Kate Woods' Looking.for more ...
NP)(t\/'-J?.\IP nnwn UnrlPr October2001 A month-long celebration of contemporary Australian performing arts and culture, part of BAM's 2001 Next Wave Festival Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s, 2 Alibrandi, featuring Tony winner Anthony LaPaglia and Greta Scacchi; Davida Allen's Feeling Sexy starring Susie Porter; and documentaries, including Trevor Graham's Mabo: Life of an Island Man-an absorbing portrait of Eddie "Koiki" Mabo, the crusading Indigenous leader from the Torres Strait. The festival also will include several short, experimental, independent, and animated films. BAM 2001 NeA'tWave Festival is sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc. Next Wave Down Under is presented in partnership with Australia Council for the Arts, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australia International Cultural Council, and the Australian Film Commission. Support is provided by The Australian Consulate-General.
Ticket information
General admission tickets to BAM Rose Cinemas are $9. Tickets are $6 for students (with valid I.D. Monday-Thursday, except holidays), seniors, BAM Cinema Club members, and children under 12. Tickets are available at the BAM Rose Cinemas box office, by phone at 718.777.FILM (order by "name of movie" option), or online at bam.org. A dinner and movie package on Thursday-Saturday nights at BAMcafe is available for only $30 (at the box office only). For more information, call the BAMcinematek hotline 718.636.4100 or visit www.bam.org.
About Killing the Koala: Australian Films o(the 90s
According to curator Paul Byrnes, a noted Australian critic and fonner director of the Sydney Film Festival, Australian cinema found a new voice during the last decade of the 20th century. "The new movies were more urban, contemporary and hard-edged, less concerned with making myths than exploring new realities in the culture. The topics were new and often raw: racism, drug abuse, violent crime, sex and gender, homosexuality, migration, suburbia. The styles of filmmaking changed too, from the moody surrealism of Jane Campion's Sweetie to the broad and confident satire of P.J. Hogan's Muriel's Wedding or the kinetic violence of Geoffrey Wright's Romper Stamper. The films were mostly made by new, young writers and directors-many of them women-working with a superb new crop of Australian actors, several of ,vhom have now become internationally known."
The BAM series will feature many of the early films of Russell Crowe, Toni Collette, and Rachel Griffiths-as well as newer talents like David \Venham and Susie Porter. In selecting the films, the curators sought to reflect Australian culture and to illustrate the diversity of the nation's cinema, which has become much tougher and more surprising in the last dozen or so years. A key part of that growth has come from Aboriginal filmmakers-who have produced an astonishing wealth of vivid, mostly short, films-and also from migrant communities, with directors like Clara Law (Floating Life) and A.Iia Kokk1nos (Only the Brave) telling stories of people who have not been portrayed often in Australian cinema before now. Byrnes reflects that the "new voice" is in fact many voices; Killing the Koala will provide a showcase for them, underlining just how much the landscape of Australian cinema has changed.
About Next Wave Down Under
As a premier destination for audiences interested in all disciplines of contemporary performing arts and film, BAM will undertake an unparalleled exploration of a single country, entitled Next Wave Down Under-a month-long celebration of Australian arts and culture presented as part of the 2001 Nel-.1Wave Festival, from October 2-27. Next Wave Down Under will feature many of Australia's foremost creators, artists, and companies, performing innovative works that reflect one of the world's most distinct and intricate cultures. In addition to Killing the Koala (BAM Rose Cinemas), the programs will include four mainstage productions of theater, music-theater, and dance (BAM Harvey Theater); Over Down Under, a series often live music performances (BAMcafe); three Word Down Under conversations featuring prominent Australian and American writers (BAMcafe); Under score: Net Art, Sound, Essays, and Web Documentaries ji·om Australia on BAM's website (www.bam.org); four BAMdialogues (BAM Rose Cinemas and the Hillman Attic Studio); visual art; and Australian food and wine (BAMcafe). (For more inforn1ation about Next Wcn;eDovm Under or to request complete press releases, contact BAM Communications at 718.636.4129 or [email protected].)
more ... Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s, 3 Killing the Koala schedule and film description
Saturday, October 6 at 2, 8pm Oscar and Lucinda (1997), 120 min Directed by Gillian Annstrong, with Cate Blanchett, Ralph Fiennes A devoutly religious minister's son and the owner of a glassworks meet aboard a ship, united by their passion for taking risks and compulsive gambling. When he plans to build an intricate cathedral out of glass and transport it to the Australian outback the two place wagers on it, but what they don't bet on is falling in love.
