No matter where you are in Australia, you probably spent the majority of 2020 in your own state — and in your own bedroom — thanks to interstate border restrictions. Limits on domestic travel have still been popping up in 2021 so far; however, if you're still keen to see more than your own backyard this year, Virgin Australia is selling 1.9 million fares to destinations around the country. And, those cheap flights are starting at $75 for a one-way ticket. Hang on, Virgin? Yes. The same airline that, less than 12 months ago, entered voluntary administration. It has since been sold to US private investment firm Bain Capital, launched a comeback sale in early July and its voluntary administration officially ended on Tuesday, November 17. Virgin's current Let the Good Times Fly flight sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 8 — or until sold out. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on a heap of routes to destinations across the country, with travel dates spanning from March to September 2021. If you've been waiting to book your first getaway for the year, now might be the time. Discounted flights span both economy and business, and include seat selection and checked baggage. Some of the routes on offer include Sydney to Ballina from $75, Brisbane to Proserpine from $84, Melbourne to Hobart from $99, Brisbane to Darwin from $165, and Melbourne to Hamilton Island from $179. The discounted flight sale is timed to coincide with Queensland reopening its border to New South Wales, which came into effect on Monday, February 1. Virgin is also increasing the frequency of trips between the two states, including between Sydney and the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Hamilton Island and Brisbane. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin is also waiving change fees and allowing unlimited booking changes between now and June 30, 2021 — extending a scheme that was initially due to end at the end of January. Virgin's Let the Good Times Fly flight sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 8 — or until sold out. Find out more about current interstate border restrictions over here.
It has been a big few weeks in the sporting world, thanks to everything from Wimbledon to the European Football Championships. Australia's own football codes have been ticking along despite COVID-19 outbreaks, too. But, this week, the biggest event in global sport will commence for the first time in five years. That'd be the Olympics, obviously. After being postponed for a year due to the pandemic, the 2020 Tokyo games will finally take place from Friday, July 23–Sunday, August 8. There won't be any spectators onsite due to the pandemic, with neither overseas travellers nor local residents permitted to attend; however, Queenslanders can still watch along locally — including when they're out of the house. Pubs will be screening the Olympics, of course, and so will a heap of pop-up sites around the state. As part of an event called Olympics Live, screens will be set up at a number of locations, including at South Bank's Riverside Green from Wednesday, July 21. Also getting into the spirit: Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast, Kings Beach Amphitheatre on the Sunshine Coast and The Esplanade in Cairns, which'll also celebrate the games for the same period. The event will pop up at Tulmur Place in Ipswich's Nicholas Street Precinct and Walton Stores in Toowoomba from Friday, July 23–Sunday, August 8, and in the Bloomfield Street Park in Cleveland from Saturday, July 24–Sunday, August 8 as well. Attendees will be able to hit up the outdoor hubs to get their Olympics fix — and, if you've noticed that some of the sites will start screening before the opening ceremony, that's because they're setting up early to hopefully celebrate Brisbane's bid for the 2032 games. The 2020 games do actually begin some events on Wednesday, July 21; however, that's also the date that the International Olympic Committee is expected to announce who'll be hosting the 2032 event. The Queensland capital looks poised to land the games, with Brisbane named the preferred host for the Games of the XXXV Olympiad back in February. It also received an endorsement from the International Olympic Committee Executive Board in June, so now the IOC itself just has to vote to make it all official tomorrow. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1416998538001539072 If Brisbane does indeed get the nod as widely anticipated, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that the city will be celebrating instantly. Fireworks will be set off from river barges and CBD buildings when the news comes through. Brisbane's buildings, bridges and City Hall will also be lit up in green and gold hues as well. It's expected that the news will be announced between 6–7pm Brisbane time, if you're wondering when Brissie might start partying. Olympics Live will pop up at South Bank's Riverside Green from Wednesday, July 21–Sunday, August 8 — and at Kurrawa Beach on the Gold Coast, Kings Beach Amphitheatre on the Sunshine Coast and The Esplanade in Cairns for the same period. It'll also pop up at Tulmur Place in Ipswich's Nicholas Street Precinct and Walton Stores in Toowoomba from Friday, July 23–Sunday, August 8, and in the Bloomfield Street Park in Cleveland from Saturday, July 24–Sunday, August 8.
Fancy some art with your shopping and dining? Thanks to the Institute of Modern Art and James Street, that’s exactly what’s on offer. The IMA’s latest exhibition takes up residence at New Farm’s hub of glitz and glamour for a month of locally focused work from Queensland-based contemporary practitioners Clark Beaumont, Louise Bennett, Anastasia Booth, Megan Cope, Sam Cranstoun, Caitlin Franzmann, Alice Lang, Archie Moore, Stephen Russell, Haruka Sawa, Sancintya Simpson, Athena Thebus, and Elizabeth Willing. The term “subtropic” is at the heart of the project. It's commonly thrown around to describe the city’s warm weather. But what does the expression mean in a cultural sense, in contemplating Brisbane attitudes and considering what it means to make art here and now? As curated by Tess Maunder, that’s the question 14 creatives all ponder. Visit Gail Sorronda, Bailey Nelson, Gerard’s Bistro, Camargue, Sass and Bide, Optiko, Maryon’s, Pistols at Dawn, Blonde Venus and Scrumptious Reads to see the results. Art and heat combine in a celebratory showcase that gets to the very heart of the Brisbane climate.
Biding your time until the next season of Stranger Things drops, or just looking for a fun new procrastination technique? Thanks to Netflix's latest addition, you can now do both. The streaming platform has just jumped into the mobile games realm, adding five titles to its Android app — and two of them are Stranger Things-themed, because of course they are. If you have an Android device (and the Netflix app installed on it, obviously), you'll now be greeted with the option to play Stranger Things: 1984 and Stranger Things 3: The Game — as well as the non Stranger Things-related Shooting Hoops, Card Blast and Teeter Up. Mashing buttons obviously isn't why you normally open up Netflix on your phone, but clearly the streaming behemoth is hoping that'll change. The company is aiming to leap into mobile gaming in a big way, in fact, offering the same kind of mix that it's launching with — so, titles linked to its streaming content, plus a range of others. While Netflix's gaming options are only available on Android for now, they'll be rolled out to iOs as well in the near future. If you now know how you're going to spend your public transport trips to and from work, you'll be able to access Netflix's new games as part of your existing subscription — and there's no in-app purchases, either. Netflix is offering its games in multiple languages, too, and on all devices linked to each account — but not via kids profiles. Here are the five games available to download and play, with a whole lot more coming! 🕹Stranger Things: 1984 🎮Stranger Things 3 🏀 Shooting Hoops 🃏 Card Blast 🎱 Teeter Up — Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) November 2, 2021 This isn't the first time that the streaming service has flirted with gaming, if it all sounds a little familiar. Back in 2017, it released a retro-style, side-scrolling online video game that also nodded to Stranger Things — and in its streaming content itself, it's given viewers choose-your-own-adventure style movie specials such as Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend. Also, we've all clearly just watched Squid Game. Yes, you can probably expect a mobile game linked to the hit Korean series to pop up at some point as well. Netflix's mobile games are now available via its Android app. For more details, head to the Netflix website.
Brisbanites, get ready to laugh. Get ready to party, too. Marking its tenth year in 2019, Brisbane Comedy Festival is back with a mighty huge month-long lineup — and it's ready to celebrate, obviously. A lengthy list of hilarious folk will be heading to Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane City Hall, SUNPAC and both of Newstead Brewing Co.'s beer-fuelled sites, spanning famous names, old favourites and new discoveries alike. Ross Noble, Danny Bhoy, Felicity Ward, Ronny Chieng, Dave Hughes, Nazeen Hussain, Tom Ballard, Becky Lucas, Mel Buttle, Paul Foot and Tim Ferguson are just some of the talents that'll tickle your funny bones across the four weeks, with the fest running from Friday, February 22 until Sunday, March 24. It all kicks off with an opening gala hosted by Charlie Pickering, and features a heap of other notable events — think after-hours gigs on weekends, surprise acts in a brewery, a chance to have a boozy lunch with comedians and a Frocking Hilarious night that's all about raising awareness for women's rights. Other highlights include women taking on male-sung pop tracks in Lady Sings It Better, an evening dedicated to Queerstories, and the worldwide smash that is Shit-faced Shakespeare. Want more? How about Evil Dead 2 reinterpreted through the songs of Elvis Presley, plus a fangirl look at Game of Thrones? If you know some littlies that like comedy too, this year's fest also boasts a number of shows for younger comedy lovers as well.
Founded by twins Cam and Chris Grant back in early 2017, Unyoked's tiny houses have been in high demand since the outset. There are 13 cabins across NSW, Victoria and Queensland, including one designed by Matthew McConaughey. All properties have been placed in secret patches of wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, allowing you to escape all the hustle and bustle of the city. The off-the-grid experience brings you the convenience and comforts of four solid walls, alongside the adventure, spontaneity and closeness-to-nature of camping. Unyoked's ethos is to connect back with nature to help unplug, alleviate stress and anxiety. Each cabin is designed to make you feel like you're part of the surrounding landscape, too. Think timber, oversized windows, solar power, composting toilets and a blissful lack of wi-fi. At the same time, though, simple comforts are taken care of, so you get a cosy bed, kitchen appliances, firewood, coffee, milk, herbs and the like. [caption id="attachment_745749" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Luisa Brimble[/caption] Images: Unyoked and Luisa Brimble
There are no maybes about the Melbourne International Film Festival's major high-profile guest for 2018 — but, as fans of the Bluth and Fünke families will know, there is one Maeby. Best known for playing Arrested Development's resident teenage film industry executive, ignored daughter, slacker banana stand employee and alluring cousin, Alia Shawkat is headed to Australia as part of this year's fest, where she'll chat about her career and her life in general. Taking place on Saturday, August 18 as part of the 18-day film event, MIFF Talks: Alia Shawkat in Conversation will see the actor talk for an hour with writer and presenter Lorin Clarke — it will be her only Australian appearance. Considering she's officially attending the fest in support of her new film Blaze, a biopic about country and western songwriter Blaze Foley which Ethan Hawke directed, we're guessing there won't be any dancing like a chicken. Thanks to TV series Search Party and Transparent — plus movies such as Green Room, 20th Century Women, Nasty Baby, Night Moves and Whip It — Shawkat's resume spans much, much further than television's worst real estate family, and that's just on the screen. She's also a jazz singer, pianist, painter and illustrator, and recently starred in, co-wrote and executive produced the film Duck Butter. Plus, if Broad City has you wondering about Shawkat's doppelganger-like connection with Ilana Glazer, we have to point out that the latter was just in Melbourne this month too. MIFF Talks: Alia Shawkat in Conversation joins MIFF's growing 2018 program, which also includes an all-night Nicolas Cage marathon and a screening of Drive with an all-new live score. The fest has also announced its first 32 titles for this year, including Blaze, with the full program set to be revealed on July 10. MIFF Talks: Alia Shawkat in Conversation will take place at the Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne at 1.30pm on Saturday, August 18. Tickets cost $25, and are available online now.
