James Walsh talks to the director of ‘A Hundred Years of Happiness’ about blending in as a documentary filmmaker, and using an observational approach to allow his young Vietnamese female subject to speak for herself.
Read more
Sketch & Study: ‘A Year Full of Drama’
Marta Pulk documents a teen’s shifting sense of self, as she is tasked with watching 224 plays in 365 days.
Read more
Review: ‘Descent’ is a Cathartic Deep Dive That Takes Your Breath Away
Nays Baghai crafts an empathetic portrait of ice freediver Kiki Bosch, exploring how the traumas of her past led her to the extreme sport.
Read more
Review: ‘Rosemary’s Way’ Introduces Audiences to the Australian Hero We Need Right Now
It’s hard not to fall for the community spirit and gentle charms of Ros Horin’s sophomore documentary feature.
Read more
Review: Superstition as Anesthesia in ‘Zana’
Set in the aftermath of the Kosovo war, Antoneta Kastrati explores the stigmatisation of female psychology in her unflinching narrative debut.
Read more
Review: ‘Sea Fever’ is a Moody Deep-Sea Sci-Fi
Watery characterisation and borrowed genre tropes leave this thriller down among the dead men.
Read more
Sydney Film Festival 2020 Shorts Round-Up: Animation
Although ‘GNT’ and ‘The Quiet’ are animated, they’re far from two-dimensional.
Read more
Sydney Film Festival 2020 Shorts Round-Up: Live-Action
‘Her Own Music’, ‘Mukbang’, and ‘Idol’ tell their stories of adolescence and social media madness sensitively – and quickly.
Read more
Translating Between Two Worlds: An Interview with Nays Baghai
Michelle Wang speaks with the director of ‘Descent’ about the physical and psychological journey of filming an underwater exploration of the soul.
Read more
The Illusions of Idolatry: An Interview with Alex Wu
Ahead of ‘Idol’’s Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival, Alex Wu talks about his short film, the one-take structure, and being influenced by Lee Chang-Dong and Asghar Farhadi.
Read more
Review: ‘The Weather Diaries’ Speaks to Parenting in an Environmental Crisis
In her documentary, Kathy Drayton affectingly examines the climate crisis in Australia and its influence on her relationship with her daughter.
Read more
Review: ‘A Hundred Years of Happiness’ is a Marriage of Unfulfilled Potential and Slow Storytelling
Jakeb Anhvu’s observational documentary can feel more like an exercise in aesthetics than the fascinating cultural study it promises.
Read more
ROUGH CUT 