Sunday 10 October 2021

 October 11th

Melbourne Documentary Film Festival (online)
A Fire Inside
SciFi Film Festival
NYC Epicentres (streaming on Foxtel)
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories - (series streaming on Netflix)

With probably another two weeks to go of lockdown in Melbourne (aargh!!), there is still online solace with the wonderful Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, and the SciFi Film Festival. For the rest of you A Fire Inside releases, and Japan fans can soak up a terrific Netflix series. 

Melbourne Documentary Film Festival
October is Documentary month and with Melbourne still being in lockdown this fine festival is online for the entire month. 
Earlier in the year I reviewed, among others, Batoor's Journey http://hurstosfiveminutefilms.blogspot.com/2021/07/july-17th-sir-is-love-enough-sir.html  and Cry of the Forests (http://hurstosfiveminutefilms.blogspot.com/2021/07/july-2nd-melbourne-documentary-film.html), which will show and come highly recommended. I've previewed a couple of further films from the festival: 
© MDFF: Great musicianship helps expose
important issues in the mental health area
Mental as Everything
Dir: Damon Smith
By his own admission, director Smith suffers from a debilitating mental condition known as OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In this frank and revelatory doco, Smith talks about what that means for his life, and in fact opens the door to allow others to talk about something that is so often swept under the carpet. Designed originally as a cabaret show, the film mixes creative original songs, which cleverly nail the essence of the condition, and are performed with his colleague Matthew Briggs. (Both are top musicians.) Along with honest discussion, and creative graphics, all combines to make for entertaining viewing, that is also extremely thought-provoking and helpful in tackling an important subject.
 
Meeting the Beatles in India
Dir: Paul Saltzman
© MDFF - a must-see for Beatles fans
In 1968, a 23-year-old budding Canadian filmmaker headed to India to visit an ashram, meditate and hopefully mend his broken heart. Imagine his surprise to find The Beatles were also staying there. In this terrific doco, made years later, he reminisces upon his time there, what the iconic group were like as people (as opposed to stars) and the lasting influence the experience had on his life. The film includes many intriguing insights into the group, how their music was influenced by their time in India, with  additional input from people like David Lynch and Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn. This is highly enjoyable viewing, especially for Beatles fans, and is an interesting account of one man's spiritual journey.

A Fire Inside
Dir: Justin Crook, Luke Mazzaferro
Length: 91 mins
Screening at many cinemas where no lockdown applies!
© Icon - bravery, heartbreak and resilience
Who can forget the horrendous bushfires that wreaked such devastation on Australia, just before Covid came along? This marvellous doco takes us into the heart of the apocalypse, initially following the journey of one fearless firefighter as he almost dies saving many families. But then the film moves on post-fires to look at the personal toll taken on people, fire-fighters and victims, as they battle with post-traumatic-stress, and attempt to rebuild their lives. We hear first-hand the harrowing stories of many of the firefighters, and also of survivors. While the film is an unforgettable account of devastation, it is also a celebration of amazing bravery, and an inspiration as we witness just how selfless some people can be as disaster brings out the best in them. Essential viewing, and a salutary tale for climate-change deniers.
4 - highly recommended

SciFi Film Festival
For program and bookings: https://scififilmfestival.com/
15-31 October
With 13 feature films, plus 67 shorts from 28 countries, this festival is soon to be online across Australia. The festival is touted as "mind-bending science fiction and fantasy" and there should be plenty to please fans. 
I watched Trans: A tale of schoolkid nerds in Korea attempting to create "transhumans". While not totally my genre, it could have quite some appeal to fans of the Frankenstein tale, with its freaky lightning shows, and kids behaving badly.   
 
NYC Epicentres - 9/11 - 2021 1/2
Dir: Spike Lee
Length: 4 episodes: 7 hours 20 minutes
© Foxtel /HBO: binge this fab mini-series
Spike Lee's love song to his city is a terrific feat of film-making. Tracing the last 20.5 years, from the terrorist attacks of 2001 through to the Covid pandemic, Lee interviews a myriad of people (famous and otherwise)  who reflect upon their relationship to their city, their memories of 9/11, their current experiences with the virus, and so much more. No point my raving on about how engrossed I was in it, just watch the first hour and you'll no doubt be hooked. (It's made especially appealing by Spike and his very funny, idiosyncratic interjections and asides.)
4 - highly recommended

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories
Several series - half hour episodes
© Netflix - oh yeah! I love it!
A Netflix original series, this is one to transport you to Japan, and for a brief half hour, take away your world-weary angst over everything crap that is happening in today's world. I've only just started this sublime series, but as a Japan-o-phile, I can say the series is reflective of a certain simplicity and compassion that one experiences in that country, and I can't wait to binge my way through it. The food may appeal, but ultimately it is the stories of human connection that hit the heart, as diners visit in the wee hours of the morning to pour out their hearts and seek comfort from Master (Kaoru Kobayashi) who serves wisdom with his simple comfort food.
4 - highly recommended



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