Winter means spending more time indoors — and you want those interiors to look as great as possible. Art and design lovers, that's where the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art's Winter Design Market comes in. Browse, buy and then prepare to get cosy. Find jewellery, ceramics, textiles, homewares and clothing and more on offer, with the market taking over the GOMA forecourt from 9am–4pm on Saturday, July 26–Sunday, July 27, 2025. There'll be more than 80 stalls selling wares — and don't go giving the venue's official store a miss while you're there, either. Take the time to peruse the GOMA collection of books and art, and thank us for the tip later. As well as shopping for cute design wares — and meeting the makers behind them — while you're in the vicinity, you'll be able to wander through the galleries, too, with Wonderstruck on display, complete with Yayoi Kusama's The Obliteration Room. Keen to see a film for free? The Spectacles of Wonder screening program at the Australian Cinematheque has you covered. And although GOMA will host another design market once the silly season rolls around, getting your gift shopping out of the way now will make you feel like Christmas has come early. Or, just treat yo'self — no excuse necessary. Top images: B Wagner and K Bennett.
Any Questions for Ben? and House of Lies' Josh Lawson writes, directs and stars in an effort destined to be labelled a sex-fuelled Love Actually. Sex Actually? Different types of fetish, kink and between-the-sheets behaviour are explored through the relationships of four couples. Maeve (Bojana Novakovic) wants Paul (Lawson) to fulfil her rape fantasies. Rowena (Kate Box) finds herself aroused whenever husband Richard (Patrick Brammall) cries. Phil (Alan Dukes) finds Maureen (Lisa McCune) at her most attractive when she is sleeping. Dan (Damon Herriman) and Evie (Kate Mulvany) make a foray into roleplaying that backfires. There's laughs both out loud and cringey to be had as the adventurous comedy unfurls. The Little Death is in cinemas on September 25, and thanks to Entertainment One, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=BnnhesQ8Rxc
When Meredith celebrates its 31st festival in 2023, it'll do so with a live set more than half a century in the making. Doing the headlining honours: none other than German electro pioneers Kraftwerk, who have not only announced a solo tour of Australia this December, but also locked in a key slot in Meredith's Supernatural Amphitheatre. Aunty Meredith comes bearing two big pieces of news, with Kraftwerk leading the bill — aka the only artist that's been revealed for 2023's fest so far — and the ticket ballot opening. Book that long weekend now, pop your name in the running and cross your fingers that you'll be spending Friday, December 8–Sunday, December 10 at The Sup. "Kraftwerk, quite simply, are the reason music sounds like it does today. Progenitors of pop. Of music as we know it," the Meredith team advised, announcing the Düsseldorf-formed group as the event's first big name for 2023. They're not wrong. "Specks of Kraftwerk DNA hurtle through the space-time continuum, embedding themselves into Bowie, Spacemen 3, Afrika Bambaataa, Prince, Daft Punk, New Order, Radiohead, Missy Elliott and every Meredith Music Festival for the last three decades." [caption id="attachment_847588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Fletcher[/caption] As for who else will join Kraftwerk, watch this space. In 2022, Meredith's first festival since 2019 due to the pandemic, the Caribou-, Yothu Yindi- and Courtney Barnett-led lineup dropped in mid-August. To nab tickets to the beloved three-day BYO camping festival, you've got until 10.31pm AEST on Monday, August 14 to enter the ballot. [caption id="attachment_865642" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chelsea King[/caption] MEREDITH 2023 LINEUP: Kraftwerk and more to come Meredith Music Festival will return to Meredith on Friday, December 8–Sunday, December 10, 2023. To put your name in the ballot to get your hands on tickets, head to the festival's website before 10.31pm AEST on Monday, August 14. Top image: Steve Benn.
Legendary 1960s pop group, The Hollies, sport a very different look these days. Gone are the charming matching suits, black ties and suave hair dos - now it's all about black on black, with a flare of white to tease the eye. But if one thing hasn't changed about one of the most commercially successful acts to emerge from the British Invasion, it's their music. Best known for classics such as, 'He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother', 'The Air that I Breathe' and 'Long Cool Woman', The Hollies are a band that through hook-happy material and infectious melodic cheer, have produced 19 studio albums, 30 charting singles and a committed fan-base to match. To this day, five decades after their first live gig, these life-filled musicians are continuing to record and perform. The Hollies will be playing for one night only at QPAC, so be sure to check out these legendary rockers while they are still going strong. The Hollies' Classic 'Long Cool Woman'
What's better than a horror film about a taunted teenager who unleashes her telekinetic powers upon her classmates? All that, but transported to the stage and set to music. Yes, another movie has been given the musical treatment — and it's not one you might expect. Say hello to the singing and dancing version of Carrie. Even if you've read Stephen King's book, viewed the original 1976 feature directed by Brian De Palma or sat through the 2013 remake starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore, you haven't seen the iconic story told like this. In fact, when Carrie the Musical first debuted on Broadway back in 1988, audiences and critics didn't quite know what to make of it. In the production's Brisbane debut, expect a tale of terror and revenge, a flurry of teen angst, and a prom to remember. Also expect to have a bloody good time, with emphasis on the buckets of red, oozing substance.
In the latest example of movie land crossing over into reality, a Japanese team has created a four-metre-tall Transformers-style robot that can switch between walking mode and vehicle mode in about a minute. The work of robot software company Asratec, a prototype of the J-deite RIDE robot was unveiled last week, and will be on show at the GoldenWeek DOKIDOKI Festa All Working Cars Assemble in Tokyo on May 5. The design is operated both by wireless network remote control and by a steering wheel in the cockpit, with two people able to ride inside at once. Asratec's unique V-Sido robot control systems allow the robot to transform from a driveable car to a walking humanoid giant, though clocking in at around 60 seconds, it's fair to say the process isn't quite as speedy as in the movies. A group called Sansei Technologies is now looking to develop the technology for 'robot-type amusement rides' — it sounds like transforming go-karts could be just around the corner.
It's happening again: Dune, the sci-fi epic with a tumultuous on-screen history, is stuck in another cinematic sandstorm. There's always a feeling of déjà vu around Dune chaos, after David Lynch's 80s version became one of the most unfairly maligned sci-fi films ever crafted, and Alejandro Jodorowsky's take sadly didn't make it to screens (see: excellent documentary Jodorowsky's Dune). For filmmaker Denis Villeneuve's (Blade Runner 2049) two-part vision of Frank Herbert's 1965 book, off-screen events keep stopping it from reaching picture palaces when planned — initially COVID-19, and the latest setback coming during the writers' and actors' strikes. Pop culture's spiciest sci-fi saga went through this before a few years back, with Dune: Part One delayed considerably in the pandemic's early days, jumping from Boxing Day 2020 to early December 2021. Now, as expected since SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on strike in mid-July, Dune: Part Two is pushing back its release date from November 2023 to March 2024. The film's Twitter account (now X) now states "only in theatres March 15", which is the US date. Because films open on a Thursday Down Under, Dune: Part Two should now release in Australia and New Zealand on March 14. Variety reports that Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will also move release dates from mid-March to mid-April 2024 — and shifts back are also still being considered for Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and The Colour Purple. Already, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 has been delayed, with no new date announced as yet; and so have Kraven the Hunter, the sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, tennis flick Challengers, the Ethan Coen (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) solo-directed Drive-Away Dolls and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, all either to 2024 or with no date confirmed so far. Villeneuve's first Dune scored ten Oscar nominations and six wins, but only told part of the novel's story. Cue Dune: Part Two to keep the tale going when it now hits the silver screen next year. As seen in not one but two trailers so far, war has arrived on the franchise's spice-laden planet, and Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet, Bones and All) and the Fremen are ready to fight. The former doesn't just want to face off against the folks who destroyed his family, but for the sandy celestial body, with Zendaya's (Euphoria) Chani at his side. The first film had Paul head to Arrakis because his dad Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight) had just been given stewardship of the planet and its abundance of 'the spice' — aka the most valuable substance in the universe — and then get caught up in a bitter battle with malicious forces over the substance. It also saw Paul meet the population of people known as the Fremen, including Chani, plus Javier Bardem's (Lyle, Lyle Crocodile) Stilgar, which is who he and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, Silo) are with in Dune: Part Two. Expansive desert landscape, golden and orange hues (again, Villeneuve helmed Blade Runner 2049), sandworms, the director's reliable eye for a spectacle and Hans Zimmer's (The Son) latest likely Oscar-winning score: they've all shown up in the new film's two glimpses so far. So have some of the franchise's new players, with Austin Butler ditching his Elvis locks as Feyd Rautha Harkonnen, the nephew of Stellan Skarsgard's (Andor) Baron Harkonnen. Christopher Walken (Severance) and Florence Pugh (The Wonder) also join the saga as Emperor Shaddam IV and his daughter Princess Irulen. From the first film, Josh Brolin (Outer Range), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Beau Is Afraid) and Charlotte Rampling (Benedetta) return, while Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future) is another fresh addition to the cast. Off-screen, Villeneuve has brought back not just Zimmer, but Oscar-winning Australian director of photography Greig Fraser (The Batman), Oscar-winning production designer Patrice Vermett (Vice), Oscar-winning editor Joe Walker (The Unforgivable), Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert (First Man) and Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West (Song to Song). Hollywood's actors are on strike to fight against diminishing residual payments for performers, and to establish firm rules about the future use of artificial intelligence in the industry, among other improvements to working conditions. When they took action in mid-July, SAG-AFTRA's members joined their counterparts in the Writers Guild of America, who've been striking since May. Check out the latest Dune: Part Two trailer below: Dune: Part Two will now release in cinemas Down Under on March 14, 2024. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter.
Motherland is the tale of three women. Each of them are victims of exile yet each are intrinsically linked by common heritage, familiar struggles and determination. Encompassing historical eras including World War 2 and the Russian Revolution, Motherland explores the journey of these women on an international scale and on a local scale, with Brisbane itself also playing as a significant backdrop to the story. Written by Katherine Lyall-Watson and directed by Caroline Dunphy, Motherland has already been nominated for awards and has earned critical praise for its portrayal of its three main characters and their experiences with displacement and their subsequent identity. This production will run until November 16 at Metro Arts. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or by phone on (07) 3002 7100. Don’t miss this piece of historical fiction, a tale of exile, reunion and returning home.
When the end of the year hits, do you get 'Christmas is All Around', as sung by Bill Nighy, stuck in your head? Have you ever held up a piece of cardboard to tell the object of your affection that, to you, they're perfect? Does your idea of getting festive involve watching Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson and Martin Freeman, all in the same movie? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you clearly adore everyone's favourite Christmas-themed British rom-com, its high-profile cast and its seasonal humour. And, you've probably watched the beloved flick every December since it was first released in cinemas back in 2003. That's a perfectly acceptable routine, and one that's shared by many. But this year, you can do one better. A huge success during its past tours of the UK and Australia (to the surprise of absolutely no one), Love Actually in Concert is returning in 2022 to make this festive season extra merry. It's exactly what it sounds like: a screening of the film accompanied by a live orchestra performing the soundtrack as the movie plays. And, to the jolly delight of Aussies around the country, it's heading to Brisbane, Hobart, Wollongong, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Dates and times vary per city — and not all places have a venue locked in as yet — but obviously you'll be getting your Love Actually fix in the lead up to Christmas. Here, you'll revisit the Richard Curtis-written and -directed film that you already know and treasure, step through its interweaved Yuletide stories of romance, and hear a live orchestra play the movie's soundtrack. And, yes, Christmas (and love) will be all around you. Ticket on-sale dates vary per city, too, starting on Wednesday, September 28 in some places — but you can join the waitlist now no matter where you are. LOVE ACTUALLY IN CONCERT 2022 DATES: Saturday, December 10 — 4pm, Great Hall, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Saturday, December 10 — time and venue TBC, Hobart Wednesday, December 14 — 7.30pm, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong Thursday, December 15 — 7.30pm, The Star Gold Coast Friday, December 16 — time and venue TBC, Adelaide Saturday, December 17 — 4pm, Darling Harbour Theatre, ICC Sydney Saturday, December 17 — 4pm, Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Saturday, December 17 — 4pm, Perth Convention and Entertainment Centre Love Actually in Concert will tour Australia this December — head to the event's website for further details, and to join the waitlist, with tickets in some cities going on sale on Wednesday, September 28.
Nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, family drama The Past is writer-director Asghar Farhadi's first film since 2011 release A Separation, one of the most critically lauded films of the past decade. It begins with Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa) arriving in Paris from Tehran to finalise divorce proceedings with Marie (Berenice Bejo). He wanted her to book him a hotel — she hasn't, the first crack in the veneer of politeness. Temporarily back at his former home after a four-year absence, he finds Marie is now living with Samir (Tahar Rahim). The home is a mess of wet paint and half-finished renovations, as though in the process of removing any trace of Ahmad's time there. Ahmad has to share a room with Samir's eight-year-old son, Fouad (Elyes Aguis), who is acting out because of his confusion about the divorce. Ahmad snipes at Marie about this arrangement and the ensuing bickering bothers Samir, who senses there is something too familiar about their disagreements, that the feuds have the tone of a couple with unfinished business. Meanwhile, Ahmad's teenage daughter, Lucie (Pauline Burlet), has become unhappy and is often absent from home, largely because of the circumstances of Samir's split with his wife and his new relationship with her mother, as well as her own guilt at a train of events she believes she has set in motion. The Past starts off being about the final dissolution of Ahmad and Marie's relationship and the messy, unsatisfying experience of formally ending their marriage, but the story soon spirals off into something else entirely. Just when one strand seems to have exhausted itself, another complication arises, adding to the tragic mess these characters find themselves in. Yet while it is a film of revelations, there is never hint of melodrama and the story unfolds with complete, compelling realism. The small details are incredibly well-observed: one scene where Samir asks Lucie to pass him a kettle and she holds it so he has to scald his hands on the hot surface speaks volumes of their relationship, as does his almost comically stoic refusal to acknowledge what is happening. Another scene places Ahmad and Samir at a table together and watches as their silence and awkward refusal to engage with each other grows into something almost painful. Berenice Bejo won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her committed performance here, but The Past is a true ensemble piece with Burlet exceptional as the shell-shocked, troubled Lucie and Rahim having some brilliant moments as his Samir develops from being a sullen figure annoyed by the arrival of his lover's ex-husband into something much more layered and complex. A film that is rarely less than compelling for its entire running time, The Past gets even better in its wrenching unforgettable final scene, which is all the more emotionally powerful for unfolding at a glacial pace. Acting as both a haunting coda to proceedings and shedding new light on the motivations of its characters, it is an overwhelming last gasp of a truly great film. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Z2-_lt4kwXE
Yass, a small NSW town near Canberra received the signature Queer Eye makeover when the Fab Five descended on the town earlier in June. Well, the whole town didn't, but George — a cattle farmer and former rodeo cowboy — did. As did the local pub. A rundown of the show, for the uninitiated, the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy show hit screens a whopping 15 years ago — running from 2003 to 2007 — and the reboot Queer Eye returned to Netflix this year. The general premise is that the Fab Five give less-fashion-savvy men (and it seems, establishments) much-needed makeovers. In Yass, while three of the Fab Five, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France and Karamo Brown, were looking after George the cattle farmer, the remaining two — Antoni Porowsi and Bobby Berk — renovated the local pub's bistro and introduced a new signature dish to the menu. Fittingly, the five were also crowned — by Yass Mayor Rowena Abbey — Yass Queens. Yas, queen. If this reference is lost on you, it's a term said to have originated in the 80s ballroom community, but recently surged to popularity thanks to this YouTube video. The Australian mini-episode of Queer Eye will is now available to watch, with Queer Eye's second season also streaming on Netflix since June 15. Check out Yass, Australia! below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM2zD5FtrkQ&feature=youtu.be
Southeast Queensland isn't lacking Mexican joints. But, still, it's set to get another dose of colourful, unapologetic Tex-Mex when El Camino Cantina opens its third local outpost in Robina on Wednesday, July 22. El Camino already has spots in Bowen Hills and Chermside — and Sydney and Melbourne, too — and is part of Rockpool Dining Group, which also owns Sake, Beerhaus, The Bavarian, Munich Brauhaus and WingHaus. If you've been to the chain already, you'll know this casual dining venue is loud, colourful, and filled with over-the-top with giant cocktails, rock 'n' roll jukeboxes and lively Tex-Mex fare. The new El Camino — which will be located on The Promenade dining strip at Robina Town Centre — will hold 280 patrons, including in a rowdy neon-lit dining room, as well as an outdoor area that has room for 175 people to spill out in front of the restaurant. Slushie machines signal big nights and brain freezes, with El Camino's margaritas coming in multiple sizes and renditions — such as a tropical Red Bull flavour, which really says it all. Other options include a host of beers from near and far, and a sizeable collection of mezcals and tequilas. The food lineup is as fun and casual as the drinks. Think fiery buffalo wings, sizzling fajitas, plump burritos, soft shell tacos loaded with punchy flavour combinations, and unlimited complimentary corn chips and salsas. It'll also have El Camino's signature specials, including $2 tacos on Tuesdays and ten-cent wings on Wednesdays. El Camino Cantina will open at Robina Town Centre, Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina at 4pm on Wednesday, July 22. Images: El Camino Cantina Manly by Tom Ferguson.
Imagine flying through the air on a plane fuelled by mustard seeds. It might sound somewhat futuristic, but it's Qantas' real-life plan for its Los Angeles to Melbourne Dreamliner route and it's set to happen as early as next year. It'll mark the world's first biofuel flight between the USA and Australia, with the aircraft powered by an oil derived from an industrial kind of mustard seed, called Brassica Carinata. Qantas has also teamed up with the seed's developers — Canada-based Agrisoma Biosciences — and will work with local farmers to have Australia's first commercial aviation biofuel seed crop grown by the year 2020. If the Australian program follows in the footsteps of large-scale overseas operations, it could see up to an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions. The plan is to soon be growing 400,000 hectares of carinata locally, which would equate to over 200 million litres of the bio jet fuel each year. Not only would use of this kind of fuel see a hefty reduction in carbon emissions, current field trials in Queensland and South Australia have shown the crushed seed is a viable non-genetically modified food for livestock. It's not the first time Qantas has dabbled in biofuel — back in 2012, the airline conducted trial flights between Sydney and Adelaide, and Melbourne and Hobart, using fuel derived from cooking oil.
How many times have you walked through Federation Square, whether rushing to Flinders Street Station, hopping on or off a tram, checking out a sporting event on the site's big screen or hitting up a nearby venue? How well do you know the public space in your mind, then? It's up there with the MCG as one of the first places that anyone thinks of when they think about Melbourne, but both locals and visitors alike will see it as they've never seen it before when June hits and RISING 2024 arrives. The Victorian capital's annual winter arts festival — because Vivid Sydney doesn't have a monopoly on citywide cultural celebrations at this time of year — will run from Saturday, June 1–Sunday, June 16. One of its centrepieces is a spot that everyone is bound to go to anyway, but turning Fed Square into a showcase of First Peoples' art and politics. The free exhibition and public program is called The Blak Infinite, and will boast Richard Bell's EMBASSY as its centrepiece. Inside the work, which is inspired by the original Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in the 70s, talks will be held every Saturday, while films will screen daily. Make sure that you spend time looking up at Fed Square during RISING 2024, too; each evening, projections will take to the heavens, telling tales of Sky Country and the cosmos. On the site's big screen, Ellen Van Neerven's speculative fiction will feature. And keep an eye out for Kait James and Tony Albert's contributions, with one digging into and subverting souvenirs via collage, and the other going big and colourful with large-scale installations. The Blak Infinite leads the highlights on RISING's full program for this year, which has been unveiled after a couple of past announcements for the June fest. So, audiences should already be excited about Counting and Cracking and Communitas. The first brings the acclaimed Sri Lankan-Australian stage saga to Melbourne finally, and the second involves 'Love Tonight' talents SHOUSE throwing a music party that'll fill Melbourne's St Paul's Cathedral with hundreds of people making tunes as part of a choir. There's 105 events featuring 480-plus artists all up — including 23 newly commissioned works, plus six that are making their world premiere — with tunes also at the heart of the newly revealed Day Tripper, a festival within the broader festival over the King's Birthday long weekend. Melbourne Town Hall will be its hub, but the event will take over an entire block, including the Capitol Theatre and Max Watt's. And, you'll only need one ticket to hit it all up. Music-wise, Yasiin Bey, who was formerly known as Mos Def, leads the Day Tripper bill with a tribute to MF Doom. The rest of the lineup includes almost every genre that you can think of from hip hop and disco to post-punk and acid house. There'll be dance works, video pieces and brass bands as well — and Bar Italia, Asha Puthli, HTRK, Richard Youngs and more taking part. Love music films? Make a date with 24 Hour Rock Show, which British Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller first staged in Finland in 2015. It'll play rock documentaries back to back for a whole day and night, and for free. If you're up for it, catching the full 24 hours will be a wild cinema endurance test. Bey isn't only appearing at Day Tripper, but also at PICA to perform his 2009 album The Ecstatic. On the rest of RISING's music roster, ONEFOUR, Fever Ray, The Dirty Three playing their home town for the first time in 14 years, Sky Ferreira, Tirzah, Blonde Redhead, Snoh Aalegra and Moktar also pop up. For trance fans, UK producer Evian Christ has an exclusive show for the festival — and, for something complete different, Deller's Acid Brass is staging free public concerts. Once more linking tunes with the big screen, Hear My Eyes is back with a screening of Hellraiser. Hieroglyphic Being aka Jamal Moss is doing an all-new score for the horror classic, while visual artist Robin Fox will add a live laser performance. RISING attendees will also be able to enjoy The First Bad Man by Ireland's Pan Pan Theatre, which is based around Miranda July's novel and described as "a performative book club" — and ILBIJERRI Theatre Company's Big Name No Blankets, which dives into the Warumpi Band's history. Or, there's the first chapter of The Cadela Força Trilogy, examining sexual violence in art history; First Peoples' futuristic drag show ECLIPSE; inclusive club night CRIP RAVE THEORY; and eight hours of 8/8/8: REST, the second part in a triptych that began at RISING 2022 with 8/8/8: WORK. At a festival that's all about showing folks something that they won't see every day, SONG HISTOIRE(S) DU THÉ TRE IV certainly fits, too: as conjured up by Flemish artist Miet Warlop, it involves musicians playing just one song over and over, all while partaking in an obstacle course featuring trampolines, treadmills and balance beams. So does FOOD, which is set at an illusionist's dinner party, and has audiences sat around the stage-sized table to dive into the history of its namesake. Also on the program: the return of The Rivers Sing, the Melbourne Art Trams unveiling their latest First Peoples' works, Bell's Pay the Rent making a Melbourne comeback over a decade since debuting in the city, plus nightly social club Night Trade. [caption id="attachment_945445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brett Boardman[/caption] RISING 2024 runs from Saturday, June 1–Sunday, June 16 across Melbourne. Head to the festival's website for further information and tickets, with latter on sale from 12pm on Tuesday, March 12 for subscribers and 12pm on Thursday, March 14 otherwise. Top image: Damian Raggatt.
