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In this issue... |
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Some pics... |
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Still from Ken Takahashi's film
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Upcoming film at Mu-Meson's Archives
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Louise Curham
Otherfilm
Still from Ken Takahasi's film
Image from the Cantrill's work
SUFF Venue - The Factory Theatre
THE SUFF TEAM
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WELCOME
Welcome to the May edition of SUFF News – bringing you updates on the Festival Programme, interviews and reviews on underground film every month!
Following last month’s very exciting news that David Lynch, Bill Morrison, Craig Baldwin, Abigail Child, the Cantrills and the pioneering UBU filmmakers Albie Thoms and Paul Winkler will screen works in the Festival, this issue we announce the involvement of even more underground cinema greats.
Festival Launch Event, put the spotlight on underground film in Brisbane, we profile a fearless filmmaker from Canada Ken Takahashi and talk a little about Louise Curham’s recent performance at The Last Bastion of Civilisation.
As we will remind you each month in SUFF News, the festival team would love to hear your feedback on what you’re up to, your rants on underground cinema, or your critical discussions on film in general – after all, the festival is here to nurture filmmakers who operate outside established film industry infrastructures and to provide a platform for open discussion. Keep in touch via email: siouxzi@suff.com.au and keep sending in those film entries!
Love from the Sydney Underground Film Festival team.
P.S We succumbed to the global conglomerate that is myspace: so let’s be friends at: www.myspace.com/sydneyundergroundfilmfest |
FESTIVAL LAUNCH EVENT: email us for details!
SUFF are ecstatic to announce the upcoming Festival Launch to help kick-start the festivities for 2007.
The event will also help launch the release of festival passes - an amazing deal that gets you into every film over the four days of the festival for $55.
Any filmmakers who have not yet entered the festival can have their entry fee waived if they bring two DVD copies of their film to the event and and fill out the entry forms provided on the night.
If you are keen to come along, please email us at info@suff.com.au and we will give you all the details.
Hope to see you there!
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In case you missed it last issue:
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Dates: 7th
–10th September 2007
Venue: The Factory Theatre, Enmore,
Earlybird deadline: 4th May 2007
Regular deadline: 29th June 2007
Purpose: To provide a platform for exhibition, exposure and critical discussion. The organisers are devoted to renewing interest in independent and experimental film in Sydney and as part of an international underground film culture.
Background: The Sydney Underground Film Festival is the brainchild of two passionate underground filmmakers, Stefan Popescu and Katherine Berger. A couple of years ago, both Stefan and Katherine realised the lack of an alternative film festival in Sydney. With the help of fellow filmmakers and artists, the Sydney Underground Film Festival was born; a festival focussed on exposing more experimental, boundary-pushing, underground, subversive, and challenging films.
Regular deadline (29th June 2007) entry fees:
Standard features (30 mins +): $40, $35 with rejection letter
Standard shorts (-30 mins): $30, $25 with rejection letter
Student entry: $25 ($20 with rejection letter)
* Note all fees in Australian dollars
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FESTIVAL UPDATES
JAY KATZ, JOHN GILLIES, VIRGIL WIDRICH…
STILL MORE TO COME!
SUFF are proud to announce the involvement of even more underground cinema legends in the 2007 Festival!
SUFF welcomes video artist John Gillies into the 2007 program. John is one of Australia’s most prolific and important practitioners in this field. Gillies is noted for his explorations with found footage and montage, and his integration of sound and performance practices within the medium of video. John’s past works have included Hymn (1983), Techno/Dumb/Show (1991) and My Sister’s Room (2000).
Virgil Widrich is an Austrian filmmaker, best known for his film Copyshop which experiments with destroying the border between the object and the subject of the film. He is also the originator of Fast Film - using paper for 3D animation in film. He is excited by marrying the visual power of animation with the traditional 90 minute narrative structure.
SUFF are also honoured to announce the involvement of none other than Sydney’s voice of underground culture - Jay Katz. Mr. Katz is arguably Sydney’s most actively dedicated cult/rare film buff. He curates for the Sincity screenings at the Annandale Hotel, and of course the eclectic fortnightly program of bizarre, trash, (and/or) classic cinema, the Mu-Meson Archives. He also hosts the weekly FBi 94.5FM radio program ‘The Naked City’ (Sat. 10am-12pm). Mr. Katz will program an evening of underground film dedicated to SUFF, one week prior to the Festival. We’ll announce further details on this screening as they come to hand!
