The Curb

Join Andrew as he gives his candid thoughts on the 2025 AACTA Award nominations. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

With his feature documentary debut In the Trenches: The Making of Before Dawn, Benjamin Scotford has made a rare achievement within the Australian film industry: a behind the scenes documentary which follows the muddy and tough production of Before Dawn, Jordan Prince Wright's equally rare achievement, an indie war flick shot in the remote West Aussie landscape. Benjamin dives into the ditches of this WW1 epic, taking audiences behind the scenes for the highs, the lows, and the difficulties that the production faces with pulling off the impossible on a micro-budget. Benjamin is given unparalleled access to the production, capturing honest and open discussions from cast and crew that shows off the strength that it took to bring Before Dawn to life. From freezing cold rain to escaping sheep to earthquake level explosions, In the Trenches captures it all. In the following discussion, Benjamin talks about his entry point into documentary filmmaking, how working as a wedding videographer and on corporate gigs with local legends like Tony Galati aka the Spud King informed his guerilla style filmmaking, and the kinds of behind the scenes docos that inspired his work. In the Trenches is currently available on Bluray and DVD via CaptureBehindTheScenes.com.au [https://www.capturebehindthescenes.com.au/]. For those who are also keen to check out Before Dawn, head over to Umbrella Entertainment [https://www.umbrellaent.com.au/movie/before-dawn/] where you can buy it on physical media, or to Netflix where it's available to stream. Before Dawn recently took home the award for Best Sound at the WA Screen Culture Awards, where the film also received nominations for Narrative Feature Film with budget over $1m, Best Cinematography or Visualisation, Best Performance for Myles Pollard, and Best Original Music. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Director Imogen McCluskey continues her exploration of suburban Australia with the comedy-drama film Nugget is Dead: A Christmas Story. This delightfully relatable Aussie Xmas tale was written by Jenna Owen and Vic Zerbst, who both act in the film alongside Aussie screen legends like Gia Carides, Damien Garvey, Ed Oxenbould, Steve Rodgers, Mandy McElhinney, Kerry Armstrong, and Tiriel Mora, and more. Steph Stool is a dermatologist in training who has her feet in two worlds. The shiny sheen of Sydney where the pull of her bougie boyf (Alec Snow) sees her drawn towards spending Christmas with his family. Early in the film we meet his mum (Tara Morice) who gives Steph the complicated and intense rundown of what's expected from their family experience. For them, Christmas will be the 'introduce the family to the girlfriend', a factor that further drives a wedge between Steph and her family who she carries a level of shame about. But, Steph's disconnection with home is short lived when she receives a call from her mum (Gia Carides) saying that the family dog, Nugget, is dead. Well, not exactly dead, he's just not feeling that well. Not wanting to miss seeing the pup she grew up with one last time, Steph rushes home to be with her family, all the while thinking she'll be able to return in time for her boyfriends Christmas. What follows is a rapturously delightful and utterly joyous celebration of Australian Xmas, full of a deep reverence for the tackiness of the tinsel strewn households, replete with a Coles bought pavlova and overburnt sausages on the barbecue. There's an emotional honesty and warmth to Nugget is Dead that is found in Imogen's first feature film, 2019's Suburban Wildlife [https://www.thecurb.com.au/suburban-wildlife-review-generation-z-angst-in-the-suburbs-of-sydney/], a narrative that explored the pressing disconnect that younger generations face when they want to seek a life out of the suburbs and in the city where they can grow. That concern is within Nugget is Dead, but it's presented in such a deeply relatable and enjoyable manner that, by the time the climax arrives, you're not completely aware that you're shedding tears of joy and sadness at once. As you'll hear in the following interview with Imogen, I loved this film a lot, and particularly enjoy experiencing the work of Imogen McCluskey and seeing how her perspective on Australia grows and changes on screen. Throughout the conversation, we chat about working alongside actors who are also the writers of the film, what her time at the AFI Directors Conservatory taught her as a filmmaker, and what she hopes audiences will get from watching Nugget is Dead together. Nugget is Dead: A Christmas Story launches on Stan. on 21 November 2024. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Welcome to a special Adelaide Film Festival round up discussion featuring myself, Virat Nehru, and Nadine Whitney. While we have known each other for years, the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival was our first opportunity to meet up in person, watch some films, and do what film critics do best: talk about them afterwards. The following discussion sees us traipse along a path of the highs and the lows of the Adelaide Film Festival, with each critic highlighting some of their favourite films for the festival, and some of the films that have left them wanting.  Films discussed in the following episode include: The Correspondent, Emilia Perez, Lesbian Space Princess, Make It Look Real, Good One, The Wolves Always Come at Night, Anora, All We Imagine as Light, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, No Other Land, and more.  There are few experiences which leave a mark on you and change how you experience the world, and yet, for me, the Adelaide Film Festival was one such experience. This is partly because of the festival itself, which provided such a wide array of cinematic, theatrical, and critical experiences that kept poking, prodding, and provoking immense thoughts, excitement, and bolstered my passion for cinema and the arts, but it's also partly because of the connection I have had with the following people you'll hear. Meeting my long time collaborator and friend Nadine was as wonderful as I'd hoped it would be, and getting to meet Virat, another person whose work I admire immensely was equally exciting. I hope you enjoy listening to the following discussion as much as I did recording it.  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

In the heart of Adelaide, a movement is changing the conversations about film and film culture. That movement is called moviejuice, a ground up driven collective of artists, filmmakers, film theorists and enthusiasts, who commune to watch, experience, and talk about film and art culture together. Created by Shea Gallagher, Daniel Tune, and Louis Campbell, moviejuice was born in the backyards of Adelaide, spotlighting the sonic landscape of the city with live music and films like Tim Carlier's energetic and invigorating Paco. Over its brief existence, moviejuice has made its mark on Australian culture and cinema, showcasing films that would otherwise go unnoticed or underappreciated. Films like Gabe Bath's Ships that Bear or Tim Baretto's Bassendream, unique experiences that genuinely shift the filmic language of Australian cinema. Now, in 2024, moviejuice have teamed up with Adelaide Film Festival to present a must see experience, a cinematic double featuring Jordy Pollock's Wabi Sabi Rendezvous and Audrey Lam's Us and the Night. In the following interview, Daniel and Shea talk about their history with moviejuice, the vision for the collective, what it means to work with an organisation like Adelaide Film Festival, and naturally, the importance of celebrating and amplifying this kind of Australian culture. I am in awe of what the moviejuice team are creating from the heart of Adelaide. They are helping shape how we respond to Australian culture and ensuring that filmmakers like Gabe Bath, Tim Baretto, Tim Carlier, Jordy Pollock, and Audrey Lam, are continually talked about and are part of the ongoing conversation that is Australian cinema. moviejuice presents Wabi Sabi Rendezvous and Us and the Night at Adelaide Film Festival on Saturday 2 November 2024. Tickets are available here [https://www.adelaidefilmfestival.org/program/2024/moviejuice]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.