Sep 12

FILM – Christmas Rose – OzAsia Premiere

Christmas Rose is the hotly anticipated directorial (and screenwriting) debut of popular Hong Kong actress Charlie Yeung, having its world premiere only a few months ago in May.

Set almost exclusively inside a courtroom, this taut, clever legal thriller pits former hotshot defence lawyer turned highly moral prosecutor Tim (a dark and brooding Aaron Kwok) against potential professional rival Freddy (Xia Yu) in a case involving allegations of sexual assault made by beautiful, wheelchair-bound Jing (a hauntingly vulnerable Kwai Lun Mei) against her doctor, Zhou (Chang Chen). The allegations are vehemently denied by the famous Dr Zhou, whose career and relationship are threatened by the media’s harsh judgment of his actions.

Tim, whose relationship with his father, himself a former prosecutor, is best described as fractious, initially refuses to doubt his helpless client Jing and is adamant that Dr Zhou is guilty of all allegations. But as the facts of the case are laid bare before him, Tim starts to question whether everything is as cut and dried as it seems.

Christmas Rose is emotionally harrowing and is not easy watching, posing probing and taboo questions that tug at the viewer’s conscience for the full ninety minutes of the film. However the film’s real strength lies in the realistic portrayal of a group of characters with different reasons for lying – or telling the truth.

Screening on 27 September at 8.15pm at the Mercury Cinema.

4K

 

Sep 10

WOMAD 2014 – Billy Bragg

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BRAGGP 0118WOMADelaide today announced celebrated English folk rock singer-songwriter, Billy Bragg will perform on the closing night of its March 2014 festival.

It will be the musician and political activist’s debut performance at the much-loved four-day festival of music, arts and dance.

WOMADelaide Director, Ian Scobie said he was thrilled to be programming the passionate and charismatic music legend, declaring that Bragg will be a special part of the event.

“In an increasingly superficial music market, we’re delighted to program one of the world’s most endearing champions of ‘songwriting with a message’ in Billy Bragg, “ he said.

“Bragg’s performances are as much about thoughtful songs as his compelling and often hilarious storytelling in between so I’m sure he will go down a treat with our audience.” 

Billy Bragg was this month presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Association of Independent Music Awards in London. In addition to his WOMADelaide show he will be touring Australia nationally.

In other WOMADelaide news, Internode announced today their continued involvement as presenting partner, while Nine Adelaide and DMG Radio have joined the event as media partners.

The next program announcement for WOMADelaide 2014 will be on 21 October.

Sep 08

Male: Real/Ideal – The Mill – Til 27th September

SMA Kryztoff banner Jul 13 01 100dpi998772_370962579697982_1284297326_nBy Peter Maddern

The premise of this exhibition is that thin young men feel isolated in a society that posits the likes of Tatum Channing and Taylor Lautner as exhibit A in how to be a man.

One has to express some incredulity about this in terms of it being a massive societal problem. The passage between adolescence and adulthood is, of course, a challenging one as individual selves are carved out and the social conformity of school and even Uni days breaks apart in the dash for ‘success’. But in a society where (inter alia) obesity is considered an epidemic, European fashion mags favour petite over pecs and where the national game has always required a team of various physical conformities one has to wonder when being thin became mentally dangerous. 

One thinks other causes, such as sexuality, an absence of trusted male role models (especially where fathers have hashed up), insecurity and immaturity may lurk beneath the surface but being a photographic exhibition by definition this display only asks us to consider matters that are, indeed, skin deep. For looking good is a hard wired evolutionary drive and so perhaps we shouldn’t condemn Messrs Lautner and Channing for being its current poster boys. In any case, if societal pressure makes one feel so afraid to put oneself out there, it seems odd that a number of the models in Male: Real/Ideal have so embraced having their bodies torched for the benefit of the tattoo industry.

