The Workshop Film Group presents: The 41st Residential Film Weekend October 1 – October 3, 2016 Metropole Guest House, Katoomba. Saturday 1 October 1.45 The Lives of Others 2005 Drama/thriller DVD (137 mins) 4.10 Afternoon tea break (15 mins) 4.25 Pinocchio 1940 Animated BluRay (88 mins) Dinner 6pm – 8pm 8.00 Kiss me Kate 1953 Musical DVD (110 mins) 9.55 Evening tea break (15 mins) 10.10 Private screening of a famous Australian singer and guitarist who appeared in ‘Newsfront’ 2011 Documentary DVD (94 mins) NB: Above times are before clocks put forward one hour. Sunday 2 October Breakfast 8 am – 9 am 9.00 Introduction to Newsfront by Richard Brennan Associate Producer (5 mins) 9.05 Newsfront 1978 Drama DVD (111 mins) 10.56 Questions/discussion on Newsfront with Richard Brennan (9 mins) 11.05 Morning tea break (15 mins) 11.20 Special Presentation: Richard Keys presents “Memories of a Film Cameraman” includes 5 clips from newsreels (65 mins) Lunch 12.25 pm – 1.55 pm (90 mins) 1.55 Wadjda 2012 Comedy drama DVD (98 min) 3.40 Afternoon tea break (15 mins) 3.55 Coniston Muster 1975 Documentary short DVD (30 mins) 4.25 Dames 1934 Comedy musical DVD (90 mins) Dinner 6pm – 8pm 8.00 Fresh Men & Fresh Women1962 Documentary short DVD (11 mins) 8.15 Flausfilm 2009 Documentary DVD (99 min) 10.00 Evening tea break (15 mins) 10.15 Invaders From Mars 1953 Science fiction drama DVD (82 mins) Monday 3 October Breakfast 8 am – 9 am 9.0 – 9.14 Vacate your room, hand in key, pay bar bill 9.15 Detour 1946 Film noir mystery & suspense DVD (68 min) 10.25 Morning tea break (15 mins) 10.40 Goodbye Lenin 1999 Comedy drama DVD (120 mins) ‘Film program finishes about 1pm, Please hand in your rating sheet with comments before you leave, important for review of future programming. Special Presentations: Memories of a Cameraman by Richard Keys Richard Keys falling in love with film, left university as a teenager to become Newsreel Cameraman with Movietone News before moving to Cinesound as Production Cameraman. He later pursued his passion for film behind the lens in film studios around the world and in film funding and archival organisations; he is now Curator Emeritus of the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA). Richard will talk about the powerful role film has played in his life and will be presenting a special program “Memories of a Film Cameraman”. He will be talking about his experiences over many years and showing five clips from some the greatest newsreel footage ever filmed such as the 1950’s floods in the Hunter Valley where many lives and homes were lost and the warfront on the Kododa Trail in Papua New Guinea. Newsfront Introduced by Richard Brennan Richard Brennan has had a long career as a Producer in film and television and has also worked as a Project Manager at Screen Australia. He continues to mentor young filmmakers. His most recent credit is as Producer of The Long Goodbye, a short feature directed by Samantha Rebillet. He produced Grievous Bodily Harm, which was shown at Katoomba. Richard was the Associate Producer of Newsfront and has a very impressive filmography, many of them winning awards. The films include: Homesdale, The Office Picnic, The Love Letters From Teralba Road, Stir, Long Weekend, Molly, Starstruck, Mad Dog Morgan, The Trespassers, The Removalist and The Great McCarthy. Richard will be introducing and talking about the outstanding Australian film of the 1970’s Newsfront (see below) which won an incredible 11 AFI Awards in 1978 including Best Film, and was nominated for another four. Films: NEWSFRONT Dir: Phillip Noyce, Australia, dvd, 1978 111 mins, Col, Cast: Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, Gerard Kennedy, Chris Haywood, John Ewart, Don Crosby, Angela Punch McGregor, John Clayton, John Dease, Bryan Brown, Lorna Lesley, Mark Holden. Philip Noyce's film moves between two stories of rivalry and ambition. The first rivalry involves two newsreel companies: Cinetone, owned by A.G. Marwood, a typical Australian working class man made good, and Newco, personified by maverick cameraman Charlie Henderson. The other rivalry is of a more deeply felt nature and involves brothers Len and Frank Maguire, both employed at Cinetone. The newsreel footage provides more than easy nostalgia. Through the eyes of Len we are allowed to re- live milestone events of the 1950s, such as the referendum to ban the Communist Party, Redex round-Australia car trial, The Maitland floods and the Olympic Games. But we also become witness to the events that shape and undo Len and Franck's life, Len's deteriorating marriage and Frank decision to step out from Len's shadow and leave for America. As television invades the home and newsreels become a thing of the past, the film becomes a reflection on a passing era and particular quality of working man, loyal, honourable and resourceful. 