The line-up of special guests programmers for the Festival will be finalised by next month, including the very exciting Opening Film...
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SPOTLIGHT ON BRISBANE UNDERGROUND FILM
OTHERFILM & TRASH VIDEO
Otherfilm is a collective based in Brisbane, Australia, dedicated to avant-garde, experimental, abstract, expanded and other film. Otherfilm also distribute and sell avant-garde and experimental and abstract dvd's and artist dvdr's, film objects and ephemera and handmade optical art through Otherfilm Bazaar their online store. Otherfilm holds regular screening programs, performance events, exhibitions, workshops, articles, research, discussions and arguments. www.otherfilm.org
Trash Video is based in Brisbane and was established in 1995. It is Australia's largest cult video store with over 12,000 handpicked rare movies. It is owned and run by musicians and artists, mostly the same musicians and artists who form the Otherfilm collective! www.trashvideo.com.au
This interview was conducted by Siouxzi with the infinitely film-literate Danni Zuvela from OtherFilm.
S: What is Otherfilm trying to achieve? What are its ultimate aims for underground cinema?
D: We want to acknowledge and recognise our forebears as well as the many contemporary artists
who continue making challenging, provocative and sublimely amazing work.
We think that combining historical programs with cutting edge contemporary ones, through our festival and regular screenings around the place, is the best way to advance underground/avant-garde cinema.
Our ultimate aim is to have a lot of fun doing this.
We also want to honour and cherish the celluloid medium (in Joel's words, 'that flexible, sprocketed stuff''), especially since choosing to work in film today (and not make a historical epic or 'quality' Australian film) is about the most defiant, subversive thing any artist can do.
S: What are some of the biggest challenges in running a collective? What is it that keeps you going?
D: The biggest challenge is doubtless finding time and space to do all the things we want to do! Our dreams vs the reality...our reach far exceeds our grasp in some respects...but on the other hand, I know it's the promise of how great the next event is going to be that keeps us going.
Sally, Joel & I are lucky in that our love of avant-garde cinema & experimental sound is a glue that keeps us together. We're maybe less of a collective and more of a cult in that respect - avant-garde film is our guru. Gearing up for our third and most spectacular fest yet is our current obsession. (Danni is referring to the upcoming 3rd Otherfilm Festival, Brisbane).
S: In your manifesto, you mention that the death of cinema has been exaggerated by technocrats, and that cinema is now in its twilight (or magic hour - beautiful way to put it!) although Trash Video, for example, was almost ruined by the onset of DVD and the trends of people downloading rather than hiring. What do you predict the cinema of the future to be, after twilight passes?
D: Multiplex cinema - don't know, don't care.
Peeps will still want to see shitful sequels of the last Hollywood blockbuster; there's a certain comfort in the familiar, as well as a totally understandable need to veg out with a no-brainer. But their market share has only been heading one way and nothing is going to reverse that.
Arthouse will continue to grow on DVD/Blu-Ray/whatever since people enjoy the home cinema experience so much - downloading is often a pain and the shelf-browsing experience is still enjoyable. Film always has been and always will be primarily a mode of social experience. Trash's renewed fortunes & the incredible buzz now that the store is overflowing with awesome new stock is testament to this.
Avant-garde film will continue to fester/thrive in the dark little crevices and corners the way it always has - oddballs like us will always want to gather around the flickering beam of the projector, warming our hands over its light, surrendering our eyeballs to its image. The incredible surge of interest in AG film, the revision of old paradigms and debate about new ones now reflects both on the general shittiness of video art and the impoverishment of narrative cinema - and is set to continue.
The performative, live element of expanded cinema also means that it will continue to draw in those who want more from the moving image than just a nice passive viewing position - those who appreciate the wild, live, sculptural, spatial qualities of projected light, who want to explore their bodies in space, and marvel at the beauty of humans/projectors/instruments colliding...
S: What can we, as filmmakers (or film aficionados) do to keep the underground film scene healthy?