Not that any of this runs to the sincerity on the issue or indeed the courage of the models on display here. The exhibition put together by Kat Coppock and Brodie Paparella is of seven model / photographer collaborations for a pair images each, one representative of a safe place and the other one less comfortable. The results are simply excellent and they benefit in many instances from the stories told about them mentioned where they hang. The collection highlights an array of styles and attempts at portraying photographically the mood and disposition of the model, or perhaps more correctly, the subject of the images.

Kat’s own pieces with Stephen McEntee are a highlight, especially Duck and Weave where Mr McEntee is being pelted with footballs by members of a ladies AFL squad; there is delightful balance about the hurtling Sherrins in flight that sits in contrast to the role reversal being played out. Amy Herrmann has created two highly post produced images that suitably are titled Dream One and Dream Two. The former shows subject Guillaume Fondran floating nude looking down from a layer of clouds; in the latter he is facing towards the camera, again looking down, but this time still and alone as he is swamped by a railway station like crowd that bustles by. The sense of isolation, whether viewing on or when within the rest of society is most palpable.

Dave Laslett’s image of Luke Digance in Hideaway brings a Surrealist’s sense to the frame conjuring a Rene Magritte like scene, though the movement of the seagulls around him remind us that is more than a snapshot from a dream and finally there is something intriguing and pleasing that is not easily explained in Zezette Lindquist’s My Reality with Louie Tarr where Mr Tarr is seen through the prism of a camera lens but back lit.

As a means to display the works of these young Adelaide photographers, both as exponents of their craft and as interpreters of a human condition, Male: Real/Ideal is an excellent initiative and builds on Kat Coppock’s prodigious recent output as artist and curator. The images are not fashion statements nor mere portraits but rather, true, well-meant collaborations. Any fan of the genre as well as those keen to gaze upon good looking guys should indeed make their way to The Mill this month to step inside these worlds.

Sep 03

OZ ASIA – New Leadership Centre Announced

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South Australia is set to become an international epicentre for cultural and arts management education with the foundation of the Asia Pacific Centre for Arts and Cultural Leadership.

The Adelaide Festival Centre Trust and the University of South Australia have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Centre under a $1.8 million Federal Government grant to fund additional training and exchange programs in South Australia.

The Asia Pacific Centre for Arts and Cultural Leadership wil provide the structure to deliver additional training and exchange programs announced by Senator for South Australia Penny Wong in August.

Minister Assisting the Minister for the Arts, Chloe Fox says the new Centre will consolidate South Australia’s position as a national leader in the Asia-Pacific region not only in the arts and culture but also education.

“This agreement builds on South Australia’s formidable strengths in the arts. It will also support our ongoing partnerships within the Asia Pacific region, such as the sister-state relationship with China’s Shandong province,” Minister Fox says.

With a track record for delivering high quality performing arts and cultural events, the Adelaide Festival Centre has developed an international reputation for excellence for its programs dedicated to Australian and Asian cultural engagement – in particular the OzAsia Festival and the Moon Lantern Parade.

Also a proud sponsor of the OzAsia Festival, the University of South Australia has strong links across the Asia-Pacific region through its research and teaching and a network of successful alumni in China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia.

The University also runs one of the oldest Arts and Cultural Management education programs in Australia and its graduates work across the country and the region. Leading lights such as UniSA graduate Luquiang Qiao, Deputy Director of the Executive Coordination Office for Beijing’s National Centre for Performing Arts, help to promote the inclusion of Australian cultural performances and exhibitions in China.

UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd says the Asia Pacific Centre for Arts and Cultural Leadership represents a huge step forward in underpinning a real renaissance of cultural and education exchange across the region.

“This Centre will be an invaluable underpinning for further growth in the arts and arts education in the state and at the same time it will build an all-important depth of engagement with our neighbours in the region,” Professor Lloyd says.

“The arts are a burgeoning multimillion dollar enterprise across the Asia-Pacific and this new Centre will ensure we can help to meet the demand for skilled arts leadership in the region.”

CEO and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre Douglas Gautier says while the importance of economic links and partnerships with Asia are widely recognised, people don’t fully understand the vital role of cultural links.