If you met a young man with the MTV logo emblazoned across his neck, there are a few assumptions you would probably make. 'This chap is a fan of music television', you might say. Or, 'Surely, at some point in the past, this man had too many drinks too close to a tattoo parlour after reminiscing on highlights of the '90s. What you probably wouldn't deduce is that the character before you runs a YouTube music account with almost 40 million views, that he was a key inspiration for James Franco's latest role as Alien in the Harmony Korine film Spring Breakers or that his mixtapes have garnered applause from Pitchfork, Stereogum and Complex. You definitely wouldn't guess that his soon-to-be-released major label debut, Neon Icon, will feature the likes of Wiz Khalifia, Mac Miller, Drake, A$AP Rocky and Snoop Dogg(/Lion), just to name a few. In fact, instead of gawking, it might be more appropriate to salute respectfully because the young man you've just been introduced to is none other than eccentric Texan rapper RiFF RAFF. Currently on his first Australian tour, the electrifying performer brings his notorious live show to Brisbane this Thursday. Featuring the overblown bling, intelligent rhymes and hilarious antics that have gained him worldwide acclaim, this will be a night for the hip-hop fan with an ear for the weird.
Two years in the making — as anyone that spotted the constant construction site on James Street will know — the seven-storey, this 175-room spot is calling itself 'Australia's first urban resort'. Yes, that means that going for a splash in the central pool, lazing around in cabanas or on a sun lounge, and eating on the hotel's outdoor deck are all on the agenda. So is hanging out at the spa, which is also open to the general public, and just making the most of Brissie's climate. The Calile Hotel is a clear frontrunner for the very best hotel in Brisbane. The white brick design, by architects Richards and Spence, certainly highlights the tropical side of things. Think open-air spaces and breezeways, natural ventilation and plants aplenty, as well as a cool, soothing colour scheme. Inside the rooms, guests will find oak furniture, cork floors and sisal matting in the bathrooms, day beds for afternoon naps, linen robes and a mini bar stocked from local suppliers. Recognising how sunny the city gets, every room is also fitted with motorised blackout blinds. If you need to escape the glow, the in-suite Chromecast and sound bar will help as well. Rooms start from just over $200, with The Calile also featuring nine suites and two premier suites, complete with poolside and terrace-style balconies as well as two private rooftop terraces — for when you're feeling like splashing some cash around. Operated by TFE Hotels Collection, other drawcards include the all-day Lobby Bar, the opening of Hellenika's first Brisbane digs — bringing the Gold Coast's favourite Greek eats to town — and meeting and function rooms that can cater for up to 500 people, including an outdoor amphitheatre. The team behind Fortitude Valley's The Calile Hotel is even planning a lavish new resort in Noosa. We can't wait to see what they've dreamt up.
Facebook is swiftly becoming the radar of global activity, now obtaining the power to track not only people's social networking patterns but also their travel paths, their ages and even their political inclinations. With over 800 million active users the social networking site is rampant, with immense data processing required for the constant stream of check-ins, status updates and photo uploads. Data scientist at Facebook, Justin Moore, created these global maps as a captivating visual indicator of where and who the world's Facebook users are to make sense of some of the unique data. SEASONED TRAVELLERS WHO WANT TO MAKE IT KNOWN Forget the old maps of showing aeroplane's routes across the globe because we can now follow travel patterns through Facebook users' check-ins. This map uses check-ins at two far off locations as a way of tracing globe-trotting journeys. NYC HUSTLE AND BUSTLE Check-ins over several days in New York City alone reveal the heavier users are situated around more heavily trafficked commercial and tourist areas. Shouldn't you guys be working or studying or something? NEW VS. OLD The colour ranges of this dazzling map represent the ages of users, again through their check-ins on Facebook. The green zones constitute the older and more established Facebookers whilst the blue are the younger rookies. PRETTY POLITICAL Although what may look like some sort of beautiful and rare star constellation, this last image actually maps American users' political affiliation. Democrats are shown as blue and the Republicans are red. Better pick up your game Obama, the social world has spoken.
Few Australian actors just starting out — not even half a decade into their resumes, in fact — have enjoyed the jump into the spotlight that Eliza Scanlen did between 2018–2020. After a 15-episode run on Home and Away in 2016, Scanlen made her international debut on HBO's Sharp Objects, so in a miniseries based on a novel by Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, and starring Amy Adams (Nightbitch) and Patricia Clarkson (She Said). Her initial role in a US film came next as one of the March sisters, Beth, in Greta Gerwig's (Barbie) adaptation of Little Women, with Scanlen starring alongside Saoirse Ronan (Blitz), Florence Pugh (We Live in Time), Emma Watson (The Circle), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Laura Dern (Lonely Planet) and Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building). Then, for her first Aussie movie, she earned a well-deserved AACTA Best Actress Award for Babyteeth, where she played a 16-year-old navigating a cancer diagnosis; Essie Davis (Apple Cider Vinegar) and Ben Mendelsohn (The New Look) portrayed her parents. Amid those impressive television and film parts, Scanlen also hit the stage at home, featuring in Sydney Theatre Company's 2019 production of Lord of the Flies with Mia Wasikowska (Blueback), Yerin Ha (Dune: Prophecy, and soon to be seen in Bridgerton's fourth season) and Daniel Monks (Kaos). On Broadway that very year, she did the same, but in To Kill a Mockingbird with Ed Harris (Love Lies Bleeding) and Nick Robinson (Damsel). 2025 sees the screen and stage sides of Scanlen's career collide. After past movies The Devil All the Time, Old, The Starling Girl and Caddo Lake, plus TV's Fires, The First Lady and Dope Girls, Scanlen is back in Australian cinemas thanks to her theatre work. From late November 2024–late January this year, the Aussie actor trod the boards in London in National Theatre's glorious new staging of The Importance of Being Earnest. Down Under, viewers can now watch Scanlen as Cecily Cardew in the Oscar Wilde-penned farce via NT Live. The British theatre company's love of recording its productions and beaming them around the world has long been an initiative to celebrate, and the reason that stunning works such as Danny Boyle's (Yesterday) version of Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch (Eric) and Jonny Lee Miller (Guy Ritchie's The Covenant) alternating between Victor Frankenstein and his monster, the Carey Mulligan (Spaceman)- and Bill Nighy (That Christmas)-starring Skylight, and Jodie Comer (The Bikeriders) in Prima Facie have been accessible to audiences who couldn't attend the live shows in the UK. Add The Importance of Being Earnest to NT Live's must-sees and sparkling gems, with Scanlen joined by Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) as Algernon Moncrieff, Hugh Skinner (Wicked Little Letters) as Jack Worthing, Sharon D Clarke (Wicked) as Lady Bracknell and Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (Alex Rider) as Gwendolen Fairfax. Director Max Webster — who also helmed National Theatre's Macbeth, Life of Pi and Henry V, all of which enjoyed the NT Live treatment — couldn't be having more fun with Wilde's now 130-year-old work. Neither could Scanlen and her co-stars, visibly so from the moment that this iteration opens with Gatwa in a hot pink dress. The last play by its author, premiering mere months before his imprisonment for homosexual acts and clearly drawing upon Wilde's own experiences as it tells of living double lives, The Importance of Being Earnest has always possessed queer subtext. Webster pushes that further forward, alongside the search for identity, plus what it means to be your own person and break free of expectations. This is still "a trivial comedy", as its originator himself dubbed it. It remains a story about impersonation and romance, too. No one has brought it to the stage like this before, however. Of course, the narrative still charts Jack's attempts to be an upstanding custodian to his ward Cecily in his country existence, only to live it up in town under a different name with his friend Algernon — and the latter's own similar scheme, aka "Bunburying", aka making up a fictitious ailing friend that often needs his attention as an excuse to ditch the city. And, this The Importance of Being Earnest remains the tale of two young women, Cecily and Gwendolen, with their sights set on married futures, but the reality of their hopes and dreams impacted by Jack and Algernon's duplicity. What's Scanlen's take on Cecily's journey? When the character falls in love with Jack's made-up brother Ernest, "I think she knows that deep down that he might not exist, but she's so invested in this imaginary world that she's built for herself to escape the boredom of her life in the country that she's willing to do anything to will this person into existence," she tells Concrete Playground. "And so when Algernon shows up at her home, she assumes him to be Ernest, her fiancé. I guess he represents to her freedom, an escape from the boredom of her life, and a promise of wealth and fun. I think she's a kindred spirit with Algernon in the play." Asked if her path to here, to acting on the London stage in a famous farce that's now screening in cinemas afterwards, was something that she could've imagined when she booked her stint in Summer Bay almost a decade ago now, and Scanlen notes that "never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I'd be onstage playing Cecily at the National Theatre. I think that is pretty special". She continues: "I don't think I was looking that far ahead. I knew that my heart was in films and television, and I knew that I wanted to make films, too. But I did find acting through theatre originally, so theatre has always had a special place in my heart — and I returned to theatre when I was 19, I think, at Sydney Theatre Company." "I guess with this career, it's not really something that you can plan. You just have to give yourself up to whatever happens, and I'm really lucky to find myself here," Scanlen also advises. "I can't see myself doing anything else. I've been doing it for so long now that the idea of pivoting careers seems crazy to me. I can't really see my life without acting and film and TV and theatre. I've just followed my curiosity along the way, and I don't really know exactly where I'm going, but I think that's how it works. You just have to stay inspired and stay curious. And I've been lucky enough that it's taken me to some just some wonderful places and I've met some wonderful people along the way." One of those people: Gerwig. Taking inspiration from her Little Women director is part of the reason that Scanlen is in The Importance of Being Earnest at all — and Gerwig came to see her in the production during its London stage season. The actor-turned-filmmaker's influence on Scanlen's career; the excitement of playing Cecily; Webster's vision for the play; being part of such a phenomenal cast; what she looks for in roles; the experience of that whirlwind Sharp Objects, Little Women and Babyteeth run: we also dug into them all with Scanlen, among other topics. On What Excited Scanlen About Being Part of The Importance of Being Earnest Onstage "It didn't take much — it didn't take anything for me to audition for this. When I heard that the National Theatre was putting on The Importance of Being Earnest, I was so excited to take a crack at it. And I auditioned and it was quite daunting, because it's such a well-known play and the language is quite challenging. And physically, too — the physical comedy is quite specific. So going into the audition, there was a lot I was thinking about. And I think also this play can be interpreted in a number of different ways, depending on what lens you're looking at it through, so I didn't really know what Max, the director, wanted to do with it at that point. So I was just taking a shot and I just gave it my best, and it worked out." On Getting Into Cecily's Mindset in Webster's Version of the Play "I guess Oscar Wilde wrote Cecily as this farcical character. Cecily is based on this farcical character of the time, which was this bloomer-wearing, cigarette-smoking, bicycle-riding, independent woman. And I guess in this play, all the characters in the play are based on tropes and stereotypes of characters at the time, and he sets them up to subvert them. So Cecily is illustrated as this young, innocent woman, but she's actually very much in charge of her own destiny and makes all the decisions. To get into character, it felt like to get into the head of Cecily, I had to do a lot of mental gymnastics — because Cecily, she doesn't