The Curb | Australian Culture, Film Reviews, Interviews, and More...

Filmmaker and award-winning journalist Yaara Bou Melhem makes their documentary debut with their impressive new film, Unseen Skies. Following artist-activist-writer-musician Trevor Paglen as he makes art out of the plentiful black op sites around the world, Unseen Skies interrogates what it means to be surveilled, what is happening with the wealth of data being collected from us, and more. It's a visually stunning film with a soaring score by Helena Czajka.

Unseen Skies plays at the Sydney Film Festival on November 10th, November 13th, and will be available online via SFF On Demand on November 12th. Purchase tickets here.

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Over six years, a couple battles to stay together as one of them transitions genders; confronting the effects of new body parts, changing gender roles as well as navigating their own evolving sexual identities.

Filmmaker JJ Winlove has managed an impressive feat for Australian film: having two films released in the same year. With the emotional June Again featuring a trio of excellent performances from Noni Hazelhurst, Claudia Karvan, and Stephen Curry, joining the immersive cinematic experience Crossing Paths, an interactive journey through Sydney as the audiences decides which of the twelve characters stories to follow. Screening to sold out audiences at the Sydney Film Festival, Crossing Paths promises to be an engaging and discussion provoking experience.

In this interview, JJ talks about what it means to be a New Zealand director making films in Australia, how Crossing Paths was created, and more.

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With blood, guts, and a whole bunch of indie filmmaking gusto, genre-fiends brother duo Kiah and Tristan Roache-Turner flipped the Aussie film industry on its with the outback-zombie flick Wyrmood: Road of the Dead in 2014. With sci-fi follow up Nekrotronic under their belts, they turned their attention to the hotly anticipated and equally bloody follow-up, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse. Continuing on this post-apocalyptic mayhem journey where zombies breath has become a substitute for fuel, Kiah grows as a director in impressive ways with this new entry.

In part one of a deep dive interview with Kiah, we explores how this entry came about, the influence of Ozploitation masters, and dig into the freedom that low budget filmmaking affords.

Make sure to come back and check out part two on Wednesday, where Kiah talks about recognising the talent in yourself, inventive drone shots, and more.

 

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Shahn Devendran is the series creator and producer of the powerful Amazon and LADbible Australia show, UNHEARD. Telling the story of racism in Australia from the perspective of those who live with the impact of racial discrimination, this is a powerful, important series. Andrew interviews Shahn about the creation of the series, the social impact campaigns that LADbible has engaged with, and how to encourage people who might not feel they live in a racist society to watch this show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXp6JXi1F1Y&ab_channel=AmazonPrimeVideoAUNZ

Song featured in this episode: Everything's Fucked - The Dirty Three

Find out more about the series below.

Amazon Prime Video today announced a ground-breaking new six-episode documentary series, UNHEARD, the first feature produced by LADbible Australia Originals and with production funding from Screen Australia. All six episodes of UNHEARD will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand and select countries around the world on 29 October, with the first two episodes also available to stream for free on primevideo.com.

UNHEARD will give Prime Video members an insight into critical issues of racial discrimination in Australia, including Indigenous deaths in custody, the targeting of Indigenous youth, attacks towards Asians during COVID, Islamophobia, the vilification of the African community and the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees. The six stand-alone episodes in the UNHEARD series are told through intimate interviews, blended with animation, archive footage, podcasts, photographs, phone conversations and infographics revealing the shocking statistics and complexities behind the larger issues. Each episode is led by the voices of personal accounts, so their experiences and calls for justice are presented without filter.

“The opportunity to program this compelling investigative series is significant to us,” said Tyler Bern, Head of Content, Amazon Prime Video Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. “UNHEARD is a necessary action and awareness series that is globally relevant to Prime members in Australia and makes them aware of social injustice locally.  We are very proud to be involved with LADbible Australia on this production and showcasing this important documentary series.”

The UNHEARD documentary series is an extension of LADbible Australia’s UNHEARD campaign. Launched in February 2021, the campaign utilises LADbible Group’s global audience of almost a billion and Australian audience of 11.8 million to support their campaign partners; the National Justice Project, Human Rights Commission, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, The Refugee Council of Australia, Change.org, African Women Australia, Asian Australian Alliance, Islamophobia Register Australia, Deadly Connections Community and Justice Services and All Together Now.

“The UNHEARD campaign and documentary series not only provides a platform for these powerful stories to be told, but also helps put a global focus on Australian incidents of racial injustice that are often overlooked,” says executive producer, writer and creator, Shahn Devendran, Head of Originals, LADbible APAC. “We are proud that LADbible’s first feature documentary series is able to support our campaign partners, and in working with Amazon Prime Video and Screen Australia will help bring these important issues to light.”

UNHEARD was written and produced by Shahn Devendran (LADbible Australia Originals), Jack Steele (Between Two Lines), Cathy Vu (SBS), Luke Cornish (Alone Out Here), Dan Mansour (The Final Word), Olivia Suleimon (Rosaline’s Untaming) and Ellen Dedes-Vallas (Nickelodeon).

