SEMESTER 1, WEEK 1 3 MARCH, 2010 ONCE UPON A TIME: Will fanfiction kill the literature star? Interview with Triple J's Tom + Alex Mardi Gras? More like Parti Gras*! *see what we did there? Uni-Cycle: Crime on Campus Oscars: Avatar vs. Hurt Locker 10 The Arts Hole w MArdi Gras SCREEN PARADE + FilmSoc President Hansen Ding Carmen Culina has a gay old time. After Party has a few things to say about Though today’s Mardi Gras is a magnet for close, but even with only ten people deep it is Tropfest. scantily clad adolescents verbing on the steps hopeless.” Turning to the mass of squealing of Town Hall, it has not always been an teenagers in knee-high socks and ‘Free Hugs’ attraction for hoards of keyed-up youths. t-shirts, he continued, “It is a bit of a funny Lisa Jenkins has watched the profile and crowd. I think I’m going home.” popularity of the parade change,. She recalls, “Fifteen years ago you could take your pick of front-row spots, but your mates Now, I am proud of the unbridled enthusiasm would also diss you for going along”. Such with which our city embraces the parade..I’m To be sure, lavish prizes and celebrity also happy to have more young people sentiment has been replaced by a general judges are pretty good at drawing a crowd make the connection between tolerance and acceptance by teenyboppers.Seventeen-year- and improving an event. But this year celebration, even if the association is tenuously old Sascha Brenthan thinks that her age it seems the organisers of Tropfest have group is particularly enthusiastic because formed by glow-sticks and angel wings. The She’s a lady. Woah, woah, woah, she’s a lady. forgotten that the average aspiring short there are so few events like it in Sydney. “It’s demographic just makes it increasingly hard to in here is great and the music is kickin’ too.” just about dressing up and having fun,” she remember that the reason you are out in the film director works in a cubicle with the She was also impressed by the quality of the said, adjusting her nurse outfit in front of the city is to celebrate queers, and not corset-clad enthusiasm of a perpetually depressed gals: “Sydney’s lesbians are incredibly well mirror in the Hungry Jacks ladies’ toilets. yuppies. snail, is alien to the concept of non- dressed, there are a range of ages here and discount seafood and had his girlfriend everyone looks fantastic – you don’t see that It was with great relief then, that I was able leave him last week for a publicist named The parade’s increasing popularity means in Vancouver.” Boom – consider that another to escape the streets into the Arthouse for the Chad. All the average Tropfest entrant that latecomers must either elbow their way gold for the team, ladies. through the teeming crowds that line Oxford post-parade ladies’ night. Tongue Twisters 4 really wants is to make films and have St. vainly hoping to of catch a glimpse of made the most of the incredible two-storey them noticed. The Mardi Gras festivities are far from over. a glittered body on a float, or undertake a venue, with over 1000 guests partying to The festival will culminate with the Mardi crash course in teen subcultures led by the Sydney’s hottest lady DJs as they grooved Tropfest began as a festival to give much Gras Party this Saturday, headed up by David costumed, drunk youngsters who commandeer up a storm. Taryn Swiatek, who decided to Guetta at the Hordern Pavilion. The $135 needed exposure and attention to the Hyde Park for the evening. Chris Eskra from swap the Winter Olympics for Mardi Gras, tickets should prevent attendees feeling like aforementioned short filmmakers. All Miami,who arrived in the hour before the was impressed by the after party. “I soon they are trapped in schoolies on a dress-up you needed was a good idea and a whole parade, said, “I spent 50 minutes trying to get gave up on the parade, but the atmosphere night. load of dedication and passion, and you could have a shot at winning and being noticed. It hardly mattered that you didn’t have ten thousand dollars to spend on RECLAIM equipment and industry connections. Yet at this year’s Tropfest, at my counting STREET THE LANES thirteen of the sixteen finalists were shot on rather expensive film equipment (the Lewis d’Avigdor got down and dirty with Newtown’s downest and dirtiest. other three were animated), at least ten seemed to have used professional actors Reclaim the Lanes is an irreverent roving achieved its aims: it reclaimed lanes! (including one film which starred Pia street party, where the residents of Throughout