Movie buffs who like to theme their viewing around the relevant time of year — holiday-related, primarily — are always spoiled for choice. Christmas films, spooky flicks at Halloween, Easter-relevant fare: you can build a binge session or several out of all of them. The same applies to Thanksgiving, all courtesy of the US, and The Humans is the latest addition to the November-appropriate list. This A24 release ticks a few clearcut boxes, in fact, including bringing a dysfunctional multi-generation family together to celebrate the date, steeping their get-together in the kind of awkwardness that always stalks relatives, and having big revelations spill over the course of the gathering (the calendar-mandated time for such disclosures, pouring out before the tryptophan kicks in). That said, even with such evident servings of underlying formula, The Humans is far creepier and more haunting than your usual movie about America's turkey-eating time of year. A hefty helping of existential horror will do that. Based on Stephen Karam's Tony-winning 2016 Broadway play — a Pulitzer Prize finalist as well — and adapted and directed for the screen by Karam himself, The Humans is downright unsettling, and for a few reasons. There's the tension zipping back and forth between everyone in attendance, of course — as crucial an ingredient at every Thanksgiving party as food, booze and warm bodies to consume them, at least if films are to be believed. There's also the bleak, claustrophobic, run-down setting, with the movie confined to a New York apartment close to Ground Zero, which aspiring composer Brigid (Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart) and her student boyfriend Richard (Steven Yeun, Nope) have just moved into at significant expense. And, there's the strange sounds emanating from other units, and perhaps this creaking, groaning, two-storey abode itself, which couldn't feel less welcoming. As a result, seasonal cheer is few and far between in this corner of Manhattan, where the Blake family congregates dutifully rather than agreeably or even welcomely. Also making an appearance: parents Deirdre (Only Murders in the Building's Jayne Houdyshell, reprising her Tony-winning part) and Erik (Richard Jenkins, DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), Brigid's lawyer older sister Aimee (Amy Schumer, Life & Beth), and their grandmother Momo (June Squibb, Palmer), who has dementia and uses a wheelchair. No one is happy, and everyone seems to have something that needs airing — slowly and reluctantly when it's a matter of importance, but freely and cuttingly when it's a snap judgement directed at others. Watching The Humans, the audience hopes that no one has truly had a Thanksgiving like this, while knowing how well its fraught dynamic hits the mark. Thanks to Richard, film first-timer Karam has a straightforward way to start doling out backstory — a time-honoured function of fresh attendees to on-screen family dos, and not just in movies about Thanksgiving. Erik chats, filling the newcomer in, although the talk between everyone dishes out plenty of handy details. Religious and political affiliations cause strains, as do booze and money. The clash between the big city, where the Blake family daughters now live, and their hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania also informs the discussions. Health woes, relationship struggles, generation clashes, expecting more both from and of each other but getting less: that's the baseline. Brigid stews about not being given enough cash by her parents, and therefore jeopardising her career dreams; Aimee frets about treading water at work, being alone and a medical condition; Deirdre's conservative leanings bristle against her daughters' decisions; and Erik clearly has a secret. As anxious and agitated as the situation is — and as peppered with passive aggression and outbursts alike — there's always another feeling lurking throughout the barely furnished flat. That physical, visible, inescapable emptiness also speaks volumes about Brigid, Richard and their guests, but it's impossible to shake the sensation that this might've been a joyful affair in any other location. The same troubles and attitudes would exist, and the same players, but there's no avoiding how their grim surroundings are amplifying their bickering. When they're being guarded, coy, reserved or reticent (at times, they all fit) about the things they're keeping from each other, the apartment looms large with space and desolation. When they're flinging truths back and forth, it's tight and distressed. Or, is it actually just a regular old and dilapidated place in a crushing rental market, and it's the evening's occupants and their torment that's bringing the unease? For a film so firmly grounded in one location, to the point that the cliche about the setting being a character in the movie applies, The Humans can be slippery. Is Karam's setup as simple as a family squabbling? Is there more, or do we just want there to be more because that quarrelling — and the dancing around it, when that's the Blakes' preferred option — is so discomforting? They're the questions that dwell in the unit, which cinematographer Lol Crawley (Vox Lux) shoots like it's both dispiritingly ordinary and unshakeably otherworldly. Frequently, the film looks on from afar within the space as well, framing Brigid and company through doorways that make everything resemble a show. Sometimes, it hones in on physical minutiae as conversations play out. Are all family get-togethers performances? Do we all cling close out of habit and expectation, but keep ourselves distanced by nattering about the trivial and inconsequential? They're queries that hang heavy in the stilted air, too. As The Humans stretches on, discussions about dreams and nightmares prove revealing. The feature also points out the thin line between both, whether we're slumbering or waking, several times over in its talky frames. No one on-screen really needs reminding; that's where they're caught, even if just emotionally. Across the board, The Humans' performances are similarly anchored and weighty — whatever's going on around the Blakes or isn't, the pervasive dread keeps everyone trapped and festering, and Karam's six key cast members all play their parts accordingly. The effect is compelling, especially when paired with disquieting sound design straight out of a psychological thriller. Let's be honest, isn't that all holiday celebrations with the family anyway?