Saturday, October 6 at 4:30pm* and October 7 at 2, 4, 9:40pm Looking.for Alibrandi (1999), 100 min, NY premiere Directed by Kate Woods, with Greta Scacchi, Anthony LaPaglia In English and Italian with English subtitles This funny and passionate film follows the adventures of a sixteen-year-old Italian-Australian girl stmggling against maternal traditions. (on October 7) Preceded by Swinger (1995), 4 min Directed by Gregor Jordan Sometimes when you are feeling down, one phone call can brighten your whole day. *Q&A with Anthony LaPaglia on October 6 following 4:30pm screening
Saturday, October 7 at 7pm Park/ands (1996), 53 min, NY premiere Directed by Kathryn Millard, with Cate Blanchett, Tony Martin Cate Blanchett debuts in a short feature about a policeman's daughter coming to terms with his death. She returns home after her father passes away and becomes suspicious while reading his diaries, which hint at cormption. She puzzles about his real identity, her early life, and her relationship to him.
Monday, October 8 at 2, 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm The Sum of Us (1994), 100 min Directed by Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton, with Russell Crowe, Jack Thompson A father tries to find a boyfriend for his gay son (played by Crowe) in this pramatic and funny film. Preceded by · · · Relative Strangers (1998), 12 min Directed by Rosemary Hesp A family, a deception, and its legacy.
Tuesday, October 9 at 6*, 9:30pm Indigenous Women Directors Program
One Night the Moon (2001), 56 min, NY premiere Directed by Rachel Perkins, with Paul Kelly, Kaarin Fairfax The dialogue is sung in this film about a child missing on an outback fann and the fanner who refuses an Aboriginal tracker's aid. Preceded by Night Cries Directed by Tracey Moffat This is the tale of an Aboriginal woman and her white mother, an invalid. Road Directed by Catriona McKenzie In Road two Aboriginal men try to escape the city after a fight. Confessions of a Headhunter Directed by Sally Riley This is the story of Frankand Vinnie,modern-day head-hunters. more... Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s, 4
Wednesday, October 10 at 6:50*, 9:30pm Ne1,1,s_fi·ont(1978), 111 min, Archival Print Directed by Philip Noyce, with Bill Hunter, Gerard Kennedy, Bryan Brown Events in the lives of newsreel cameramen provide a microcosmic view of how Australia underwent remarkable socio political change. *Cinemachat with Elliot Stein follows 6:50 screening with actor Chris Hayv,rood (Cinemachat: RenovYned film critic and historian Elliott Stein curates this monthly film and discussion series offering insight into his favorite classic films, humorous anecdotes, and a touch of cinema history.)
Thursday, October 11 at 7:30pm* Rats in the Ronks ( 1996), 97 min Directed by Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson For this documentary, Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson spent a year filming at the local municipal headquarters in a Sydney suburb as candidates campaigned. The result is a funny and revealing portrait of politics played at the local level.
Friday, October 12 at 2:20, 4:30, 6:50*, 9:40pm Feeling Sexy (1998), 50 min, NY premiere Directed by Davida Allen, with Susie Porter, Tamblyn Lord Vicki has a new baby, an absentee husband, and a burning need to paint. This combination pitches her into the throes of an affair, with major consequences. Followed by Only the Brove (1994), 59 min Directed by Ana Kokkinos, with Elena Mandalis, Dora Kaskanis This short feature portrays two wild Greek-Australian girls in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. *Q&A with Ana Kokkinos, Susie Porter, and Tamblyn Lord follows 6:50 screening
Saturday, October 13 at 1:30, 3:50, 6:30*, 9:40pm Muriel's Wedding (1994), 105 min Directed by P.J. Hogan, with Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths A key film of the 1990s, Muriel's Wedding signaled a new confidence in Australian comedy and launched the careers of Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, and writer/director P .J. Hogan. Muriel, an ugly duckling, leaves her family in Porpoise Spit and heads for Sydney where she discovers friendship, sex, and her own sense of wotih. With music by ABBA, Hoga.n's film is both joyous and satirical. Preceded by Tulip (1998), 15 min Directed by Rachel Griffiths After William's wife dies, his cow Tulip refuses to be milked. *Q&A with Rachel Griffiths follows 6:30 screening
Sunday, October 14 at 2, 4:30, 6:50, 9: 10pm Procf(l991), 90 min Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, with Russell Crowe, Hugo Weaving, Genevieve Picot A blind man takes photographs of the world, but must rely on someone to describe them. When he meets a man he can tmst (Russell Crowe, in one of his earliest film roles), their bond becomes strong, but not invincible. Jocelyn Moorhouse immediately established her credentials as one of the leading new Australian directors with this film. Winner of the Special Mention for Excellence-Camera d'Or Jury at the Caimes Film Festival
more .. Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s, 5 Monday, October 15 at 4:30, 6:50*, 9:10pm The Boys ( 1998), 90 min Directed by Rowan Woods, ·with David Wenham, Toni Collette, John Polson After a year in jail, a man comes home to desolate outer-suburbia where trouble ensues v-1ithhis brothers, their girlfriends, and his weary mother. *Q&A yvith David Wenham follows 6:50 screening
Tuesday, October 16 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm Dead Heart (1996), 100 min Directed by Nick Parsons, with Bryan Brown, Angie Milliken Brown is brilliant as a seasoned policeman trying to walk a fine line when white lav;, rnns into black law in a remote Aboriginal settlement.