feel real sometimes. And her way of seeing the world is quite convoluted because of her diary. I think Cecily is usually seen as a fantasist, but I don't think that's the most-helpful way for an actor to access the character. So I did a lot of mental gymnastics trying to understand what Cecily wanted, and why she is so attached to her diary. And she spent so much time with her diary that now her diary is the compass for truth and reality, so anything that diverges from what she's written in her diary is false. She's got a very specific worldview, I suppose. I think a lot of getting into character for this play, though, was just having fun and enjoying the surface-level nature of the play. And also interacting with the audience. The audience is really important for this play and we had very direct contact with them whilst we were performing. So just getting comfortable acknowledging the audience and getting the audience onside. It was a huge learning experience for me." On Working with the Rest of The Importance of Being Earnest's Cast "It was such a joy to come in every day and be onstage with this group of people. It's a very special time that I know I won't get back. And I think that the beauty of theatre is that it's all so temporary, but what we created together was beautiful. Honestly, I don't really know any other way to describe it other than pure joy. It was just a joy to be onstage with the company every day. Obviously, there's days where you're tired and maybe you didn't sleep well or someone's sick, but you can't really do this play without having fun. So even if you rocked up in a bad mood, you're bound to come out of it in a good mood." On NT Live Bringing the Production Beyond London and Broadening the Show's Audience "I think it's incredible. I think it's the closest thing to being there and the technology has improved so much that what NT Live is bringing out to the world is incredible and hugely impactful, too. I think theatre can feel inaccessible at times, and what NT Live does is make it really accessible, and people from all around the world can watch this play. I also think that this play has a really important message to share about being yourself and expressing yourself. And queer pride, queer joy, all of those things, I think are really important for younger audiences, and it makes me really excited to know that this play can be seen by so many school kids around the world, too. This play, it's been done many, many times before, but it's for a reason, and I'm really happy that it's been immortalised. It's really cool." On Digging Into the Play's Interrogation of Identity and Breaking Free of Expectations "I think that was a really important theme to our interpretation of the play. In the past, other versions of this play feel quite stuffy, and it is more about the snobbery of high society than it is about identity and expression and queerness. And we wanted to make it feel fresh and use the queer lens more than anything. This play is about young people inventing themselves in virtuosic expression.The opening of the play, too, the dance sequence that we put in the opening of the play, I think really represents that. It's the dream. We wanted it to be feel like an empowering play rather than weighed down by the satire of it." On the Experience of Starring in Sharp Objects, Little Women and Babyteeth in Such Short Succession at the Start of Scanlen's Career "It was pretty overwhelming. I'm aware that most people, it doesn't happen in such quick succession, usually. And I did find it quite overwhelming and felt the urge to withdraw from it all, but knew that I couldn't — and was very aware that the opportunities I was getting were really special and it would be silly not to ride the wave. But I was very young, and I think I handled it as well as I could've. But now that I'm older and I have a bit more experience and am probably a bit more mature, I can look back on that time and think to myself 'how did I do that?'. I would say that now I feel a bit more robust and in control. I think I'd be more prepared if something like that happened again. But I wouldn't change it for the world, though." On Scanlen's Trend of Starring in Adaptations, Screen and Stage, of Classic Works "It's not something that's intentional, but I feel really honoured that I'm a part of these incredible classic texts. I did To Kill a Mockingbird onstage as well, and I studied To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, so it's really cool to be able to return to these texts as an actor — and there's still so much to be learnt from these texts. I guess I'm really lucky." On What Being Cast in Little Women Meant to Scanlen — and the Influence It Still Has "It was pretty life-changing being a part of that film. Looking back now, I realise that getting roles like that are few and far between, and to be that excited about a role is pretty rare. And to get no-brainer roles as well, it's very rare. Again, I was so young, and spent a lot of time watching other people and learning. And obviously that's a text that most young women have read and have a relationship with. I think Greta, in particular, was a huge inspiration for me, because I really am inspired by the way she's moved into writing and directing, and that's something I want to keep exploring. I remember being on set on that film and thinking about going into theatre, and she was super encouraging. And so I went on to do that. I think she had a huge part to play in how I made decisions on my career and made decisions on what I wanted to do. And she actually came and saw The Importance of Being Earnest, and it felt like a really special full-circle moment." [caption id="attachment_997124" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Max[/caption] On What Else Inspires Scanlen's Choice of Roles — Other Than Gerwig "My choices on roles are informed by a few different things, but usually the question I ask myself 'is have I done this before?'. I think that's a question that most actors ask themselves. And I know I'm in a privileged position to be able to ask myself that question and not have to take every job, but I think that I'm at a stage in my career where I feel like I'm having to resist, a bit, falling into stereotypes or falling into typecasting. And I'm constantly looking for things that push myself as an actor. I felt like, for example, The Importance of Being Earnest was a huge challenge for me. I'd never done a comedy before. And I had never been entrusted with a character as substantial as Cecily and as iconic as Cecily onstage. So I felt like I was really stretched as an actor in the rehearsal room, and I guess that's the kind of thing that I'm looking for. But it's hard. It's really hard, especially in film and TV. There's so many things that need to fall into place for a film or a show to happen, and it's really hard for all of those things to be right. But I guess that's how I see things." On the Joy of Making Babyteeth in Scanlen's Home Town, and What She Looks for in Australian Projects "I love making things at home. It's an incredibly special experience. And what I loved about Babyteeth was that we shot it in my home town, so it was an incredible experience seeing a city I know so well become a set for a film. And there's parts of Sydney that I now look at in a completely different way because of it — and I just think that's really amazing. But I'm not looking for anything in particular. I think the script is obviously incredibly important, and I would love to make a film here next. But I guess I'm just waiting for the right thing to come along — but I'm desperate to work in Australia again." NT Live's The Importance of Being Earnest opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, March 27, 2025. The Importance of Being Earnest images: Marc Brenner.
UPDATE, May 17, 2021: Shoplifters is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play and YouTube Movies. Quantity and quality, as alike as the two words sound, have long been pitted as opposites. To be prolific is to be imperfect, or so the thinking goes, although Hirokazu Kore-eda just keeps blowing that idea out of the water. The writer-director's latest release is his eleventh since the turn of the century and, in a hefty collection of intimate, moving movies that includes Nobody Knows, Like Father, Like Son and Our Little Sister, the Palme d'Or-winning Shoplifters is one of the best. There's really no such thing as a bad Kore-eda film, even when he steps into slightly different territory, as with last year's less-acclaimed crime flick The Third Murder. But his rich and poignant new family drama is almost disarmingly affecting (and effective), showcasing the height of the Japanese filmmaker's prowess. The family that steals together, stays together in Shoplifters. Daily pilfering — and other petty crimes and grifts, as well as regular pension cheques — enable father Osamu (Lily Franky), mother Nobuyo (Sakura Andô), grandmother Hatsue (Kirin Kiki), aunt Aki (Mayu Matsuoka) and son Shota (Jyo Kairi) to survive in their tiny, overpacked cottage on the outskirts of Tokyo. On the way home one winter evening after giving their light fingers a workout, Osamu and Shota spy a slip of a girl cold and shivering on an apartment balcony, and soon young Yuri (Miyu Sasaki) is in their care too. While Osamu and Nobuyo's choice to keep the bruised and starving child could be construed as kidnapping, she's just so happy with them. In time, Yuri also proves rather skilled in the family business. 'Family drama' is a loaded way to describe Shoplifters. It's accurate — more accurate than can be conveyed without giving too much away — but the two words barely scratch the surface of Kore-eda's film. Seemingly straightforward in its narrative and themes, but thoroughly complex in the depths it reaches in both its story and sentiments, Shoplifters doesn't simply ponder one family's tough but loving existence. Rather, it contemplates exactly what makes a family. On more than one occasion, a character wonders whether blood or choice forge a stronger bond, a notion that couldn't be more important as the movie's ups and downs play out. Integral to that train of thought is Kore-eda's clear-eyed exploration of an oft-ignored aspect of Japanese society, at least on screen: the realities of life on the country's margins. As embodied by the film's central clan, the poor and the struggling aren't ignored here. They're literally stealing to get by, and they're never denigrated for it. Nor does the movie judge them for their decision to unofficially adopt someone else's child. The cast, which includes some of Japan's great acting talents, deserve a wealth of credit for building textured, layered characters that cannot be pigeonholed — people who feel like they could've walked off of the street and into Kore-eda's naturalistically shot picture. It's not just financial stress that drives Franky's patriarch, for example, but a desperation to connect that's evident every time that Shota steadfastly refuses to call him dad. And it's not just caring for one's elders that cements Kiki's grandma at the head of the family, a truth that's always apparent on the now-late actor's face. Of course, Franky, Kiki and the rest of the movie's stars have the good fortune to be performing for Kore-eda, one of the most empathetic and humanistic directors in the business both in Japan and around the world. Tissues should come with tickets to his films, not because he overtly pulls at the heartstrings, but because he peers so generously at everyone within his frames. Indeed, the kindness that he shows, and the space that he gives his characters, has a quietly overwhelming impact. Here, the filmmaker is at his best when he's cramming Shoplifters' family into their cramped villa, and observing their interactions, emotions and motivations in such close quarters. Every moment of their lives is tainted by hardship and harshness, but every moment is also a tender revelation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOOcpb48Oyo
Home to raindrop cakes, Nutella gyoza and salted caramel gyoza, Harajuku Gyoza clearly likes getting creative with its sweet treats. The chain is fond of trying out new things with its savouring dumpling range, too, as its experiment with mac 'n' cheese and pepperoni pizza versions showed — but it obviously has a soft spot for the kind of desserts you won't find on any old menu. Right now, the Australian gyoza brand is serving up a new menu item that turns lemon meringue into gyoza. You'll find lemon curd stuffed inside each dumpling, and mini meringues perched on top. And, if your stomach isn't already rumbling, they come crispy fried and dusted with icing sugar. Just like the chain's marshmallow gyoza from earlier this year, the lemon meringue dumplings are joining the chain's dessert lineup in plates of five, which'll cost you $10. And if you fancy tucking into the new gyoza after devouring two old favourites — cheeseburger gyoza, which is stuffed with burger pieces, aged cheddar, onion, pickles, mustard and tomato sauce; and mozzarella gyoza, which is filled with the obvious, then deep-fried and sprinkled with Twisties salt — that's up to you. Harajuku Gyoza's lemon meringue gyoza are now available at all Australian stores — at Darling Harbour in Sydney; at South Bank and the CBD in Brisbane; and in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.