Beer lovers, this one's for you. Sydney hospitality giant Merivale is dedicating all of September to frosty cans and perfect pours of everyone's favourite golden ale, beer. The month of beer-centric celebrations will span a heap of Merivale venues, popping up with different events and activations. The flagship event is the Hop & Dreams craft beer festival at Vic on the Park. This two-day spotlight on independent brewers will take over The Vic's beer garden on Saturday, September 3 and Sunday, September 4. Brewers including Stone & Wood, Malt Shovel, Panhead, Balter, Coopers, Young Henrys, Grifter, Philter, Heaps Normal, and Yulli's will all be in attendance, pouring beers alongside live entertainment, top-notch eats and rounds of basketball. Over at sushi e, Dan Hong and Michael Fox will be hosting the Biru & Yakitori Party on Saturday, September 17. This ticketed event will feature a four-hour deep dive into Japanese beer, accompanied by sake, yakitori and Japanese hip hop. Every Tuesday in September, The Beresford is getting involved in the festivities by turning its first-floor room into the Barrel O Laughs comedy club. For $20, comedy fans will be treated to comedy sets from the likes of Dave Hughes, Matt Okine and Al Del Bene as well as a Hahn Super Dry schooner. Elsewhere, a beer-based game of shuffleboard will be touring Merivale venues, the founders of Balter will be hosting a dinner at The Collaroy and ivy's Pool Club will become the Bella Birra Pool Party with beer, pizza and Italo-disco tunes. Plus, Merivale has created its own beer with Camperdown's Malt Shovel. The Good Tap will be served across Vic on the Park, The Newport, The Royal, The DOG, Excelsior and Queens Hotel with money from the beer going to charity. [caption id="attachment_708571" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Beresford[/caption]
Thanks to his Oscar-nominated work co-penning The Worst Person in the World's screenplay, Eskil Vogt has already helped give the world one devastatingly accurate slice-of-life portrait in the past year. That applauded film is so insightful and relatable about being in your twenties, and also about weathering quarter-life malaise, uncertainty and crisis, that it feels inescapably lifted from reality — and it's sublime. The Innocents, the Norwegian filmmaker's latest movie, couldn't be more different in tone and narrative; however, it too bears the fingerprints of achingly perceptive and deep-seated truth. Perhaps that should be mindprints, though. Making his second feature as a director after 2014's exceptional Blind, Vogt hones in on childhood, and on the way that kids behave with each other when adults are absent or oblivious — and on tykes and preteens who can wreak havoc solely using their mental faculties. Another riff on Firestarter, this thankfully isn't. The Innocents hasn't simply jumped on the Stranger Things bandwagon, either. Thanks to the latter, on-screen tales about young 'uns battling with the supernatural are one of Hollywood's current favourite trends — see also: the awful Ghostbusters: Afterlife — but all that this Nordic horror movie's group of kids are tussling with is themselves. Their fight starts when nine-year-old Ida (debutant Rakel Lenora Fløttum) and her 11-year-old sister Anna (fellow first-timer Alva Brynsmo Ramstad), who is on the autism spectrum, move to an apartment block in Romsås, Oslo with their mother (Blind's Ellen Dorrit Petersen) and father (Morten Svartveit, Ninjababy). It's summer, the days are long, and the two girls are largely left to their own devices outside in the complex's communal spaces. That's where Ida befriends Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim) and Ben (Sam Ashraf), albeit not together, and starts to learn about their abilities. One of The Innocents' most astonishing scenes — in a film with many — springs from Ida discovering what the sullen, bullied Ben can do solely with his brain. Indeed, one of Vogt's masterstrokes is focusing on how she reacts to the boy's telekinesis, as demonstrated by flinging around a bottle cap. Ida is almost preternaturally excited, and she's lured in by the thrall of what Ben might be able to do next, even though she can visibly sense that something isn't quite right. Another series of unforgettable moments arises shortly afterward when her new pal, lapping up the attention from his