UNHEARDwill join a growing list of Australian produced content available on Amazon Prime Video. Since 2019, Prime Video has commissioned14 Amazon Original series in Australia including The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team, Making Their Mark, a series of 10 stand-up comedy specials by some of Australia’s best comedians, LOL: Last One Laughing AU with Rebel Wilson, Head Above Water, Luxe Listings Sydney, The Moth Effect and the upcoming Back to the Rafters. UNHEARD will also join thousands of TV shows and movies in the Prime Video catalogue, including hits like Golden Globe award-winner Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Underground Railroad, Them, Val, The Boys, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Coming 2 America, Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, The Tomorrow War, Cinderella, Nine Perfect Strangers, Upload, plus Emmy Award winners Fleabag, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Prime members will be able to watch UNHEARD anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, and stream online. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in Australia at no additional cost to a Prime membership for just $6.99 a month; new customers can find out more at www.primevideo.com and subscribe to a free 30-day trial.

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Aussie filmmaker Josephine Croft joins Andrew to discuss her new short film, Grounded, which is currently engaging in festival submissions. In this deep discussion, Josephine talks about how the idea for the stranded horror came about, while also discussing the creative process of making a short film during lockdowns.

Find out more about Grounded from Dayna Di Fulvio below, and to keep up to date with Josephine's work, and Grounded, visit www.josephinecroft.com.au and www.tenaciousstories.net.

Short Thriller Grounded Awakens Your Worst Fears on an Aeroplane

Set on a decommissioned aeroplane at Avalon Airport in Victoria, Grounded takes viewers on a thrilling journey of entrapment and isolation. The film centres around a uniquely chilling circumstance where main character Anne (Josephine Croft) wakes to find herself locked up, forgotten and alone on a grounded aeroplane.

Inspired by the true story of a woman travelling on a USA airline who fell asleep and was accidentally abandoned after everyone disembarked. Melbourne based filmmaker Josephine Croft envisioned the nightmare scenario with a twist. “Though in real life she just called someone and they came to get her. I thought it would make a good short film and spit-balled the idea of some sort of monster being stuck on board with her.”

The audience follows the character Anne played by Croft, as she comes to the realisation the cabin has been sealed and she must escape. Her fight quickly turns to flight from the unknown locked inside with her. As something hunts her, she tries to scramble for safety, knowing she’s trapped.

Croft raises the stakes of her short thriller about survival by intertwining it with the supernatural themes, "I think being trapped with something unknown takes the horror and anxiety to the next level. Firstly to survive and secondly to get off the plane." 

To date, the short film has been selected as a finalist in the European Cinematography Awards, New York Cinematography Awards and AFIN - International Film Festival. Along with winning an honourable mention award for best soundtrack at the Oniros Film Awards New York. 

Award-winning key creatives based throughout Australia tied to the project include Syndey/Melbourne director, Jesse Richards. Melbourne cinematographer Marcus Cropp and Perth based music composer, Sean Tinnion. 

Grounded is anticipated to be hitting the Australian film festival circuit during 2021 and 2022. To keep up to date with their screening information and to watch their trailer check out the links below. 

FB: www.facebook.com/groundedtheshortfilm/

IG: www.instagram.com/groundedtheshortfilm/

W: www.tenaciousstories.net/grounded

Grounded - trailer from Josephine Croft on Vimeo.

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My Cherry Pie is one of the brilliant Aussie horror films screening at the online film fest: A NIGHT OF HORROR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. With a clear adoration for horror cinema, My Cherry Pie is a gruesome and hilarious dive into the world of criminals who end up in the wrong part of the country, and in deadly strife. Certain to delight horror fans, this is a genuinely exciting entry into the all-too-sparse Aussie horror film canon.

Co-directors Addison Heath and Jasmine Jakupi talk about their influences, how they made the film in rural Victoria, and turning Sotiris Tzelios into a Roger Ward-lookalike in this interview. Make sure to check out My Cherry Piewhen A NIGHT OF HORROR lands on October 18th.

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James Ashton is an AACTA Award winning sound designer, known for his work on Lion (which he shared in the Best Sound award at the 2017 AACTA awards), Mortal Kombat, Tanna, and Justin Kurzel's latest film, Nitram. In this deep discussion about Nitram and Lion, James talks about his creative process, the art of building a soundscape, and how one of the most intense and powerful scenes in a film this year was sonically crafted.

It was a genuine treat to be able to explore a different side of fimlmaking with James, and we wrap up this interview discussing what the future of sound design might be in Australia, highlighting the hopeful aspect of how having major Hollywood films like Mortal Kombat and Shang-Chi being made here will strengthen and showcase the excellent talent of Australian creatives.

Make sure to see Nitram in cinemas from Sept 30th 2021, with an eventual release on Stan. down the line.

Read Andrew's review of Nitramhere, and listen to Matthew Eeles from Cinema Australia interview Justin Kurzel and Shaun Grant here.

Clips in this episode: Nitram trailer // Cannes first look at Nitram // Rider from True History of the Kelly Gang.

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Andrew caught up with the filmmakers behind Inferno Without Borders , producer Sandrine Charruyer, co-producer Laura Sivis, and co-produer Sophie Lepowic.