For the past few years, Brisbane's brewery scene has been booming. If you're keen for a beer straight from the source, there's now a spot serving up just that in most parts of town. And, thanks to the Craft'd Grounds, that now includes Albion — with craft brewer Brewtide opening its doors, and also helping to launch the eagerly awaited precinct in Brissie's inner north. First announced back in March, and originally slated to open in May, Craft'd Grounds wants to be the city's new one-stop shop for drinking beers, sipping coffee, eating pastries, picking up cheese, listening to live tunes, wandering around farmers markets and more. Taking over a 2600-square-metre space on Collingwood Street that used to be industrial and commercial warehouses — and a 100-year-old, timber mill, as well as a mixed martial arts and dance studio — it takes its inspiration from The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney. So, the sprawling venue is aiming to lure you in for a bite and a beverage, and to just hang out, including in Brewtide's timber-lined 500-square-metre brewery. Beer lovers will find 20 taps pouring brews; the brewery's flagship Brewtide Lager is one of them, and so is a coffee stout that's infused with Seven Miles Cat's Pyjamas blend. Coffee roastery Seven Miles has also just opened its doors at Craft'd Grounds, in fact, with the pair marking the precinct's first two tenants to start welcoming in customers. At Brewtide, collaboration is part of the brewing ethos. "Our brewery is a very collaborative space, with other artisans regularly joining in," explains head brewer Gavin Croft. "We'll be supporting and celebrating Australian producers — with as much as possible sourced locally." The brewery also gives patrons a 360-degree view of the brewing in action, and boasts its own cocktail bar. There's a bottle shop as well, which sells everything you can drink on the premises, plus hundreds of other boutique craft beers, wines and spirits. Over at Seven Miles, the Australian specialty coffee roaster has launched its flagship Queensland headquarters — and the first Seven Miles-owned cafe in the Sunshine State. The new haven for caffeine fiends is all about immersing coffee lovers in the experience, which means sitting in the open-plan venue and peering through wall-to-ceiling glass to witness everything that happens to bring the brand's roasts to your cuppas. Here, you can knock back Brisbane-made roast The Cat's Pyjamas, as well by Seven Miles' other brands such Wilde and Cultivar. There's also a range of monthly rotating Single Origin coffees, plus Seven Miles is serving cafe fare if you're feeling peckish. "We've loved having our customers experience our blends at incredible cafes all over Queensland ‚ and now we can't wait to also bring them into our own cafe too," says Seven Miles' Operations Manager Ben Graham. "It's a privilege to take our community behind the scenes and show them the care and process that goes into our roasts in our fully immersive experience, while enjoying their own great coffee." As Craft'd Grounds continues to open up, Brisbanites can also look forward to spending time in its laneways — which take up more than 680 square metres — as well as at the yet-to-launch bakery and deli Brass Tacks, which hails from the chefs behind Pie Hole and Lady Bouchon. The Albion precinct is also set to gain a yet-to-be-revealed restaurant, other food tenants and a fitness centre, and to host events and those aforementioned farmers markets. All of the above will help flesh out a space that's been designed by Conrad Gargett architects to let visitors mosey between its interconnecting tenancies, then eat and drink in the laneways, common areas and other spaces. Craft'd Grounds is set to open on Collingwood Street, Albion at a yet-to-be-revealed date in May. We'll update you when exact opening details are announced.
What do Euphoria, Yellowjackets, Wednesday, Atlanta, Mr & Mrs Smith, Dark Matter, The Umbrella Academy, The Penguin, Overcompensating and Sirens all have in common, other than being TV shows? Next, what do they also share with Beyoncé's online footprint? Music supervisor Jen Malone is the connection between all of the aforementioned television series, with the four-time Emmy-nominee working on each of them. Then, SXSW Sydney 2025 links Malone with Dr Marcus Collins, Beyoncé's former Digital Strategy Director — because the two have just been announced on the event's Music Festival speaker lineup. When April was coming to a close, SXSW Sydney started dropping its first music acts for this year's fest. A month later as May winds down, it has now revealed the initial list of folks who'll be getting chatting as part of the conference side of SXSW Sydney 2025's Music Festival. How do you stack TV and streaming hits — and movies, too — with the exact-right songs? Malone will take to the stage to spill the details. How should you approach marketing strategy in the music business, and what can you learn from doing just that for megastars ? That's where marketing professor, For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be author and ex-Beyoncé team member Collins will come in. Both Malone and Collins are on the bill when SXSW Sydney returns for its third year between Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19, 2025. As it tends to each year, the festival has been unveiling its latest lineup in bits and pieces, after also revealing that there'll be more free programming and an initial look at the overall speaker lineup in recent months. "SXSW Sydney is about big ideas, bold conversations and unexpected connections. It's a chance to hear directly from the people who open doors — the buyers, curators and deal-makers — and to better understand how to cut through, stay independent or scale globally. Whether you're building a team, exploring how AI can support your creative and business goals, or just looking for inspiration from other creative industries, this is where the conversations start," said SXSW Sydney's Head of Music Claire Collins about the first round of Music Festival speakers. "We're proud to bring this talent to Sydney, and to connect them with the broader SXSW Sydney community. It's a week packed with fun, discovery, and opportunities to connect, collaborate and imagine what's next for music in our region and around the world." Malone and Collins will have company from a wide array of other SXSW Sydney Music Festival guests, such as Brian Hobbs, SXSW in Austin's Director of Music Festival Programming; Patrick Daniel from Reeperbahn Festival in Germany; Airing Your Dirty Laundry podcast host Daphne Berry; Alex Berenson, the All Flowers international label group's Senior Director of A&R; and Justin Sweeting, the founder of Hong Kong's Clockenflap Festival. Also among the names on the program so far: Hallie Anderson, who co-founded Rareform marketing team, Ode strategic agency's Jashima Wadehra, Mardi Caught from marketing and artist services outfit The Annex, music networking platform GigLifePro's Priya Dewan and Pal Norte Festival's Macarena González. If you missed it, the roster to date of musicians that'll be showing off their talents spans both international and local acts. In the first camp: Jasmine 4.t, Freak Slug and Ristband + Pivots from the UK; Slowwves from Thailand; Japan's Suichu Spica 水中スピカ; New Zealand's Serebii and Tusekah; and Cardinals from Ireland. Flying the flag for Aussie acts to begin with: Jamaica Moana, JJ4K, RICEWINE, Sacred Hearts, Swapmeet and BADASSMUTHA. In total, this year's fest is due to feature more than 300 music performances. And, that's just the live tunes side of the event. Across its 1600-plus sessions, SXSW Sydney 2025 will also boast over 550 conference and professional development sessions, 90-plus movie screenings and over 150 games. [caption id="attachment_984093" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nina Franova/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney[/caption] [caption id="attachment_965208" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Jaimi Joy[/caption] [caption id="attachment_953711" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jaimi Joy[/caption] SXSW Sydney 2025 runs from Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. Top image: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW.
Viewing overload may be a thoroughly modern dilemma, but it's one that we can all relate to. And, it doesn't just apply to the sheer volume of options these days — across cinema releases, film festivals, regular television, pay TV and the growing number of streaming platforms, for example — but also to the types of stories told. If you're feeling a little like you've seen every superhero flick, upbeat rom-com tale, cop procedural and bromance buddy comedy ever made, then the SBS Short Film Festival is here to deliver a huge dose of diversity. The new three-day event's main aim: to showcase not only different subjects, topics and formats, but work made by creators who are typically underrepresented in the screen industry. Dropping on SBS On Demand across Friday, September 13 and Sunday, September 15, the festival will feature 14 shorts, all from Australian talents — including folks from multicultural and Indigenous backgrounds, members of the LGBTIQ+ community and those living with disabilities. Different shorts will hit the free platform each day, recreating the real-world film festival experience. Of course, to enjoy this event, you just need a TV, laptop or smartphone. Highlights include the Aaron Pedersen-starring Out of Range, which sees the acclaimed actor plays a father trying to reconnect with his estranged son on the road; Amar, about the groom-less wedding of a Muslim woman with Down syndrome; and Bananas and Flavour Swap, each exploring the bonds of food and culture. On the documentary front, Limited Surrender focuses on an artist's plight after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, while Lost Daylight examines the stolen generation from a personal perspective, through the tale of a woman who was placed in the Sisters of Mercy convent at Brisbane's All Hallows' school in 1950s and 60s. Other titles include The Loop, hailing from Lorcan Hopper, a first-time television director with Down syndrome; Deafinition, which crafts its sights and sounds through the perspective of someone who is profoundly deaf; and the three-part Monsters of Many Worlds, a combination of live-action and animation on the topic of mythical creatures. The SBS Short Film Festival stems from the Short-Form Content Initiative, which is committed to increasing opportunities for Australian creatives from diverse communities. The 14 films were shot across Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, with funding assistance from Film Victoria, Screen Queensland, Screenwest, South Australian Film Corporation and Screen Tasmania. Check out the festival trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ex32L9dC9k The SBS Short Film Festival hits SBS On Demand between Friday, September 13 and Sunday, September 15. Images: The Small Town Drifter, Michael O'Neill, Blur Films / Out of Range, Ryan Alexander Lloyd / Amar, Zahra Habibullah / Deafinition / Flavour Swap, Amy Brown / Lives In Action, Jurban Botany.
Chocoholics and fans of Sydney's resident macaroon maestro Adriano Zumbo will no doubt be titillated to learn that the popular patissier has created three limited edition Tim Tam flavours about to hit stores. The collaboration celebrates the 50th birthday of Australia's iconic biscuit (which, incidentally, we as a nation consume over 45 million packets of annually). The new Tim Tam flavour combinations are pretty tame for Zumbo, but they're exciting in supermarket-aisle terms: salted caramel, choc brownie and raspberry white choc. Coles, Woolies and selected independent grocers will start selling "treat packs" of them in March. For those who just can't wait till then, Zumbo will be holding two preview tasting events in Sydney and Melbourne. It's a first-in, best-dressed kind of thing, so get in early if you want the chance to sample the new Tim Tams and try some Tim Tam-inspired treats (Tim Tam Zonut?) “It was an honour to personally develop my own range of Tim Tam biscuits. I grew up on the iconic Aussie bikkie and it’s a joy to be able to put my own twist on it,” said Zumbo. Sydney preview tasting: Wednesday, February 19, 4-8pm, Shop 1, Cafe Court, The Star, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont Melbourne preview tasting: Thursday, February 20, 7am- 7pm, Zumbo Patisserie, 14 Claremont Street, South Yarra
It's one of the most famous lines in cinema history, and it just keeps proving true. When Arnold Schwarzenegger said "I'll be back" in 1984's The Terminator, he clearly meant it — and so did James Cameron's franchise. Like Skynet-controlled robot killing machines trying to exterminate humanity and take over the world, this series just keeps coming, with 1991's Terminator 2: Judgement Day, 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, 2009's Terminator Salvation, 2015's Terminator Genisys, TV's short-lived Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and animated show Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series to its name. The saga's fortunes have been varied, to say the least, with the last few films hardly leaving anyone clamouring for more. But, no matter how Terminator: Dark Fate turns out, it does have one big trick up its sleeves. While Arnie has been a part of every Terminator movie except Salvation, which was made while he was the Governor of California, Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor hasn't had a significant part in the franchise since T2. The character has still popped up on-screen, played by everyone's favourite duelling Game of Thrones queens — that is, by Lena Headey in The Sarah Connor Chronicles and by Emilia Clarke in Genisys — but now the kick-ass Hamilton is making a proper comeback. Timeline-wise, Dark Fate actually takes place after T2, ignoring all of the other sequels. If it's a success, it'll start a new trilogy, although the same was expected of Salvation and Genisys, too. As well as the return of Hamilton as Connor — and Arnie as the T-800, of course — the movie stars Halt and Catch Fire's Mackenzie Davis as a new terminator-human hybrid sent from the future. She's charged with protecting Birds of Passage's Natalia Reyes from the deadly ways of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Gabriel Luna, who plays their not-so-kindly cyborg assassin foe. After writing and directing the series' first two flicks, Cameron returns as a producer, while Deadpool's Tim Miller is in the director's chair. Catch the trailer below — yes, the saga is back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCyEX6u-Yhs Terminator: Dark Fate releases in Australian cinemas on October 31, 2019.