only friend, cruelly and sickeningly shows off without even deploying his superpowers. It's a deeply disturbing turn in a movie that repeatedly isn't afraid to find evident terrors in ordinary, everyday, banal surroundings, and Ida's response — horrified, alarmed, yet unwilling to completely cut ties — again says everything. Vogt doesn't shy away from intimating something that society often doesn't, won't or both: that childhood and innocence don't always go hand in hand. En route to their new home in the film's opening sequence, Ida is already spied pinching the non-verbal Anna just to glean what she'll do. Later, as conveyed in economical imagery lensed by stellar cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen — who already has Another Round, Last and First Men, Shirley, Rams and Victoria to his name, and uses blood here with haunting precision — she's seen escalating that pain-fulled experimentation in a gutwrenching fashion. This side to the girl's personality isn't played as a twist or shock, and neither are Ben's skills and proclivities, or the friendly Aisha's telepathic powers (including the ability to communicate with Anna). Instead, The Innocents is positively matter of fact about what its pint-sized characters are capable of, and also steadfastly avoids trading in simplistic ideas of good and evil, or offering up neat rationales. It's one thing to bake such complexity into the script, which Vogt does with ease. When it comes to working with children, it's another entirely to have those layers and that eagerness to reside in shades of grey radiate from the cast. All newcomers to the screen, Fløttum, Ramstad, Ashraf and Asheim each manage to possess both relaxed naturalism and heaving texture — like they're not being recorded at all, but also as if they've always belonged in front of the camera, playing out their intricate games. Fløttum's expressive face is particularly striking in capturing The Innocents' eerie yet probing mood, whether Ida is flirting with darkness herself, frightened by what may come, or doing whatever she can to protect her sister and her family. But she's definitely not alone in making chatting without saying a thing, throwing about frying pans without moving a muscle and twisting childhood larks in otherworldly ways feel as commonplace as hitting the sandpit or swing set. They're little alike in vibe and atmosphere — a sense of fairy tale-esque dreaminess aside, although deployed in vastly dissimilar manners — but in stepping into the realms inhabited only by young hearts and minds, The Innocents slides in nicely alongside recent French delight Petite Maman. Both movies let their youthful characters exist in worlds defined only by themselves and their own rules, rather than by ideas and norms outlined by grown-ups. Neither of the two features would ever dare suggest that how its central figures experience life isn't worthy of attention or respect, or comes second to adult routines and woes. And, the pair of flicks also dive into how kids cope with everything that's constantly thrown in their direction, including by each other, with the utmost of seriousness. Here, that includes unpacking the morals they enforce among themselves, and also come to by themselves, but never explaining away something so complicated. In The Innocents, that detailed and disarming portrait of youth sits within a daylight nightmare, too — one that's not quite on the also Scandinavian-set Midsommar's level of chills, but always festers with unease nonetheless. Parallels also lurk with the superb Let the Right One In and its account of an undead tween, with the mental scares inflicted in Carrie and The Shining, and, unsurprisingly, with Thelma, the 2017 film about a university student grappling with inexplicable powers that Vogt wrote with The Worst Person in the World's Joachim Trier. The Innocents stands boldly beside its thematic peers, however, rather than in their shadows. Its various bits and pieces have their predecessors, but its blend of uncanny candour, creepiness, empathy and intelligence is all its own. While an English-language remake is bound to follow, frolicking in this smart and savvy playground again — and making something that doesn't just play like a cookie-cutter superhero origin flick at best (yes, the recent Firestarter comes to mind once more) — won't be an easy feat.