Wednesday, October 17 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm Indigenous Shorts Program, 105min Among the best shorts by Aboriginal directors of the 90s
Thursday, October 18 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm Mabo: Li:fe of on Island Mon (1997), 87 min Directed by Trevor Graham A Torres Strait Islander fights the Australian legislature to win ownership of his ancestral land and dies shortly before the verdict in his favor. Winner of Best Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival Preceded by 5 00 Acres ( 1996), 9 min Directed by Lucy Lehmann Family psychodrama involves loss, longing, and belonging.
Friday, October 19 at 2, 7:30, 9:40pm Sweetie (1989), 97 min Directed by Jane Campion, with Genevieve Lemon, Karen Colston, Tom Lycos Jane Camp ion's unsettling depiction of a dysfunctional family centers on a disturbed young woman's interactions with her parents and sister. Winner of the Los Angeles Filrri;efiticsf,.ward for Best Film r..: Preceded by · · At Sea ( 1996), 10 min Directed by Penny Fowler Smith A baby boy dies and is buried at sea; many years later his mother still grieves.
Saturday, October 20 at 2, 4:30, 6:50, 9: 10pm Yolngu Boy (2000), 90 min, NY premiere Directed by Stephen Johnson, with Nathan Daniels, Sean Mununggurr, Sebastian Pilakui Three Aboriginal boys stmggle to become initiated men and stay out of jail. Yolngu Boy was shot on location in beautiful Arnhem Land.
Sunday, October 21 at 2,430, 6:50, 9: 10pm Proise (1998), 98 min Directed by John Curran, with Peter Fenton, Sacha Horler In a flophouse, a chain-smoking astlm1atic man and a substance-abusing woman make a desperate bid for love. Winner of the Toronto International Film Festival, Rothmans World Film International Critics Award
Monday, October 22 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm Year of the Dogs (1997), 85 min, NY premiere Directed by Michael Cordell This docm;1entary features a year in the life of the Footscray Bulldogs, perennial losers in the Australian Football League.
more ... Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s, 6 Tuesday, October 23 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm Sadness (1999), 52 min Directed by Tony Ayres, with William Yang Chinese-Australian photographer William Yang perforn1s his acclaimed show about identity and the grief of AIDS in this documentary. Followed by Eternity (1994 ), 56 min Directed by Lawrence Johnston This documentary memorializes Arthur Stace, World War I veteran turned drunk Christian, who devoted 40 years to vvriting the word "Eternity" in chalk on the streets of Sydney.
Wednesday, October 24 at 7:30 only! The Kid Stakes (1927), 56 min Archival Print! Directed by Tai Ordell, with Pop Ordell, Charles Roberts Two inner-city kids lose their pet goat Hector the day before a local goat race in this funny silent film. Preceded by two other rare short films: Letterfi-0,11Australia (1944), 20 min Produced by the Australian Department of Information. This hilarious film was made as an introduction to Australia for American troops. Sun Gods of the Sw/(1945), 10 min Directed by Jack S. Allan. Produced by the Australian Department oflnformation. A tribute to a quintessential Aussie-the lifeguard
Thursday, October 25 at 7: 15, 9:30pm Floating Ltfe (1996), 95 min, NY premiere Directed by Clara Law, with Annie Yip, Anthony Wong In English, Cantonese, and German with English subtitles A Hong Kong family migrates to the strange southern land of Australia in this poignant reflection on the hopes and hardships of new immigrants. Winner of the Silver Leopard at the Locamo International Film Festival Preceded by Flowergirl (1999), 17 min 8rrected by Cate Shortland .. Three young Japanese inm1igrants share an apartment at Bondi Beach in Sydney. After a year of carefree living, one must return to Osaka.
