The Seven Best Films To See at the Queensland Film Festival 2016
New Studio Ghibli, a witch looking for love, secret government plots and Naked Lunch.
In 2015, the Queensland Film Festival brightened up Brisbane's movie scene with a specially curated array of international cinema. It wasn't just another feast of films, it was a showcase of the kind of shorts, features and documentaries unlikely to make their way to the city's big screens otherwise.
That was then — and, now, after a successful first year, QFF returns for their sophomore run with a program that's even bigger and better than ever. Doubling in size to screen 20 features and 20 shorts from July 15 to 24, the festival kicks off with Pedro Almodovar's 20th feature Julieta — however that's not the only must-see flick in the lineup. Here's seven others we think you won't want to miss.
THE LOVE WITCH
Films steeped in the supernatural are rarely as vibrant and dynamic as The Love Witch — and we don't just mean that in the eye-popping sense. Bright colours abound in the second feature by multi-talented writer, director, producer, editor and production designer Anna Biller, and so does a playful, comic take on what initially seems an all-too-common storyline. The feature's central witch might be looking for love, but she's also sashaying through a subversive, feminist-infused ode to '60s and '70s camp exploitation horror.
THE RED TURTLE
The Red Turtle is latest effort from acclaimed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, however, it's also much more than that. Telling an island-based tale of a marooned man who crosses paths with the titular creature, it's a wordless exploration of the connection between humanity and the natural world, as well as an examination of humanity's need to connect. Gorgeously brought to life by first-time feature director Michael Dudok de Wit, the end result is as visually delightful and emotionally insightful as lovers of Ghibli's films have come to expect.
HEART OF A DOG
If you've ever bonded with a beloved pet, reflected upon your childhood or just pondered your place in the world, then expect Laurie Anderson's Heart of a Dog to speak to you. The artist and filmmaker's first feature in three decades combines hand-drawn animation, home movies, visuals filmed from a pooch's perspective and more to pay tribute to her dearly departed rat terrier Lolabelle while still contemplating broader issues of life and loss. Fans of Anderson's husband, the legendary Lou Reed, will also find the knowledge of his passing in 2013 hard to shake in this personal and poignant cine-essay.
KAILI BLUES
Bi Gan's Kaili Blues is an act of transformation on several levels. Within the film, a doctor embarks upon a journey that takes him to a town where the past, present and future combine. Off screen, the Chinese poet turns acclaimed filmmaker with his debut feature, evoking the likes of Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky and Cemetery of Splendour's Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and even earning the praise of Guillermo del Toro.
CHEVALIER
The usual male posturing, ego-driven arguing and appendage measuring — both literal and metaphorical — takes to the sea in the latest feature to spring from Greece's new weird wave of filmmaking, Chevalier. Athina Rachel Tsangari's follow-up to Attenberg serves up yet another deadpan, offbeat delight, with its yacht-bound setting heightening the tension between its competing characters as well as the absurdity that results from their actions. And even with all that in mind, don't be surprised when the movie veers into unexpected territory.
EVOLUTION
The term 'dream-like' gets thrown around quite frequently when it comes to films that try to evoke a certain mood, however with Evolution, it's a description that definitely fits. Cult French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilovic creates a mysterious on-screen world solely populated by women and young boys, then charts the bristling dynamic that springs when secrets spring up between a mother and son. Favouring visual storytelling over dialogue, and emphasising a distinctive soundtrack, really is just the beginning.
NAKED LUNCH
When body horror master David Cronenberg takes on subversive postmodernist novelist William Burroughs, the results can only be both hallucinatory and unsettling. Seething with bugs and secret government plots, Naked Lunch was a mind-trip of an adaptation upon its initial release in 1991, and still proves so today. Plus, attending QFF's session of the film acts as a tribute to the now-lost and much-loved Brisbane International Film Festival, which would've celebrated its 25th fest this year.
Queensland Film Festival runs from July 15 to 24 at New Farm Cinemas. To view the full program or buy tickets, head to the festival website.
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