If a luxury getaway is on the cards this summer, NSW has a stunning new outback accommodation option to add to your wish-list. Set on a 9000-acre family-run, third generation beef and sheep property near Warialda in the state's north (about seven hours from Sydney and five from Brisbane), the newly launched Faraway Domes promises a luxury secluded escape, with the added bonus of a minimal carbon footprint thanks to an off-grid power supply. Designed to be able to create its own natural heating and cooling, the self-contained geodesic dome structure fits two and is kitted out in style. You're sure to feel right at home with the luxury four-poster king size bed, a proper bathroom, open-plan living area with TV and, if you choose, a full kitchen stocked with your choice of gourmet eats and ingredients. Meanwhile, a surrounding elevated deck (complete with an outdoor bath) takes full advantage of those sweeping rural views, ideal for nights spent sipping wine under the stars. When you're not living it up in your gorgeous temporary home, you'll find plenty nearby to keep you entertained — Macintyre Falls, Copeton Dam, Cranky Rock Nature Reserve and the Ceramic Break Sculpture Park are located all within an hour's drive of the dome. Faraway Domes currently just has one dome on the property, with plans to construct more in the future. Faraway Domes opens for bookings today with a one-night stay priced at $372. You'll find it at 405 Munsies Road, Warialda, NSW.
As far as annual traditions go, slathering yourself in pale makeup, splattering on some fake blood, shuffling along the streets and pretending you have a hunger for human flesh is up there with the most interesting. For ten years now, that's what Brisbanites have been doing, thanks to a yearly celebration of all things undead and not quite living. Yes, the Brisbane Zombie Walk has become entrenched in the city's calendar of activities. The event's purpose is twofold: revel in a horror staple and raise awareness for The Brain Foundation. That it does so while combining shock and silliness is one of the reasons it has endured, becoming the most successful gathering of its type in the world. This year, markets, movies, music and a makeup booth — for touchups of extra ghoulishness — are all part of the all-ages mayhem. Then, head to the apocalypse-themed after party at The Foundry to keep the fun going well into the early hours of the morning, aka the ideal time for ample zombie antics.
It’s become a ritual of late for musicians to tour year after year. It’s something that brings hope to the fans that miss out on tickets, and no doubt puts some cash in the performers’ pockets too. No strangers to the ritual are Kiwi band, The Black Seeds, who were only here last year for Splendour. If you didn’t get to catch their absolutely blistering set, you will be pleased to know they are back again to tour the country on their 2012 Australia Dust and Dirt Release Tour. The Black Seeds dropped their sophomore album in April and since then the reggae masters have gone from strength to strength, garnering exceptional live reviews here and abroad. This show is a chance to gain a much-coveted first live listen to their newest stuff. The Black Seeds aren’t one trick ponies, with their latest release being self-recorded and produced in a modest Wellington studio. This exciting, organic step has created a new level of hype for the group, as their sound is evolving and changing. Make sure you catch their set, along with guests Cheap Fakes, and no matter if you miss out on tickets or if you go, I’m sure they’ll be back to amaze us all once again.
For the first time in history, Sydney Film Festival's Official Competition and the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or have been won by the same film: Bong Joon-ho's Parasite. The final feature to screen as part of this year's SFF competition — and the recipient of rapturous audience applause after its first session in the State Theatre — the twisty family thriller took out 2019's $60,000 prize. Visiting Sydney for the second time in three years, after presenting Okja as the festival's closing night film back in 2017, Bong was on hand to receive the award. "This festival is really amazing, especially the audience… really special and extraordinary," the South Korean filmmaker said in his response to the accolade. "This is the most meaningful prize for me — in this beautiful city and beautiful theatre, and one of the most beautiful audiences in the world." A dark, devious, devastatingly smart and deceptively hilarious movie about two South Korean families — one struggling to get by, the other living in the lap of luxury — Parasite couldn't be a more deserving winner. From its slippery narrative that plays with several genres, to its exceptional performances from a cast led by Bong regular Song Kang-ho (The Host, Snowpiercer), to its scathing statement on class and its exquisite and astute production design, this tense, urgent and constantly surprising piece of cinema is one of the best films of the year so far. Also, as Bong told the Sydney audience, it was inspired by the time the director spotted a smudge on his pants. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEUXfv87Wpk Selected by a jury consisting of Australian producer John Maynard (Jirga), Australian director Ana Kokkinos (Head On), Brazilian actor and filmmaker Wagner Moura (Marighella), New Zealand director Gaylene Preston (My Year with Helen), and Indian artist and filmmaker Ritu Sarin (The Sweet Requiem), Parasite emerged victorious in a hotly contested field — competing against Berlinale Golden Bear winner Synonyms, Oscar nominee Never Look Away, Pedro Almodovar's sumptuous Pain and Glory, the Tilda Swinton-starring The Souvenir, gentle New Zealand drama Bellbird and the Australian duo of Judy & Punch and Hearts and Bones, among others. It joins an impressive list of previous SFF prizewinners, including The Heiresses (2018), On Body and Soul (2017), Aquarius (2016), Arabian Nights (2015), Two Days, One Night (2014), Only God Forgives (2013), Alps (2012), A Separation (2011), Heartbeats (2010), Bronson (2009) and Hunger (2008). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtLKQ09ikBg Also receiving a gong at SFF's closing night was She Who Must Be Loved, a documentary about pioneering Indigenous figure Alfreda Glynn, which took out the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary (a $10,000 prize). It's slated to hit NITV on Sunday, July 14 at 8.30pm. Short film All These Creatures also nabbed the Dendy Live Action Short Award and the Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director, while fellow shorts Sohrab and Rustum and Ties That Bind picked up the Yoram Gross Animation Award and the Event Cinemas Australian Short Screenplay Award, respectively. The 2019 Sydney Film Festival ran from June 5–16. If you missed Parasite at the festival, you'll be able to catch it at Australian cinemas from Thursday, June 27.
A familiar face on panel shows like Would I Lie To You? and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Paul Foot is one of the most unique voices on the stand-up circuit today. His strange, ranty, stream-of-consciousness comedy has made him a favourite with festival audiences around the world. An Evening With Mr Paul Foot at the Brisbane Powerhouse features highlights from some of his best shows in years gone by, making it a perfect primer for those unfamiliar with his work, and a must-see trip down memory lane for his fans.
Float on, festival fans: come April, Australia's newest excuse to see a heap of bands in one spot will make its way along the country's east coast. That touring event: the just-announced Daydream. It's hitting Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with quite the roster of indie-rock talent — headlined by Modest Mouse three decades after the Washington-born group first got together. Don't listen to the title of the band's acclaimed 2004 album, though — this is good news for people who love good news, not bad. Joining Modest Mouse on the bill are Britain's Slowdive, who initially formed in 1989, the reformed in 2017, as well as Australian favourites Tropical F*ck Storm. Daydream will hit up Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday, April 22 to kick things off, then head north. The fest plays the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on Saturday, April 29, followed up Brisbane's Riverstage on Sunday, April 30. The lineup varies slightly per city, with Beach Fossils and Cloud Nothings taking to the stage at all stops, but Majak Door missing Brisbane. And no, it isn't too early into 2023 to start packing your calendar with music festivals. New year, new diary to fill, after all — and Daydream, the also just-announced Lazy Mountain and more are firmly here to help. DAYDREAM 2023 LINEUP: Modest Mouse Slowdive Tropical F*ck Storm Beach Fossils Cloud Nothings Majak Door DAYDREAM 2023 DATES: Saturday, April 22 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Saturday, April 29 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Sunday, April 30 — Riverstage, Brisbane [caption id="attachment_886745" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dylan Jardine[/caption] Daydream will hit Australia's east coast capitals in April. Early-bird pre-sales start at 9am local time on Thursday, February 2, with general sales from 9am local time on Friday, February 3 — head to the tour website to sign up for the pre-sale, or for more information. Top images: Modest Mouse by Matthewvetter via Wikimedia Commons; Tropical F*ck Storm by Somefx.
Huge birthday, huge program, huge list of reasons to spend an entire year at the Sydney Opera House. Come October 2023, the iconic Australian venue will reach its 50th birthday, and it's doing what everyone does when it hits a massive milestone: celebrating for as long as possible. In fact, the Opera House is dedicating 12 whole months to its 50th-anniversary shenanigans, starting a year in advance. From October 2022, the acclaimed Sydney Harbour venue will kick off the festivities in the most fitting way — with From the Sails: Light Years, a nightly projection series featuring new art by Sam Doust and Art Processors, which'll adorn the structure's famous sails from Wednesday, October 19–Sunday, 30. Obviously, that's just the beginning of a hefty program, with the already-announced Amadeus starring Michael Sheen taking over the site's newly revamped Concert Hall from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Saturday, January 21, 2023, too. Also on the bill: a full lineup that spans 230-plus performances, events and experiences, covering outdoor concerts, community events, First Nations storytelling, tours, public art, exhibitions and more, and happening in the venue's theatres, on its forecourt and online. From Thursday, October 20–Sunday, 30, that includes From the Steps: Voices at Dusk, which'll see local community choirs — as curated by resident company Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Artistic Director Brett Weymark OAM — sing free open-air choral performances on the Opera House steps. Also outdoors, this time running from Thursday, November 10–Saturday, November 19, is a concert series at the Opera House's forecourt featuring Tim Minchin, New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop and two shows by Vance Joy. There'll be two free gigs, too — one dedicated to Yolŋu music and culture with Djakapurra Munyarryun, Dhapanbal Yunupingu, the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band and more on the lineup, and another that'll see Ngaiire and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra join forces. [caption id="attachment_871449" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ngaiire[/caption] While Sydney Opera House hasn't unveiled the full program yet, with further events set to be announced in the coming months, the rest of the lineup so far features two big festivals: Inside/Out at the House and Open House Festival. The first will arrive at the beginning of May 2023, heroing performances by the London Symphony Orchestra, Australian Ballet, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and Australian Chamber Orchestra. Each show will take place inside either the Concert Hall or the Joan Sutherland Theatre, but you'll also be able to watch in the forecourt, where they'll be broadcast to an openair cinema setup. At the second, Open House Festival will live up to its name across the entire month of October 2023. That means hosting performances, events and activities in every part of the Opera House, and also holding an open day where attendees can go exploring. [caption id="attachment_871446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ken Leanfore[/caption] Plus, Bangarra Dance Theatre will unveil the world premiere of a new production in June 2023, under incoming Artistic Director Frances Rings. Sydney Theatre Award-winning play The Visitors will receive a new staging, directed by Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch — and the Opera House will present Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert in conjunction with Sydney WorldPride 2023. Also, the Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir (CAAWC) — which hails from six remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory — will unleash their vocals in the Concert Hall, German operatic tenor Jonas Kaufmann and an international cast will perform La Gioconda, and Mad Scenes by Jessica Pratt will showcase the Australian talent. [caption id="attachment_871445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] Marking a full-circle moment given that it was part of the Opera House's opening in 1973, Sydney Dance Company will stage three works. And, there'll be a revamped Opera House tour that highlights past performances and historic moments. Clearly, this year-long party is going to be massive — it's supported by the NSW Government's Blockbuster Funding initiative, and 'blockbuster' is the right word for it. [caption id="attachment_871453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prudence Upton[/caption] Sydney Opera House's 50th anniversary program kicks off in October 2022 and runs for a year. For more information, head to the Sydney Opera House website. Top images: Prudence Upton / Keith Saunders / Anna Kacera.