'Newsfront' is one of the gems of the Australian Cinema Renaissance of the 1970s. Some of Australia’s finest actors of that era were in the film. Critics comment: The way the newsreels are woven into the fictionalized story is seamless. GOODBYE LENIN Dir: Tom Tykwer, Germany, dvd, 1999, 120 mins, col, Cast: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Armin Rhode. A dedicated young German boy pulls off an elaborate scheme to keep his mother in good health in this comedy drama from director Wolfgang Becker. Suffering a heart attack and falling into a coma after seeing her son arrested during a protest, Alex's (Daniel Brühl) socialist mother, Christiane (Katrin Sass), remains comatose through the fall of the Berlin wall and the German Democratic Republic. Knowing that the slightest shock could prove fatal upon his mother's awakening, Alex strives to keep the fall of the GDR a secret for as long as possible. Keeping their apartment firmly rooted in the past, Alex's scheme works for a while, but it's not long before his mother is feeling better and ready to get up and around again. The illusion remains perfect until one day the truth can no longer be concealed. The clever comedy was the most successful German film of the year in 2003. Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2004 BAFTA & Golden Globes. Critics Consensus: Funny and poignant social critique of German reunification. THE LIVES OF OTHERS (Das Leben der Anderen) Dir: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany, dvd, 2005, 137 mins, col, Cast: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Thomas Thieme. Gerd Wiesler is an officer with the Stasi, the East German secret police. The film begins in 1984 when Wiesler attends a play written by Georg Dreyman, who is considered by many to be the ultimate example of the loyal citizen. Wiesler has a gut feeling that Dreyman can't be as ideal as he seems and believes surveillance is called for. The Minister of Culture agrees but only later does Wiesler learn that the Minister sees Dreyman as a rival and lusts after his partner Christa-Maria. The more time he spends listening in on them, the more he comes to care about them. The once rigid Stasi officer begins to intervene in their lives, in a positive way, protecting them whenever possible. Eventually, Wiesler activities catch up to him and while there is no proof of wrongdoing, he finds himself in menial jobs - until the unbelievable happens. Winner of Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film in 2007. Critics Consensus: Unlike more traditional spy films, The Lives of Others doesn't sacrifice character for cloak and dagger chases, and the performances stay with you. Wadjda Dir: Haifee Al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia dvd, 2012, 98 mins, col, Cast: Waad Mohammed, Reem Abdullah, Abdullrahman Al Gohani. WADJDA is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighbourhood boy she shouldn't be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda's mother won't allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl's virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself. At first, Wadjda's mother is too preoccupied with convincing her husband not to take a second wife to realize what's going on. And soon enough Wadjda's plans are thwarted when she is caught running various schemes at school. Just as she is losing hope of raising enough money, she hears of a cash prize for a Koran recitation competition at her school. WADJDA is a movie of firsts. This first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia .Even more impressive, WADJDA is the first feature film made by a female Saudi filmmaker. In a country where cinemas are banned and women cannot drive or vote, writer- director Haifaa Al Mansour has broken many barriers with her new film. Critics Consensus: Transgressive in the best possible way, Wadjda presents a startlingly assured new voice from a corner of the globe where cinema has been all but silenced. Kiss Me Kate Dir: George Sidney, USA, dvd, 1953, 110 mins, col, Cast: Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Keenan Wyn, Bobby Van, Tommy Rall. Adapted from the celebrated Cole Porter musical, with its sparkling songs and dazzling wit 'Kiss Me Kate', is loosely based on Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew'.