the morning, an eager Miranda) and one cringe-inducing film Newtown briefly assert their right to romp contingent gathered at the Hub, before called “Fuck Hollywood, We’re Indie and about the streets. While the festival is in launching onto Enmore Road at 2pm Proud” ironically used no less than ten part a protest against the dominance of and then camping down for a nearby different sets in the space of five minutes. the car in Sydney, it is more a celebration lane-party. A local band, Rocket Head, of community and the neighbourhood. started cranking out some grungy tunes I thought every finalist film was well-made I caught up with Dave Bentley, part of on a makeshift stage before another local and showed a lot of dedication and hard a loose collective of 40-odd musicians, act, Svelt, kept the party going with some It was cheaper to get this child to hold this work. However the final selection seemed sign than an actual signpost. artists and DJs who organised the event. psychedelic drum-and-bass. somewhat elevated considering the casual “It was not anti-anything,” according to nature of the event. The majority of naked mudslinging rave and kept the Bentley. “It was more of a safe, friendly And at the same time, up to 15 wheelie- entrants, in contrast to the finalists, shot dream alive. The collective kept its and environmentally sound party than a bin sound systems started pumping out on video, not film, and they shot without word to the police and council and, protest. That’s why we chose the lanes, dub, break-core, hip-hop and psy-trance. real sets or actors. These film makers, after a tremendous set by Paul Mac and not the major thoroughfares. As much All I can say is that you haven’t partied disenfranchised by the industry and Seymour Butz, called it a day at 10pm as the traditional aims of reclaiming the until you’ve danced with Technoviking looking for a way to get their foot in the on the dot. streets from cars are worthwhile, it was impersonators, wearing only budgie door, are once again left in the cold like more about encouraging and celebrating smugglers and stomping away to a ginger-headed stepchildren, just like when Unless you’re inclined to view these an explosion of art, music and culture wheelie-bin sound system. (And for those their girlfriends dumped them for Chad. party/protesters as a bunch of hippie- in a space that is largely forgotten: our of you who haven’t seen the YouTube In an effort to be inclusive all Tropfest anarchist degenerates, it’s hard not laneways.” sensation that is Technoviking: I pity you). has done is create another group of mini to be swayed by the innocent joy The event wasn’t just about music; patricians atop the mobs who still have of reclaiming the lanes. No money The Reclaim the Lanes concept is a it included street performers and art no idea how to begin making films and was made by the organisers, none global phenomenon that originated as installations, the best of which was a four- get them seen. I’m happy that Tropfest is of the artists were paid, no political “Reclaim the Streets” in the UK in the foot gorilla made out of recycled tyres now popular and well attended, and its programme was rammed down your early 90s. Despite this transnational and mounted on wheels. Its creator, USyd finalists are now very high quality, but the throat and no thuggery was tolerated. dimension, its many incarnations education student Mark Swartz, dragged majority of short film makers need to be You only had to glance to the signs, around the world are truly localised it up and down Newtown’s streets, much acknowledged before they flock to a new “DON’T PISS WHERE YOU and spontaneous. The recent Reclaim to the delight of kids (and adults) who Tropfest, replacing the desperate thirty PARTY!”, “YOU HAVE THE RIGHT the Lanes of 13 February 2010 can be eagerly took a ride. year old festival for her warmer, younger TO REMAIN FABULOUS” and, my seen as the resurgent younger sibling sister. As a matter of fact, even the two- favourite, held by an adorable toddler, of the Reclaim the Street festivals As co-operative police (who were probably year-old Tropfest New York is essentially “NO VOMITING”. Nobody stood to which dominated the suburbs of Glebe, just happy they weren’t at GoodVibes) becoming everything Tropfest Australia gain or profit except those who turned Newtown and the CBD in the final years looked on, the party danced through has lost. of last century. lanes, past the Carlisle Castle Hotel up and were able to shimmy on the streets normally dominated by cars.