D: Go to lots of gigs! Discuss...argue...fall out, make friends again... Let the films energise the room, and go with that! Expose someone else to it; transmit the disease at every possible opportunity. Buy artists' DVDs or CDRs whenever you can & support the labour of love that goes into all independent filmmaking. Show your friends when they come around; bore your parents or children - do whatever it takes to keep spreading the word!! Tell artists when you admire their work; ask when you can see more of it! Let them know they matter; do you know how few contacts the average filmmaker gets, even in this age of email? If you liked it, tell them. For god's sake, interact with the people who make what you're watching, put a face to the name, and keep watching, screening, and discussing!
S: Tell us about some of the most ground-breaking underground films you've seen in recent years (and advice on how readers might be able to buy copies of them/ attend screenings of them)?
D: There have been so many amazing films lately...
Some that come to mind are Ben Russell and Jonathon Schwartz (aka The Psychoacoustic Geographers) - cracked American romantics with a crazy, free-wheeling approach to 16mm film; Melbourne laser maestro Robin Fox's scintillating DVD Backscatter, and f*ckedup Brisbane/Berlin audio-visual duo Botborg's documentation into their research into Photosonicneurokineasthography.
You can purchase copies of international avant-garde film from the OtherFilm Bazaar.
You can attend screenings on a regular basis in Brisbane by getting onto our mailing list: www.otherfilm.org
Or contacting the SUFF team if you're in Sydney! And keep your eyes open for the 3rd OtherFilm Festival - it's going to be huge!
Thanks to Danni, Joel and Sally!
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PROFILE OF AN UNDERGROUND FILMMAKER
Each month, SUFF News will feature a profile on one of our entrants. This profile does by no means guarantee a film’s place in the festival – it’s merely a way for readers to get a sense of their fellow underground filmmakers out there…
NAME: Ken Takahashi
PRODUCTION COMPANY: www.microwavefilms.com
COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE: Canada
FILM SUBMITTED: “Gary’s Touch” (25 minutes)
COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION: Canada (January 2007)SHORT BIO: Ken Takahashi is an award-winning independent filmmaker based in Ottawa, Canada. Takahashi’s previous film, The Milkman (2001), won multiple awards and has screened at film festivals worldwide including New York, London, and Toronto.
Ken’s entry to SUFF is fearless, confronting and disturbing. We were interested in hearing from a filmmaker who dares to push boundaries in a time in which it seems that boundary-pushing films are extremely unwelcome. S: What do you feel are the biggest challenges facing underground, and particularly boundary-pushing filmmakers in the current climate of cinema? Why do you think so many filmmakers eschew difficult subject matter?
I think the biggest challenge facing boundary-pushing filmmakers is getting your film out there. Although there are a number of festivals that specialize in underground films, having your film screened at these festivals can be few and far between. The sad reality is that the more you push, the less likely your film will be shown, although this really depends on the subject matter. If a film deals with non-conventional sex (as many of my films do), then pushing is not always good (pardon the pun). We, North Americans (and perhaps Australians as well), like to think of ourselves as sexually progressive and open, but we’re really not. We’re quite sexually repressed.
I think for some filmmakers, boundary-pushing topics simply don’t interest them. Just as conventional topics don’t interest me. I think it really boils down to what the filmmaker believes is the purpose of making his/her film. For some, films are an escape; they’re simply a form of entertainment. For others, films present an opportunity for critical analysis of various subject matters and the creation of new filmmaking methods. So, if you’re making an entertaining film, then it’s likely you won’t be examining topics dealing with pedophilic sex.
Don’t get me wrong, though, I'm not trying to say that one school is better than the other. Venturing into controversial topics doesn’t make one’s work any more valuable or significant than, say, a filmmaker concentrating on conventional ones. I think both types of films are important.
S: How would you define the essence of what an underground film is?
To me, an underground film explores a new perspective or a new method of filmmaking that usually doesn’t fit the conventional norm. Oftentimes, these films may contradict or challenge the status quo. However, at the same time, I don’t think it’s necessary for an underground film to be subversion, offensive, or even controversial.
S: Can you tell us about your experience with audience/ critical reactions to boundary pushing films you have made?