If you love movies, then you likely miss video stores. You probably have fond memories of all that time time you used to spend scouring the shelves trying to decide what to watch, as well as your attempts to find gems — or just truly weird and wonderful flicks — beyond the big new releases. Scrolling through streaming services just isn't the same, even if it has been keeping us all occupied during lockdown. The folks at the Randwick Ritz clearly miss old-school video stores, too. So, during Sydney's ongoing lockdown, the cinema has set up its own lending library. If you live within the same Local Government Area, or within five kilometres of the venue, you can head by to borrow a DVD or VHS copy of a range of movies. You'll obviously need a player to pop them in at home, though. Set up in a tower of crates outside the cinema, the video store encourages folks to borrow, watch, then return their flicks of choice — all without paying a cent. And, if you have some old discs or tapes at home that you don't want, you can donate them to the cause to help out your fellow locked-down movie buffs. Head along from 1–4.30pm on Sunday, September 5 and you'll also be able to takeaway popcorn, choc-tops, beers, wine, gift cards and cinema merchandise as part of a Father's Day pop-up. If you nab something for yourself as well as your dad, that's completely fine as well.
There are plenty of aspects of lockdown that suck, but one giant ray of sunshine through the whole experience has been all the top-notch, inventive takeaway options coming from some of our favourite Sydney businesses. One such restaurant is Redfern's Bart Jr. The Pitt Street spot is cooking up a range of lockdown specials including date night packs, heat-at-home meals and fancy panko-crumbed market-fresh ling Fillet-O-Fishes — but the crowning jewel of Bart Jr's lockdown menu is its lobster roll. Piled high with fresh WA Rock Lobster, NSW Clarence River king prawns, tarragon, chive and horseradish, Bary Jr's lobster rolls are available every Friday from the restaurant's takeaway window — lovingly named Bart Mart. With local lobster prices lower right now due to slower international trading, the Bart Jr team jumped at the opportunity to add a more affordable lobster dish to its menu. The rolls were originally created as a one-off dish, but after a huge community response, they've been added to the Bart Mart menu as a weekly Friday item. "I had about 50 people on Instagram message me asking if they could pre-order for next time, and so many people came by afterwards and said, 'please do it again'," Bart Jr owner George Woodyard said. If you miss out on a lobster roll you can pre-order a beef brisket roll packed with cheddar, zucchini pickles and chipotle mayo, available every Saturday. You can also keep your eyes on the Bart Jr Instagram for weekly deals. Last week's date night pack was filled with fried halloumi dusted in a za'atar-spiced semolina, 12-hour slow-roasted lamb shoulder, orange and polenta cake and a set of two bottled cocktails. At Bart Jr's Instagram you'll also find the details on how you can pre-order both hot rolls and DIY at-home dinners. Once you pre-order, you can pick up your lockdown dishes between 12–3pm, Thursday–Saturday. [caption id="attachment_824127" align="alignnone" width="1920"] George Woodyard, Destination NSW[/caption] Images: Destination NSW
As all the days blend into one, it's easy to lose track of time. So, you may have forgotten to organise your dad a long-distance Father's Day gift. If you're looking for something last minute, North Bondi bagel hub Lox in a Box has you covered — Dad's Hot Box is the ultimate Father's Day gift pack for dads who love to snack. Included in the goodie box are four franks from LP's Quality Meats as well as bagel hotdog buns and hot dog toppings so dad can make himself some loaded dogs at home. The father figure in your life will also find a pair of Lox in the Box white tennis socks, four bagels, a packet of lox and herb schmear, plus potato salad and bloody mary mix. I mean, what more could you need on a Sunday? You can also mix and match to create your own box from the Lox in a Box inventory, or if you've already organised a Father's Day present but you're suddenly dreaming of a weekend full of hot dogs and bagels, you can just order the box for yourself. The hot box is available for pickup from the North Bondi store or local delivery around the eastern suburbs and CBD on Father's Day. Pre-orders close Thursday, August 2.