“In most Asian cultures economic partnerships go hand in hand with cultural partnerships,” Gautier says. 

“This new Centre will help to cement those partnerships and that’s a great thing for the arts and education in South Australia and will create benefits that touch on all aspects of SA life.”

The new Asia Pacific Centre for Arts and Cultural Leadership will bring together the skills of two South Australian Institutions that are leading the nation in a productive engagement with our region.

The Centre will:

·         Provide high quality training programs for arts administrators at various levels of seniority from Asia Pacific countries;

·         offering the University of South Australia Master’s in Arts and Cultural Management and developing tailored educational offerings in the field of Arts and Cultural Leadership;

·         provide for the placement of interns from the Asia Pacific;

·         develop the Centre as a national hub of Australian-Asia-Pacific cultural engagement based on training, exchange of personnel and artistic presentations;

·         development of research programs in Arts and Cultural Management and Leadership;

Sep 03

ADEL FEST OF ARTS 2014 – First Blockbuster Events Announced

SMA Kryztoff banner Jul 13 01 100dpiAhead of the 2014 program launch on Tuesday 29 October,
Adelaide Festival Artistic Director David Sefton is thrilled to announce two blockbuster events for his second festival. 

 

On the opening weekend of the 2014 Festival (Fri 28 Feb– Sun 2 Mar), Dutch theatre hit
Roman Tragedies blends three of Shakespeare’s most famous political plays into one continuous six-hour political drama, while in the final week (Tue 11 Mar – Fri 14 Mar), 
Zorn in Oz sees the renowned John Zorn in his Australian debut, with an exclusive series of six one-off marathon concerts across four evenings.


The legendary avant-garde musician John Zorn forged his reputation experimenting and mixing between so many genres and styles that conventional categorisation of his music is meaningless. Forty years of relentless genre busting musical experimentation, performance and composition will be distilled into six concerts, four of which are over three hours in length.

 

Artistic Director David Sefton said: “I am thrilled and proud that Adelaide Festival will present John Zorn in Australia for the first, and most likely the only time ever. The epic scale of these concerts is a testament to the range and diversity of Zorn’s music. There really is no one else like him and this is Australia’s chance to finally see him live.” 

 

With over 40 of Zorn’s closest collaborators traveling to Australia from the United States (including Mike Patton, Milford Graves, Bill Laswell, Marc Ribot, Joey Baron and John Medeski), in addition to Australian contributions from Elision Ensemble and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, each of the concerts will be unique musical experiences.

 

On sale dates:

Roman Tragedies 
On sale from 7pm, Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Festival Theatre | 28 Feb, 1 Mar, 2 Mar | Unreserved Seating | $50 – $159 | 

 

Zorn in Oz 
All concerts on sale early evening Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Festival Theatre | 11 Mar – 14 Mar | $35 – $129 |

Sep 02

VISUAL ARTS – Male; Real/Ideal – The Mill – 6-27 September

SMA Kryztoff banner Jul 13 01 100dpi“Male; Real/Ideal”

Men unite against stereotyping and stigma for a new photographic art show.

6th – 27th September 2013

The Mill Adelaide

154 Angas Street Adelaide

malerealideal.blogspot.com

 

tumblr_inline_mpx18moypq1qz4rgpA visual testament to the resilience of the modern male, “Male; Real/Ideal” speaks to a society feeling disenfranchised in an organic inability to meet standards of appearance and ability set by media and pervasive celebrity.

Brodie Paparella has joined forces with emerging artist and curator Katherine Coppock to bring to life a concept born from a grapple with self-esteem he’d seen amongst his contemporaries, colleagues and friends.  Seven photographers and seven everyday men come together to explore concepts of physical prejudice and the resulting effects on men’s mental health.

‘We are realising that male self-esteem is now taking as strong a hit from media and social expectations as women have experienced the world over since the dawn of advertising.’