Friday, October 26 at 2, 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm The Quiet Room (1996), 93 min Directed by Rolf de Heer, with Paul Blackwell, Celine O'Leary, Chloe Ferguson A young girl refuses to speak as she watches her parents' marriage dissolve. Preceded by Universal Appliance Co. ( 1994 ), 5 min Directed by Andrew Lancaster An inventor finally gets a chance to mass-produce his latest creation at the Universal Appliance Co. factory.
Saturday, October 27 at 2, 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm Romper Stamper (1992), 94 min Directed by Geoffrey Wright, v,rith Russell Crowe, Jacqueline McKenzie, Daniel Pollock Australia's image of itself as an overwhelmingly tolerant society where multiculturalism has been a success is severely challenged by this savage story of skinhead neo-Nazis rampaging through Melbourne. Its depiction of street battles between Anglo and Asian gangs has proved to be horribly prescient. Russell Crowe gives one of his best perfom1ances. Preceded by
more ... Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s, 7 Joy (2000), 10 min Directed by Cate Shortland An adolescent girl's journey of self-discovery is set in the garish twilight world of Sydney's late night shopping malls and rooftops.
Sunday, October 28 at 2, 4:30, 6:50, 9: 10pm Chopper (2000), 94 min Directed by Andrew Dominik, with Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon This bloody comedy about a criminal maniac is inspired by Mark "Chopper" Read's autobiographical best-selling book, From the Inside. Preceded by Two/Out (1998), 14 min Directed by Kriv Stenders Jack and Tom are cellmates whose fragile bond unravels when Jack falls in love with a plastic bag.
Monday, October 29 at 4:30, 6:50, 9:10pm Australian Animation Program, 110 min
Uncle (1996); Cousin (1998); Brother (1999) Directed by Adam Elliot This trilogy of shorts focuses on relationships among family members.
Lovely Day (1996) Directed by Chris Backhouse A woman sings and plays the piano in this animated film.
Union Street (1991) Directed by Wendy Chandler A renovation sets off an unexpected chain of events.
Tiga (1990) Directed by Lucinda Clutterbuck 'Throtigh hai1d draw11;brightly-colored animation, the last Tasmanian Tiger in captivity jumps free of his cage.
His Mother's Voice ( 1997) Directed by Dennis Tupicoff A mother describes discovering her son's death.
Slim Pickings (1998) Directed by Anthony Lucas On a planet of garbage, Snork may have to eat his best friend to survive.
Small Treasures (1994) Directed by Sarah Watt The story of Jane's pregnancy: panic, joy, hormones, and an unexpected ending.
Gorgeous (1994) Directed by Kaz CookeHermione tackles plastic surgery, beauty therapy, and bulimia in a fit of inadequacy.
J,.,find's Eye (1998) Directed by GregoryGodhard This experimental film is comprised of 1200 photographs.
rnore ... Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 90s, 8
Tuesday, October 30 at 4:30, 6:50, 9: 10pm The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), 103 min Directed by Stephan Elliott, with Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce Two drag queens and a transsexual tour across the outback in a ribald exploration of Australian manhood. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival, Prix Du Publique, and the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
Credits
BAM 2001 Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Philip Morris Companies Inc., the festival's founding patron and leading corporate supporter since 1983. Next Wm1eDown Under is presented in partnership with Australia Council for the Arts, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australia International Cultural Council, and the Australian Film Commission. Support is provided by The Australian Consulate-General. Qantas Airways is the official airline for Nexr Wave Down Under. Support for Killing the Koala is provided by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Opening night support is provided by Alice White Wines. The BAM Rose Cinemas are named in recognition of a leadership gift in honor of Jonathan F.P. and Diana Calthorpe Rose. BAM Rose Cinemas would also like to acknowledge the generous support of The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, Richard B. Fisher & Jeanne Donovan Fisher, the Brooklyn Borough President, Brooklyn Delegation of the Ne,v York City Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, HSBC Bank USA, The Liman Foundation, Coca-Cola Enterprise of New York and Bowne of New York. BAM's official broadcast sponsor is Bloomberg Radio AMl 130. The BAMmarquee is sponsored by Citigroup. The BAM facility is owned by the City of New York and is funded, in part, with public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council and the Brooklyn Borough President. (For a complete list of Nel\.iWave Festival supporters, please see the overall Next T1Vm1e Down Under release).
Special thanks to: Jessica Talbot, Liz Goldfinch, and Sabina Wynn at AFC, Liza Petrie at Beyond Films, Sejin Park at Fine Line Features, John Kirk at MGM/UA, Suzru.meFedak at Winstar Cinema, Marisa Keselica at Cowboy Booking, Michael Bauer at Strand Releasing, Don Rosen at Miramax, Kerry Jones at First Look, Amy Adrion at First Run Features, Suzy Schief at Artisan Entertaimnent, Vicky Loughery at USA Films, and Marta Sanchez at Women MalceMovies.