A few years back, prior to starting Concrete Playground, I worked at a creative agency in New York. The oversized SoHo loft it was housed in was an exciting place to find yourself working each day, and things got fun when I was transferred to work on the Converse account. One of the first big projects I was a part of in 2007-08 was a campaign called '3 Artists, 1 Song', created to celebrate the brand's centenary around the world. Pharrell Williams worked with his band, N.E.R.D, as well as The Strokes' Julian Casablancas and Santogold, on a brief to make a song as a group of artists. 'My Drive Thru' was the result. More than four years on and the project is still going strong. LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy was the person whose involvement was most coveted (on our end at least) on the original project, and now he has teamed up with Gorillaz and Andre 3000 from Outkast to create 'DoYaThing'. It's a good track, and it's free. You can get the download here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=yNeF30RverQ
Back in the 2000s, if you weren't listing to Interpol and Bloc Party, were you really in the 2000s? No, no you weren't. The former arrived out of Manhattan in the late 90s, then helped define the city's turn-of-the-century indie music scene with The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio and The National. Hailing from Britain and also coming together just before Y2K, the latter initially scored some hefty approval in 2003 via Franz Ferdinand's lead singer Alex Kaprano. From those beginnings, both bands became indie rock greats. Next, they're heading to Australia to remind music lovers why. Busting out everything from 'Slow Hands' to 'She's Hearing Voices', the two groups will share the same bill on a co-headlining tour of the country's east coast in November, including a show at Brisbane's Riverstage on Wednesday, November 22. For Interpol, it'll be their first visit Down Under since 2019, plus their debut chance to play 2022 album The Other Side of Make-Believe in Australia. Tracks from past records such as Turn on the Bright Lights, Antics and El Pintor will also feature. Bloc Party are making the trip after last rocking Aussie stages in 2018, and will perform songs from Silent Alarm, A Weekend in the City, Intimacy and 2022 LP Alpha Games. Bloc Party images: James Kellegher. Interpol image: Ebru Yildiz.
By the time the triple-headline Blind Date Tour comes to an end with final shows in Sydney and Brisbane, the bands will have visited seven cities across Australia, bringing the nation together for eight fantastic shows. Sydney’s Jinja Safari were recently called “a bristling force of nature” by New York label Neon Gold. And before jetting off to the UK for a massive set at the Isle Of Wight Festival, they’re eager to remind their fans exactly why they’ve been given that title. Auckland’s Opossum deliver a sound drenched in groove-laden psychedelia, with homespun tales about love and drugs from the just-released Electric Hawaii that’ll take the crowd on a hazy roller coaster. Playing a set labelled as “a cul-de-sac of orgasmic, sweet indie-synth psychedelic-pop” that’ll blow minds, Los Angeles’ White Arrows round off the triple bill.
When it was announced in April last year that German supermarket giant Kaufland was expanding to Australia, it was surprising news. Now, almost a year later, the chain has made an announcement that's even more surprising: it's not expanding to Australia. In a total 180, Kaufland today revealed to the public and its 200 local employees that it would make an "orderly withdrawal" from the Australian market. The reasons for why it has decided to pull the plug on Australia are still a bit vague, with a short statement merely saying that the company wants to concentrate on its "European core markets in the foreseeable future". The withdraw won't be so simple, either. With plans to open a slew of stores across Australian — including 14 in Victoria and three in Queensland — Kaufland has already purchased numerous properties and even, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, started construction on a store in Adelaide and a huge 115,000-square-metre distribution centre in Melbourne. The Australian reports that the company has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars here. In the statement, acting CEO Frank Schumann apologised for the "disruption" the decision will cause. Launched in 1984 and now with 1200 European stores to its name, Kaufland is owned by the Schwarz Group — the world's fourth largest retailer. The chain is big in Germany and parts of Eastern Europe, but this was set to be its first foray into a Pacific market as an alternative to Aldi. The withdrawal has shocked the retail sector — and while it might be good news to Woolworths and Coles, it certainly doesn't reflect well on the current state of the Australian retail market.
Not knowing where your bag is when you disembark from a plane is a downright travel nightmare, and also now hopefully a thing of the past if you're flying with Virgin Australia. In 2023, the carrier rolled out a free baggage-tracking tool to fix this much-hated situation, starting with a heap of domestic routes. Now, it's available across its whole network. Flying to Japan? Bali, Fiji, Samoa or Vanuatu? Queenstown? The bag-tracking app covers those destinations. Wherever you're heading, you'll get notifications when your luggage is ready to fly, then when it's on the plane and again once it is at the baggage carousel. Virgin started testing the new technology in May 2023, then launched it in August domestically on almost 70-percent of flights before January's full rollout. Unsurprisingly, the feature has been popular. Since last year, the app has been used around 1.3-million times by Aussie travellers. Obviously, this feature covers checked luggage only. If you're carrying your bags into the cabin with you, you'll know where they are. For those stowing their suitcases in cargo, however, you'll be able to see where they are across your entire journey. Here's how it works: you'll need that aforementioned app, and to check your bag. You'll also want to enable push notifications. From there, expect to be buzzed with all the relevant info — the app will tell you which baggage carousel to head to as well, solving another airport annoyance. "Australians find comfort in the ability to track food deliveries, postal deliveries, technology, even their heart rate, all via apps, and it made sense for travellers to be able to do the same thing when flying Virgin Australia," said Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer Paul Jones. Virgin Australia's baggage-tracking tool is now available across all flights. Find out more via the airline's website, and download the app online as well.
There are plenty of reasons to head down to West End and check out Quan Thanh. The reason for me swinging this way is the selection of soups. In particular, I go just for the pho soup, better known as the best hangover cure. This soup has caused my bearded mate to go on an eating tour of Vietnam in search for the worlds best pho. Coincidentally, when comparing the soups of his travels, his mind keeps ticking back to Quan Thanh as one of the best soup experiences. If that's not a well-researched recommendation, I don't know what is! To fill you in, 'pho' is a beef soup consisting of several cuts of beef to produce the clean, clear, aromatic broth. The soup comes neutral in heat so you can tailer it to your craving of hotness, sourness, fresh herbs and rich hoi sin. So on this amazing sunny day, I decided to sit on the kerbside deck of Quan Thanh. A word of warning, if you also like the deck seating, keep your guard up as the locals will try to steal your food... and by locals, I mean the flock of magpies. Inside tables are also available if the pesky birds are a bother to you. The service is very hit and miss. A tip is to know what you want to eat and don't dilly-dally when ordering. Remember you are not here for the service, you are here for the food. There are two menu options available to suit different tastes. The first is Vietnamese food and the second is Chinese (the more stock standard and all round safer option). But it's all Vietnamese for this tummy! If you're a bit of a risk taker and enjoy trying new food, option 1 is for you. The steamed dim-sims are a must, and in the afternoon you can see the family roll them, hell yeah! Doesn't get more authentic than that! If you're brave and open to unique flavours, the fried prawn cake with infused vinegar comes highly recommended. It's like a savoury muffin topped with a crispy whole prawn and baked with a pork mince ball and lentil filling. To fill the hunger, I skip past the vermicelli salads and grilled pork chop and rice. Although nice, they are light meals and if you came for a feed you need to pick your menu options right. Instead, go for the spicy pork and beef noodle soup, filled with soft poached beef brisket and pork neck with a thin layer of fried chilli oil sitting on top. Or alternatively, if you love pho as much as my bearded mate, go for his much loved favourite - sliced beef pho with rice noodles. The soups are fantastic and feature real, rich, deep flavour. But do be weary, in the past they have been known to be a little up and down. In the tasty beverage section you have two options, the bottle shop three meters to your left (a personal favourite), or the home made lemon ice tea, which proves to be a sweet, sharp and refreshing drink. To me this place has that 'first car feel'. It's not perfect, but always does the job and always leaves that appreciation and satisfaction that you keep going back to. Although the service isn't always amazing, the food will fill the void. And hey, if you love pho, Quan Thanh is the place to go.
Already boasting zip rides, bridge climbs, tower walks and bungy experiences, there's an endless number of reasons why Queenstown is dubbed the 'adventure capital of New Zealand'. Now there's one more, with the introduction of a human catapult that reaches speeds of almost 100 kilometres per hour in 1.5 seconds. Launched by the leaders of adventure tourism in New Zealand, AJ Hackett Bungy, the world-first Nevis Catapult is found in the Nevis Valley. The attraction, which has been called the "biggest and most extreme catapult in the world", sees thrill seekers shoot 150 metres out across a ravine before dropping towards the valley floor and experiencing a series of vertical bounces. From release to recovery the experience takes between three to four minutes. Only accessible by 4WD bus and housed in a pod alongside the Nevis Swing, the catapult is a combination of height, flight and speed using a winch system developed over years of research. The technology for the multi-million-dollar catapult was developed with the company's research team before being built in a testing facility in Christchurch. Testing has been conducted over the past nine months — beginning with weighted barrels, before moving on to a test dummy phase and finally human testing. Co-founder Henry van Asch says he first came up with the idea when travelling around France during the 1980s with Bungy co-founder, AJ Hackett. "I played around with the idea by riding my mountain bike with a Bungy cord attached, off bridges." he says. Adult tickets for the Nevis Catapult ring up at NZD$255. For more information, visit bungy.co.nz. Image: James Morgan Photography.
The team at Brisbane's El Planta restaurant does an amazing job of making sure nobody misses meat when dining there. Everything served at this Hope Street Mexican hangout here is 100-percent plant-based and made from scratch, including the tortillas. The menu changes weekly and, while it's always simple, it's certainly never boring. Try ceviche made using hearts of palm, capsicum and corn; El Planta's take on classic pescado (fish) tacos; or elote, fried spiced corn ribs with a potent chimichurri. Can't decide? Ask for EL Planta's Feed Me banquet and let the kitchen make the decisions for you. Whatever you end up eating, make sure you wash it down with one of the restaurant's four margaritas — the grilled pineapple version is our pick. And if you're a tequila or mezcal connoisseur, El Planta is the place for you. The team has a huge selection of the agave-based spirit, serving each with either tajin spiced fruit, a traditional sangria or a green juice made with pineapple, jalapeno, coriander, mint and lime — for you to alternate sips. Say goodbye to smashing tequila shots with salt and lime. Nowadays, we sip on fine tequilas with fruity chasers. Look at us being grown ups.
"One more thing, Manson is small, like, really small — try not to stare," talkative serial killer Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton) warns FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) in the new trailer for Mindhunter season two. If you didn't know, Charles Manson was only 157 centimetres tall (just under 5"2), which is short — especially in comparison to Kemper's towering 206-centimetre (6"9) frame. In this season of the show — which finally drops on Netflix on Friday, August 16, returning two years after the series first hit the platform — the agents are hoping Manson (Damon Herriman) will help them solve the Atlanta child murders. For the uninitiated, across 1979–81, at least 28 kids, teens and adults were killed — and this second trailer for the show's new season shows the reaction in Georgia, the agents desperately trying to solve the case and some particularly gruesome murders. This time round, expect more criminal profiling and psychological thrills, obviously, with the show based on the excellent non-fiction book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. Expect more meticulous Fincher magic as well, as the Seven and Zodiac filmmaker continues his on-screen fascination with serial killers. He has company behind the lens, thanks to Australian director Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) and US helmer Carl Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress, Out of Time). Get creeped out by the second trailer for Mindhunter season two below (and the first here, if you haven't already): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHlJQCyqiaI Mindhunter season two drops on Netflix on Friday, August 16.
