Posted by kluster on September 30, 2011
In October 2000 Bosnian-based peacekeeper, Kathryn Bolkovac risked her job, reputation and life to expose UN and international peacekeepers involvement in the country’s post-war human trafficking and sex trade.
The debut feature by Canadian born director, Larysa Kondracki, is based on the true story of American police officer, Kathryn Bolkovac’s (Rachel Weisz) time spent working as a part of the post-war peace effort in Bosnia. It certainly packs an emotional punch.
The Nebraskan police officer secures a high-paying job in Bosnia, working as a peacekeeper for a private firm, contracted by the USA State Department to work closely with the UN to restore order to war-ravaged Bosnia during the late ‘90s. After helping to facilitate a historic conviction and a promotion to head of the UN’s Gender Office, Bolkovac begins to gradually uncover a violent human trafficking and sex-trade industry populated by underage women – some as young as 12 - and frequented by peacekeepers, UN workers and international police.
Kondracki tackles this mammoth story with the sophistication of a seasoned director and deserves plenty of kudos for her efforts as writer/director. It’s a pretty impressive first-time offering.More...
the whistleblower, rachel weisz, film, movie, larysa kondracki
Posted by KB on July 25, 2011
In the Sydney suburb of Centennial Park, an ex-socialite lies dying. Her adult son and daughter have flown to be with her, but even on her deathbed she remains a strong and destructive influence on those around her.
The Eye of the Storm is directed by Fred Schepisi (Six Degrees of Separation) and brings together stars Charlotte Rampling, Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis. It’s based on the novel of the same name by Patrick White, Australia’s only recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
We are offering ten Kluster readers the chance to win an in-season double pass to see The Eye of the Storm. To be in the running simply email us at info@kluster.com.au with the subject: Stormy Weather. Entries close 12.08.11
The Eye of the Storm is in cinemas from September 15.
the eye of the storm, fred schepisi, charlotte rampling, geoffrey rush, judy davis
Posted by kluster on June 27, 2011
A beautful little film by Adam Murfet & Jessie Oldfield for Melbourne-based label above. Jump one, jump two...
adam murfet, jessie oldfield, above, melbourne
Posted by kluster on June 7, 2011
The Chris Cunningham shows at Vivid Live last Sunday seem to have courted more controversy than the Ash King video, Scene & Not Heard – Ep 1 SURRY HILLS, NSW. Then again, it makes sense. After all, Cunningham’s videos have ranged in shock value from the robotically romantic All Is Full of Love (low) to the wholly unnerving Rubber Johnny (really, really high). And, there have been many. So it’s understandable that not all viewers would be across his back catalogue enough to expect images of drug-snorting paraplegics with expanded craniums complimenting small girls with bloody, exploding chest cavities.
The hour-long performance – not to be confused with the three hours advertised on the event website – was quite the assault. Drum & bass beats, lasers and a solid layering of past clips meshed together to create an event that, while strangely void of Cunningham himself – he was there, on stage, but more as the grand controller than a performer – was still whole and complete.
Cunningham is a consummate filmmaker and the opportunity to watch his works, as currated and controlled by him, at the Sydney Opera House was one we’ll not soon forget. Heck, we couldn’t if we tried; some of those images have burned themselves onto the back of our retinas and now populate the blackness that appears every time we close our eyes.
Oh, the horror!
chris cunningham, sydney opera house, vivid live, all is full of live, rubber johnny
Posted by Katy Hutcheson on March 25, 2011
Started back in 2006 the original gory, blood curdling, scream inducing Night of Horror International Film Festival was merely a short film festival when it first began. It has since spread its wings and is now pretty much the only place to be seen, dead or alive, for avid horror movie fans.
This year’s festival boasts 15 feature films, 70 short films and music videos, and a screenplay competition.
Competing with Wolf Creek for Australia’s scariest movie, try catching The Tunnel which is about an investigative journalist and her team’s harrowing journey through Sydney’s underground disused train tunnels. A sure heart stopper, The Reef, is a shark attack flick following unassuming swimmers in the Great Barrier Reef battling for their dear lives.