When cinemas are running as normal, getting a glimpse of the other side of the world is as easy as stepping into a darkened theatre. While lockdowns have impacted picture palaces around the country, and Australia's huge lineup of film festivals have moved online, that experience has shifted into our lounge rooms. The latest virtual film fest to make the leap to digital: the Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia. In 2021, it's streaming a five-movie lineup via ACMI's online Cinema 3 platform — and it won't just evoke your travel yearnings for Central Europe, but for Antarctica as well. That look at frostier climes comes courtesy of the stunning Frem, with director and cinematographer Viera Čákanyová peering out over its icy expanse in a film that blends reality and fiction. No, you won't find sights this striking elsewhere on your normal streaming queue. Or, you can also watch book-to-screen adaptation Gump and its tale of canine companions; documentary Athanor: The Alchemical Furnace about acclaimed Czech filmmaker Jan Švankmajer; and 70s classics The Ear and Pacho, The Thief of Hybe. Top image: Hypermarket Film
Rising from the ashes of Taco King at The George Hotel, Ricos Tacos is Toby Wilson's latest tortilla venture. The taco truck has popped up around town in a few guises over the past year, including in the car park of Gelato Messina's Rosebery HQ and at Rocker Bondi, but its home for the last year has been The Grifter Brewing Co. Generally, the taco truck operates at Grifter from 12.30pm Saturdays and Sundays, but to celebrate the return of Ricos after lockdown, Grifter is hosting a relaunch party on Thursday, October 28. Fitted out with a new cart, Ricos will be serving up its fan-favourite tacos from 5pm. There are 100 free tacos on offer to the first tortilla-lovers to arrive (maximum two per person). Make sure to get down early to make the most of the offer. And yes, pairing tacos with beer is obviously on the menu.
If you're looking for an excuse to break out your cowboy hat this Halloween, look no further than the Factory Theatre's Halloween Hoedown. The inner west concert venue is collecting a heap of local modern country music acts for a night of sweet country tunes on Saturday, October 30. Costumes are (of course) encouraged at the gig, with country and western getup an obvious choice. But, any spooky costume you may have planned for the weekend is entirely acceptable. Tunes will kick off from 4pm, with Sydney country stalwarts The Morrisons and Cruisin' Deuces joined by exciting new singer-songwriters Babitha and Georgia Mulligan. Rounding out the lineup are The Sweet Jelly Rolls and Shelly's Murder Boys. The outdoor stage will be accompanied by The Factory's beloved beer garden and food trucks. After months without live music or dancing in Sydney, head down to Marrickville for an afternoon of live sets in the sun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ0My4-62IE
Sydney movie lovers, prepare to be spoiled for choice when it comes to getting your next big-screen fix. With the city out of lockdown, cinemas are being inundated with high-profile features — and, with film festivals showing them. One such event getting the projectors whirring is the annual British Film Festival, which'll bring its 31-movie lineup of Brit flicks to Palace Norton, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema between Wednesday, November 3–Wednesday, December 1. Gracing the fest's titles is a who's who of UK acting talent, so if you're a fan of The Crown's Olivia Colman, Claire Foy and Josh O'Connor — or of everyone from Jamie Dornan, Colin Firth, Judi Dench and Benedict Cumberbatch to Helen Mirren, Michael Caine, Joanna Lumley and Peter Capaldi — you'll be spying plenty of familiar faces. The festival will open with true tale The Duke, starring Mirren and Jim Broadbent, with the latter playing a 60-year-old taxi driver who stole a portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. From there, highlights include the Kenneth Branagh-directed Belfast, about growing up in 1960s Northern Ireland; Last Night in Soho, Edgar Wright's new thriller featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie; romantic period drama Mothering Sunday, with Colman, Firth and O'Connor; and Best Sellers, a literary comedy with Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza. Or, there's also Stardust, a biopic about the one and only David Bowie — and The Electrical Life of Louis Wan, about the eponymous artist, with Cumberbatch and Foy leading the cast. Opera singing in the Scottish highlands drives the Lumley-starring Falling for Figaro, which also features Australian Patti Cake$ actor Danielle Macdonald; Benediction marks the return of filmmaker Terence Davies (Sunset Song), this time focusing on English poet and soldier Siegfried Sassoon; and Firth pops up again in World War II-set drama Operation Mincemeat with Succession's Matthew Macfadyen. Plus, To Olivia dramatises Roald Dahl's marriage to Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal, Stephen Fry explores bubbly booze in documentary Sparkling: The Story of Champagne, and novelist Jackie Collins also gets the doco treatment. And, as part of the British Film Festival's retrospective lineup, Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon will grace the big screen — the former in a 4K restoration to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