‘This first instalment (of five exhibitions) is a tribute to men who were born thin, and don’t fit within the muscular, stocky and athletic Australian male we’ve all been brought up to aspire to. And it’s not that we’re unhealthy: we’re not gym junkies, we don’t have drug addictions, nor do we have anorexia or bulimia. We just are how we are, and it appears that modern men are struggling to comprehend or accept that’

With her entire artistic career seeking out the inventive, innovative and subliminal, this project really excited Kat Coppock, Curator of pop-up gallery ‘The Reading Room’ and Gallery Assistant at Adelaide Festival Centre.

‘Men are similarly subjected to the same objectifying gaze that has stalked women in visual culture for most of history.  Listening to my friends talk about the effects it had on them strikes home to me that acceptance of your physicality is not just a “women’s issue”, but everyone’s issue.  Both genders are under the same assumption; what you are is never enough.  Male;Real:Ideal is our first step in removing that.  This is an opportunity to engage all kinds of men to contribute to different series over time and begin having these conversations, which is what art should be about: opening up tough issues to conversation.”

 

Sep 02

CIRCUS – Expect the Unexpected – ‘The Little Palais’

SMA Kryztoff banner Jul 13 02 100dpiHoopla#4You’ve seen the pop up bars, now see the little pop up circus tent!
On Saturday 28 September a mini pop-up Circus tent ‘The Little Palais’ opens its’ door for a
huge 8 day and night extravaganza of some of the best FREE family friendly entertainment to
be found in Adelaide.
Bamboozled productions pop up Circus tent is among one of six art events chosen from a
selection of 70 applicants to pop up unexpectedly around Adelaide as part of the South
Australian Government Unexpected City Project.
Catch‘Daphne’ direct from Circus Oz in her hit show – “All you need is love” A comedy which
incorporates death-defying acrobatics and multiple hula hoops but most importantly, a story of
LOVE. Daphne uses the audience to tell a story that unravels with loads of unexpected twists
and surprises that build to a huge climactic Celebration.
Or the legendary Adelaidian Mr. Spin, with his 15 minute show with so much high octane silliness that you loose sight of the pure skill behind 2 full-metal baseball bats spinning like propellers on his hands.
Also catch the wonderful ‘Pandora’s Boxes’, directly from the UK, she balances, juggles and
manipulates up to 20 pink boxes all while dancing to Rock n’ Roll music! Producing a show
that is truly engaging, hilarious and utterly obsurd!
CirkidzTo top it off we will be joined by a group of exceptionally talented artists from
Cirkidz, South Australia’s pre-eminent circus training centre. The students have been asked to commission a show specifically for ‘The Little Palais’, so check out the Premiere of this exciting new show performed by young people for a family audience.
WHAT:
Bamboozled Productions – pop up mini circus tent – The Little Palais
WHEN:
Saturday 28 Sept – Saturday 5 Oct.
11am-3pm & 6-9pm daily
WHERE:
Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide CBD
WHO:
Family Friendly, Young, Old – everyone is welcome
FULL DETAILS:
For full program schedule and times please go to:
bamboozledproductions.com
Supported by the Government of South Australia through Arts SA

Aug 29

Brian Jonestown Massacre – Adelaide – 11 Dec – Preview Details

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE


AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2013

AND INTRODUCING SPECIAL GUESTS THE KVB (UK)

 

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE

 

The+Brian+Jonestown+Massacre+Brian+Jonestown+MassacreAfter their incredibly successful tour of 2012, The Brian Jonestown Massacre are returning to Australia to re-engage and amaze their Australian fans once again. The kings of mind-expanding, hypnotic psych rock, BJM have been creating their own musical path since coming together in 1990. Helmed by band-leader and visionary Anton Newcombe, The Brian Jonestown Massacre has seen multiple line up changes, innumerable tours and some 12 albums and 5 EPs, all the time keeping in synch with Newcombe’s singular musical vision.

With an extensive back catalogue of incredible music to reference and reinterpret, no two BJM live shows are ever the same, and yet everyone is brilliant. This December BJM will be focusing that brilliance on a run of shows across Australia, as well as what promises to be an unforgettable Meredith Music Festival appearance.