Not enough B&G for you? That's fine, we're not done yet. U.S movie, Dead Hooker In A Trunk, the name pretty much gives away the story, is on the schedule. As is Monster Mash-Up - expect plenty of vampires, killer insects and demons - and 80’s inspired clichéd horror, Blood Junkie. Do not miss the highly anticipated world premier of Midnight Son, with plenty of vampires lusting and blood, making TV series True Blood look like a kids cooking show.
The festival takes place from Thursday 31st of March with all the movie gore and guts finishing up on the 8th of April. All films will be shown at Dendy Cinema in Newtown, tickets are now on sale for the blood thirsty out there....
A Night of Horror International Film Festival, Movies, Vampires, Horror, Dendy Cinema, Newtown
Posted by KB on March 2, 2011
Since the release of his 2007 film, Hammer Bay, Ben Briand has been impressing audiences and critics alike with his creativity and style. Taking on short films, video clips, commercials and photography, Ben has instilled in his work a unique visual approach that’s seen him dubbed “one of Australia’s most promising film makers”. We caught up with him in the wake of the release of his latest short film, Some Static Started.
Covered: dying men, square pegs, scripts and shorts.
KB: You’ve just released Some Static Started, can you tell us a bit about it?
Ben Briand: It’s a short film I made in association with the guys at China Heights. I describe it as a strange nightmare in a hot motel by the side of a highway. In his final moments a bleeding man recalls a reoccurring dream he has had featuring a beautiful girl in trouble. It’s a short film
KB: It finishes the trilogy that includes Apricot and Castor & Pollux – were these films devised as a set from the start?
BB: Not consciously. But there are certainly threads that are consistent through all the works. I like to think of them as different perspectives on the same idea. More...
ben briand, some static started, china heights, film
Posted by KB on February 2, 2011
China’s Shaolin Monastery: if you know anything about martial arts then you’ll realise this is a pretty important place. Which is why when it was confirmed that Benny Chan’s new epic, Shaolin, was to be filmed at the monastery itself, ears of martial arts fans all over the world pricked up.
Fans of the 1982 film Shaolin Temple (starring Jet Li) needn't fear the desecration of a classic; this isn't really a remake. The focus has been shifted a little from just martial arts (though the temple itself remains an integral part) and the story moved to the 1920s.
It’s a time of change for China; the early years of the republic and the era of vicious civil wars headed by feuding and equally vicious warlords. Enter Hou Jie (played by Andy Lau) and his sworn brother Cao Man (the emotastic Nicholas Tse) who take great gusto in their part in the war, generally terrorising the population. But as all good fables tell us, it’s important how you treat people on the way up, as you tend to run into them in some rather awkward situation on the way down.More...
shaolin, andy lau, jackie chan, movies, martial arts, benny chan
Posted by KB on December 24, 2010
Budding filmmakers take note: you have just two weeks left to get your entries ready for Tropfest 2011.
The world’s largest short film festival is now accepting entries for Tropfest, Tropfest Jr and Tropscore – for those more into the musical side of film. For the first time ever, entries will be accepted via YouTube, so there’s no excuse for not getting your entry in. You can check
Telstra Mobile Masterpieces- the category for films created on mobile phones - is back for another year, with the winner receiving a trip to Sundance 2012 and $5000 cash.
All the details are, of course, on the Tropfest website, but here are a few key details:
The deadline for entries is January 6 (or January 13 for TropScore).
The signature item (which must be included in each film) is ‘key’.