General information
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafe, and Shakespeare & Co. BAMshop are located in the main building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (Lafayette and Ashland) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located at 651 Fulton Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run indepe_ndentand foreign film and repertory progranuning. J.A.M Catering Services provides food and beverages at BAMcafe, which features .ru1eclectic mix of spoken word and live music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights as well as Sounds of Praise (live gospel music with a soul-food buffet) on selected Sundays. A package including di.J.meri.J.1 BAMcafe and a movie ticket to BAM Rose Cinemas is available for only $30 (at the box office only).
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q Local (fonnerly D), and Q Express (fonnerly Q) to Atlantic Avenue* W (formerly B), M, N, R to Pacific Street*; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue
Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM.
*Please note the Manhattan Bridge service changes affecting the former B/D/Q trai.J.1s.For more information on these changes, call the MT A's Manhattan Bridge Hotline, 718.521.3333, or visit www.mta.nyc.ny.us.
####
more ... Killing the Koala: Australian Films of the 1990s BAM's Next Wave Down Under Celebration October 2001
Curator's statement by Paul Byrnes
The changes in Australian films of the 1990s came out of changes in the society itself. Many of the underlying tensions in the country surfaced in a kind of rwnbling dialogue suffusing the films: race and racism, feminism and male violence, immigration and xenophobia, gender confusion and class conflict. Curating this progran1 for BAM has made me realize just how much change there has been, both in Australian film and Australian life. In that decade, our films moved from the bush to the city, from horseback and outback to the great sprawling suburbs where most ofus live. Some films had visited here before, but the pull of the landscape-"the bush," as we call it had always been the greater cultural force-in our literature and painting, as well as our films. The bush hasn't disappeared from our films but it has receded, and this change is bigger than it may seem. It indicates an industry turning from mythology to reality, from a need to reassure to a desire to question, from a preoccupation with our past (symbolised by costtm1e dramas) to a curiosity about our present. In this process, many previously silent voices of ordinary Australian life-migrant, Indigenous, suburban-have begun to be heard.
These new cinematic voices offer a new perspective on Australia, especially to international audiences. Films like Floating Life by Clara Law, which gives vivid insight into what it feels like to be a Hong Kong family arriving in the Australian suburbs; or The Boys, a first feature by Rowan Woods-a chilling view of the tensions within a poor, dysfunctional family on the outskirts of a major city. The young men who are about to do violence provide a fictional parallel to a true story of four young brothers who brutally raped and murdered a nurse about ten years ago. These films are not about topics that Americans would normally associate with Australia.
Some of the additional themes explored by Killing the Koala include:
• the rise of Indigenous filmmal<:ing,virtually from scratch: the BAM program will showcase a range of fantastic new shmi and medium length films by new Indigenous directors
• a reassessment of Australian masculinity: Muriel's Wedding; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Romper Stamper; The Boys
• the prominence of women in Australian cinema: debut directors include Kate Woods (Looking for Alibrandi) and Davida Allen (Feeling Sexy), as well as more experienced names like Jocelyn Moorhouse (Proof), and Clara Law (Floating Life)
The films in Killing the Koala reflect a new confidence, which comes out of the wider culture. The rise of humor and sex in Australian film, both scarce in films from the 70s and 80s, are sure signs of that. The new films are diverse and surprising, and the strength ranges through sh01is and documentaries, as well as features. The selection aims to reflect that new diversity, offering nothing less than a new view of Australia.
* * * * * Paul Byrnes Biography
Paul Byrnes is currently film critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, the most respected newspaper in Sydney and the oldest in Australia. His lifelong interest in film is partly the legacy of growing up in a country town in the 1960s where there were two picture theatres and a drive-in. He joined the newspaper in 1976, and spent a decade in general reporting, with various postings overseas, before specializing in film. He began reviewing films full time for the Sydney Morning Herald in 1985.
In 1989, he became director of the Sydney Film Festival. He occupied this post for ten years, during which the festival doubled in size, both in program and audience numbers. He was given honorary membership of the Australian Screen Directors Association in 1998 for his work in promoting documentary in the festival program. He gave up the job in 1998 to return to film criticism at the Herald, and to pursue other projects-including a more normal life. Worksince then has included programming the screenings for the 1999 Australian Documentary Conference in Adelaide and writing a book and teaching film in the adult education program at Sydney University. Byrnes lives in Sydney, where his other interests include jazz and surfing.