Special guests for the entire tour are UK band The KVB. Hand picked by BJM’s Anton Newcombe to be on his ‘a recordings’ record label, The KVB are Nicholas Wood and Kat Day – a duo who have been quietly releasing slabs of droning guitars, minimal synth melodies and reverb drenched vocals since 2010.
Their sound picks up from where the Horrors began, and where Joy Division and Echo & The Bunnymen left off in the 80’s, and their debut album, 2012’s Always Thenpiqued the interest of the UK music media with Thefourohfive.com claiming “The KVB have just delivered your album of the year”.
Since then The KVB have released a second album, Immaterial Visions in February this year and are already putting the finishing touches on album number 3, due out later this year.

Not surprising then that a band this prolific has caught the ear of Anton Newcombe and has been personally chosen to accompany him and The Brian Jonestown Massacre to Australia this December.

Check out the track Dayzed from The KVB’s 2013 album Immaterial Visions here:
http://vimeo.com/41443277

Principal Entertainment are proud to present avant-garde psychedelic rockers The Brian Jonestown Massacre and introducing special guests, The KVB – a tour not to be missed.


TICKETS ON SALE 9AM FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST

WEDNESDAY 11TH DECEMBER – THE GOV- ADELAIDE
www.moshtix.com.au

Aug 29

2013 LAVAZZA ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL – ADELAIDE – 22 OCT – 11 NOV

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DARE TO LOVE…

at the 2013 LAVAZZA ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL

 

lavazzaitalianfilmfestival2013act.posterLike the lingering embrace of a cherished lover, the Lavazza Italian Film Festival returns for its 14th season with a sensational line-up of 27 new titles and one superb classic guaranteed to beguile and inspire.

 

Proudly sponsored by Lavazza, whose divine coffee blends delight coffee aficionados throughout Italy and Australia, this unashamedly romantic celebration of cinema will be held across Australia from early October to mid-November at 14 fabulous Palace locations.

 

And joining us in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane, will be the ravishing French/Italian actress Clara Ponsot – one of Europe’s most sought-after young stars – who will be presenting her new drama Cosimo and Nicole in which she plays a tempestuous young Frenchwoman opposite Italian heart-throb, Riccardo Scarmacio. 

 

This year’s event will be book-ended by two extraordinary films, both of which pay homage to Rome…the eternal city.  Starring the incomparable Toni Servillo, The Great Beauty, a critically lauded drama about love and regret from writer/director Paolo Sorrentino (Il Divo, This Must Be the Place) will launch the Festival at Opening Night Galas in each state.  And for Closing Night, we’re proud to be screening the1972 gem Fellini’s Roma – a gloriously vivid valentine, from the late, great director, Federico Fellini, to the city he adored.

 

Between these two evocative movies lies an unforgettable journey of love, laughter and raw human emotion that lays bare the many guises of the passionate, Italian soul. 

 

Highlights of the 2013 Festival line-up include:

 

A Five Star Life (Viaggio sola)

Director: Maria Sole Tognazzi  (Starring: Margherita Buy, Stefano Accorsi, & Lesley Manville)

Drama and comedy are effortlessly fused in this clever and stylish world-tour of hotels across Paris, Berlin, the Alps, and Marrakesh.  Hotel critic, Irene spends her glamorous days travelling to the world’s best establishments, methodically judging their standards in every fastidious respect.  However, she remains supremely unaware of the glaring imperfections in her own life until events shatter her complacency challenging her to find a balance between work and play. 

 

A Perfect Family (Una famiglia perfetta)

Director: Paolo Genovese   (Starring: Castellitto, Mark Giallini, Claudia Gerini, & Carolina Crescentini)

In this wry comedy, Leone, a very wealthy, very lonely man, decides to create a family Christmas by writing a script and hiring professional actors to play different family members.  When in Leone’s presence, this odd company perform their parts, but his constant mood swings cause havoc with his own script, forcing the actors to improvise.  However an unexpected arrival causes a major disruption to proceedings, throwing the script into a disorder that will either make or break this strange family unit.