Tropfest takes place on February 20, 2011 in the Domain, Sydney.
tropfest, films, sydney, competitions
Posted by Audrey Lee on November 29, 2010
It’s hard to sum up Hellen Rose in one paragraph. Sieving through the highlights from her raft of accomplishments alone would fill pages. Not one to conform, Hellen has achieved admirable success and commanded high levels of respect from those in the know for more than 20 years now. While she’s not busy pushing musical boundaries, her preceding reputation has also led her to tap into other creative pursuits, including acting and opening her eponymous performing space, the Hellen Rose-Schauersberger LabOratorium. And the list goes on. For a woman who has proven her worth many times over, we’ll keep the superlatives to a minimum and have Hellen shed some light on her past, present and future.
Covered: Back in the '80s…, constant adjustments, The Hellen Rose-Schauersberger LabOratorium, Moonlight film and a one-woman show.
Audrey Lee: You've been making music for more than 20 years now and have sung alongside bands including X and Dangerous Curves back in the 80s. Care to give our readers an insight of how your career in music first began? How have you and your sound progressed since then?
Hellen Rose: I started singing when I was very young. I come from a family where one side is music and the other is… all the other stuff that I’ve never been into. I snuck into a pub at around 14 and pushed my way onto the stage and just got up and belted out a blues number I was making up on the spot! My first live show with a band called Great Dane who were totally cool about it and the crowd loved it!More...
hellen rose schauersberger, X, ian rilen, george gittoes, dangerous curves
Posted by Penny Cropper on October 5, 2010
Being married to Charlotte Gainsbourg must be tough. The daughter of one of France's most cherished and provocative artistic figures, Serge Gainsbourg, and his wife and muse, actress and fashion icon Jane Birkin, Charlotte is famous in her own right as an actress and musician and is much-loved in France. Meanwhile, her poor schmuck of a husband is a nobody who mopes around being jealous of her famous, handsome co-stars while she's off filming movies in glamorous locations in languages he cannot understand.
At least, that's the impression we get in the semi-autobiographical movie My Wife is an Actress, in which Charlotte stars with her real-life husband Yvan Attal, who also wrote and directed the romantic comedy about a 'normal' guy married to a famous actress and the problems they encounter. In real life, Attal is an accomplished film director, writer and actor, and surely nowhere near as insecure as his struggling sportswriter character, but you still get the impression much of the film's substance comes from experience.More...
serge gainsbourg, jane birkin, charlotte gainsbourg, my wife is an actress
Posted by Audrey Lee on September 29, 2010
To celebrate 30 years making of Japanese films, the Japan Foundation brings Glimpses of Japan, a series of film screenings and discussions, to Sydney’s shores.
This October, the event will showcase four short cultural classics that aim to capture the essence of Japan’s bygone era. Produced in the '70s and' 80s, these films capture the essence of the era through interviews with locals in cities like Tokyo and explore this less frequently shown time Japanese culture. Following the screening, audiences can engage in a series of discussions with specialists in Japanese studies, focusing on issues such as youth culture, manga and family life in Japan.
Glimpses of Japan will be held on Wednesdays, 6, 13, 20 and 27 October from 6:30-8pm, at the Multipurpose Room of The Japan Foundation, L1 Chifley Plaza, 2 Chifley Square, Sydney. Admission is free but bookings are essential. Visit their website for more information.
japan foundation, glimpses of japan
Posted by Penny Cropper on September 8, 2010
After receiving a standing ovation on closing night at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and featuring at both the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals, The Tree will be released in Australia September 30. The moving story of an eight-year old girl who’s convinced her dead father has come back to protect her family and speaks to her through the leaves of her favourite tree, it’s an absorbing and touching film. Set and filmed entirely in Queeensland but with a French director, Julie Bertuccelli, and actor, Charlotte Gainsbourg, this is an Australian story with a difference.
To celebrate the release we have an in-season double pass to give away to five lucky new Kluster subscribers, so get subscribing.
To be in the running simply follow the instructions below.
Already a Kluster subscriber? No problem, just convince a friend to let you subscribe them too (include their name and email address in the body of the email).
To enter simply email info@kluster.com.au with the subject: Tree loving
Entries close 27.09.10
the tree, movies, charlotte gainsbourg, julie bertuccelli, cannes film festival