There’s usually a strong audience reaction at my film’s screenings. At the screenings in my hometown of Ottawa, Canada, it is not uncommon for audience members to walk out.
For my latest film, ‘Gary’s Touch’, one person even went as far as calling the police. This audience member thought that one of the actresses, who was playing the role of a mentally ill person, was sexually assaulted during the simulated sex scenes. Even though this audience member had never met the actress, the complainant thought that the actress was mentally ill, and thus was taken advantage of. This actress, by the way, is not mentally ill. I don’t know where some people get their ideas, but it just amazes me how some people are unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality. The actress had a good laugh, though, when the police called her up asking if she was ok.
S: How do you feel about the state of underground cinema globally at the moment? Have you noticed any changes over the course of your career?
In terms of festivals, there seems to be a lot more underground festival these days. At the same time, though, I think the term ‘underground’ is being more broadly defined. Consequently, more kinds of films, that would not otherwise have been considered underground, are being called ‘underground’. I¹m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one. I guess, in the end, it’s just a matter of semantics.
S: Where would you ideally like to head with your filmmaking?
I’ve only done short-films to date, so my next move is a feature. I’ve been in the midst of working on a feature but, because of law school, I’ve had to put that project on hold. I just recently graduated, so I¹m now able to work on it.
In terms of content, I think there are some things that I’ve learned from ‘Gary’s Touch’ that I’ll be incorporating into the new film. For one thing, I think there’s a limit to how far you can push before people get turned off. If you take it too far, no one will want to see your work. The converse it true, too: if you compromise so much that what you end up with is something conventional, then people, accustomed to your work, will be turned off as well. That, of course, defeats the purpose of making a film, which is to get your work shown.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I'm more cognizant of the balance that must exist between the two extremes. Whether I’ll be successful at that, we’ll just have to see.
Thanks Ken - we can't wait to see your feature!
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SIOUXZI’S PICK OF THE MONTH
LOUISE CURHAM | three projector film performance | Australian
Screened at the NowNow Series, Last Bastion Of Civilisation, Surry Hills, Sydney Australia, April 9
It was going to have to be quite an impressive act to follow on from a musician who plays his own home-made timpani-esque instrument, and a performance artist with an untamable, breathtakingly otherworldly voice. The audience had already been treated to ground-breaking artistic delights in the warm, tea-scented surroundings of the Last Bastion of Civilisation, but Louise Curham (experimental filmmaker, and director of the Sydney Moving Image Coalition) did not disappoint.
The concept itself was ambitious: one musician on keyboard (mixing in short wave radio recordings), and one musician on synth and strings and Louise Curham operating three film projectors simultaneously.
Like a synaesthesic conductor, Louise orchestrated the improvised music through her projections - three in total, projected on various areas of the hushed space.
The projectors themselves didn’t always do as they were told throughout the performance, but the musicians played on, unperturbed by the flurry of celluloid and reels thrust around in the darkness. The sporadic nature of the projections meant that the attention focused variously from music in darkness to music deliciously accompanied by Louise’s projected images although admittedly, the joy of watching may have been greater had the projections been constant - the music would have appeared to be seamlessly feeding from a constant stream of images.
However, at the times when music and image did collide, the intensity was so great my senses just about burst into flames.
The imagery was frenetic, haunting. Throughout the performance we were treated to text based and hand painted animation (Brackhage-style camera-less animation) and what looked like hand processed footage of some Evil Dead style forests. Some moments of image overlap (when two projectors were shifted to screen two images literally over the top of each other) were pure brilliance.
This ambitious idea could be used with virtually any type of imagery - abstract or not - to conduct and heighten improvised music, and to challenge the concept of the projector as a fixed, passive machine. The performance was relevant to current audience expectations that just music or image alone is not enough: the audience must be overloaded with imagery and sound to feel satisfied - and yet the performance was also strangely reminiscent of a time when films were silent and live musicians would bang out tunes to set the mood.
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AND FINALLY... Please keep checking out the website as more prizes, guests, jury, films, sponsors, sound bytes, photos, and bits of random info are added! www.sydneyundergroundfilmfestival.com
Plus keep your eyes and ears out for the announcement of our Opening Film - confirmed soon!
Thanks for reading!
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