 

Alì Blue Eyes (Alì ha gli occhi azzuri)

Director: Claudio Giovannesi   (Starring: Nader Sarhan, Stefano Rabatti & Brigitte Apruzzesi)

In this powerful tale, Nader, a 16-year-old Italian-born son of Egyptian Muslim parents, is caught between his peers and his cultural roots.  In love with Italian girl Brigitte, Nader defies family wishes by fleeing his home. But when his fiery friend Stefano gets into a fight, Nader stabs a young Romanian in his defence, forcing him go into hiding from the wounded victim’s family, who now seek revenge.

 

Balancing Act  (Gli equilibristi)

Director:  Ivano De Matteo   (Starring: Valerio Mastandrea, Barbora Bobulova & Maurizio Casagrande)

When husband and father of two Giulio upsets his comfortable life by having an affair, his wife Elena cannot forgive him.  He decides to move out but promises that he will continue to support the family financially despite his meagre monthly salary. But where can he go?  His friends have their own problems, apartments are too expensive and he resists staying with his mistress.  Finding a one-room, shared-bathroom pensione, Giulio plunges deeper into poverty as he struggles to pay for his separation, borrowing more and more money before hitting rock bottom. Told with ironic humour amidst the tragedy, this movie poignantly examines the thin line between having it all and having nothing. Audiences will also remember Mastandrea from last year’s Festival films Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy and Things From Another World. His outstanding performance in this film won him the Best Actor award at the 2012 Venice Film Festival and  is widely hailed as the finest of his career.

 

Honey (Miele)

Director: Valeria Golino  (Starring: Jasmine Trinca, Carlo Cecci, Libero De Rienzo & Vinicio Marchioni)

Officially selected for Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2013, this finely-tuned drama is the outstanding directorial debut of internationally famed actress Valeria Golino.  Irene is an angel of mercy.  Going by the pseudonym “Honey”, she works under the radar and outside the law to assist the terminally ill to pass-on peacefully and with dignity. However the work is not without its costs and Irene lives a largely insulated life with personal liaisons kept at arm’s length.  But when retired architect Carlo enlists her services, a tense yet caring relationship results, causing her usually fierce code of ethics to be tested.

 

The 2013 Lavazza Italian Film Festival will take place nationally at Palace Cinemas as follows:

 

SA:          22 Oct – 11 Nov                  Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas

 

For updates, visit: http://www.italianfilmfestival.com.au/

Aug 28

STOMP ’13 – Her Majesty’s – Til 1st September – 4K

SMA Kryztoff banner Jul 13 01 100dpiStomp-13By Peter Maddern

For its invention and wit, grace and dexterity, Stomp ’13 delivers an astounding evening of what one can do with everyday objects found around the home and the shed. Set in an old time grease monkey’s dream retreat, replete with barrels and bins, tyre rims and cans, signs and extinguishers, the eight Stomp dancers deliver a delightful visual and aural experience.

From whence such ideas come and from where such performers emanate one can only guess. For the cast resembles no other dance ensemble one can remember with some of the guys of great beef, others of intimidating brawn. The timing was at times breathtaking and perhaps it was ironic that when things messed up, it was not human error at play but their props; a burst plastic bag here, a broom head there and a cigarette lighter than wouldn’t flame.

But no matter, the wit and humour and interactions with the audience were infectious and the routines involving kitchen sinks and the timpani on the upper stage lit like an amusement lane at the Show were highlights.

If criticism can be made, the show perhaps is too long by at least 15 minutes. Still, none can complain that the production company tried to gyp them. Importantly, Stomp can be enjoyed by all ages, with the seven year old before me squealing with such delight from the moment of kick off, that he required a pit stop in order to get through to the end.

Loud, riveting, charming and beautifully artistic, Stomp ’13 is a great show.