Five Films Worth Making the Drive to the Gold Coast Film Festival to See

Film festivals don't just happen all the time — they happen all over the place, too. Yes, Brisbane plays host to more than its fair share of cinematic celebrations; however it's not the only spot in Queensland to showcase movie gems from around the world.

Since 2002, the Gold Coast Film Festival has also been serving up an annual feast of film, with everything from Pan's Labyrinth and The Cabin in the Woods to The Grand Budapest Hotel and Ex Machina gracing its screens over the last thirteen years. They're quite the nice flick picks — and their 2016 program also offers up its fair share of gems from March 31 to April 10. Take these five, for example. If anything's worth making the drive down south — and hitting the beach beforehand to make a day of it, of course — it's these movies.

SCARE CAMPAIGN

Winking, nodding, all-knowing meta-textual horror efforts have been all the rage for more than a few years now; however the Cairnes brothers' follow-up to 100 Bloody Acres is a welcome addition to the fold. Named after a fictional TV program that pranks unsuspecting people by placing them in frightening situations, the movie follows the show's attempts to boost scares and ratings to compete with a new, gorier web series. To say that the aftermath of their efforts boasts quite the body count is an understatement. Expect plenty of blood, just as many screams, and a film that works through a checklist of genre staples but never feels like it's just ticking the usual boxes.

GIRL ASLEEP

If Wes Anderson made an Australian-set, 1970's era film about the trials and tribulations of being a teenage girl — and the dream world its 15-year-old protagonist needs to escape into to find the strength to cope with problems such as dorky parents, bullying peers and a best friend who wants to be something more — there's no doubting that it would look like Girl Asleep. This stage-to-screen production is as inventive as it is insightful, and as heartfelt and hilarious too. And, the Aussie treat comes to the Gold Coast after opening the teen-oriented section of the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.

MR RIGHT

We've all been there: recently single, looking to mingle, and falling for someone new. Luckily, unlike Anna Kendrick in killer comedy Mr Right, few of us have found out that the object of our affections is also a hitman. That the assassin in question is played by the ever-charming Sam Rockwell is certain to soften the blow, and to make the amusing action effort that results an irreverent affair. Plus, with this likeable twosome as the leads and their antics falling into both the shoot-em-up and screwball categories, this really is a film that should appeal to absolutely everyone.

DRAMA

Who said the French were the only ones that could make Paris-set romantic comedies? Aussie writer, director and star Sophie Mathisen tries her hand at a relationship drama set in the city of love, playing a struggling actress pining after her ex while worrying about her future. That might sound like a conventional tale, but given the film's atypical off-screen story, we're guessing it'll prove anything but. At a time when the Australian screen industry is finally thinking about gender equality, Mathisen is leading the charge, ensuring 50 percent of her movie's crew were women.

MUSTANG

We've been raving about this Turkish movie since last year, but with good reason. First-time filmmaker Deniz Gamze Ergüven tells the tale of five sisters struggling with their strict family's expectations — particularly their uncle's determination to marry them all off — and finally driven to do something about it. If you missed Mustang at November's Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, don't make the same mistake twice. And if you're wondering why it sounds familiar, other than effusive enthusiasm and its seeming narrative similarities to The Virgin Suicides, that's probably because the feature was nominated for best foreign language film at this year's Academy Awards.

The Gold Coast Film Festival runs from March 31 to April 10 at the Gold Coast Arts Centre and Birch Carroll and Coyle Coolangatta. Visit the festival website for the full program.