There's a film festival for everything, or so it can sometimes seem — and that includes science fiction cinema. Like flicks about the future, artificial intelligence, where technology might take us and dystopian worlds? That's what's on the bill at the Sci-Fi Film Festival. The event has been going strong in Sydney for more than a few years; however, in 2021, it's making two big changes. Firstly, it's jumping into the online realm. as plenty of other fests have been already this year. Secondly, because that's one of the perks of being digital, it's streaming its 80-film program nationwide. Even better: you can access that huge number of flicks with a $29.99 all-access pass. No, you definitely can't say you don't have anything to watch between Friday, October 15–Sunday, October 31. That lineup includes 13 features and 67 shorts, and spans films from 28 different countries — including Say Yes Again, a Taiwanese title that riffs on Groundhog Day; Tales of Tomorrow, which sees a teenage boy from 1999 tasked with saving human civilisation in 2165; Steampunk Connection, a Canadian documentary about the titular blend of sci-fi and Industrial Revolution-era technology; and Infinite Light, about possibly bringing back the dead. Or, if you like your movies short, you can dive into seven different sessions. The themed programs cover everything from animation, dystopian dreamscapes and the future to humanity's battle against technology and the dark side of our nature.
To the surprise of exactly no one: many of us are looking to upgrade our home comfort level at the moment. Aussie furniture brand Koala is keen to help you do just that, with its sixth birthday sale. Nab up to 20 percent off mattresses, sheets, sofas, desks and armchairs to help you upgrade your pad or improve your night's sleep. A heap of products from across the brand's range are on sale from Monday, September 20 through until Sunday, September 26, including Koala's new range of mattresses. You can take your pick from the freshly unveiled range of mattresses which are 15 percent off and have your new sleep set up delivered to you later that day with free express delivery. Also on offer is the WFH desk, which is made from Forest Stewardship Council certified wood, easy to assemble and designed with a home office in mind. If your home office set isn't quite doing the job, you can pick up the desk for a sweet 15 percent off. Comfy Koala armchairs, sofas, silky bed sheets, dining tables and more are going with a 20 percent discount, too, so you can give your whole house a makeover. And everything comes with a 120-night trial — though, it might be hard to give any of these up after four months of comfort. The party doesn't stop at the sale though, with Koala collaborating with Jimmy Brings to put on a birthday giveaway, hosting a cupcake class and a whole bunch more on the brand's Instagram account.
First, the expected news: if you'd like to check out the latest and greatest in Irish cinema in 2021, you'll need to do so virtually. Now, the exciting news: returning for another year, and for its second virtual fest in a row, the Irish Film Festival will unleash an impressive and varied lineup upon your small screen of choice from Friday, September 3–Sunday, September 12. Wolfwalkers, one of the best movies of the past year and an absolute gem of an eco-conscious animated feature, sits at the top of IFF's must-see list. Set centuries ago, and following a young wannabe hunter by the name of Robyn Goodfellowe (voiced by Honor Kneafsey), it charts a friendship with a girl called Mebh (Eva Whittaker) who just might be a member of a mythical tribe that's able to shapeshift into wolves while they're dreaming. Other highlights include Wildfire, about a dramatic reunion between sisters; Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan, which lets the punk poet and The Pogues frontman tell his own tale over a few brews; the Australian premiere of Phil Lynott: Songs For While I'm Away, about Thin Lizzy's lead singer and songwriter; and horror-comedy Boys from County Hell, which sees a father-son duo accidentally awaken an ancient Irish vampire in rural Derry. Or, as part of a 12-film program, there's also the Gabriel Byrne (Hereditary)-starring Death of a Ladies Man; Deadly Cuts, about Dublin hair salon stylists who take on a criminal gang; and The Bright Side, which focuses on a cynical comedian tackling cancer.
Feel like dining in the sun with a side of sweeping views? Round up your mates and head to The Glenmore. The Rocks' favourite rooftop bar has launched a series of bottomless lunches, taking place on the first Sunday of the month. To kick things off, you'll get a cocktail on arrival, followed by two hours of French rosé. You'll be sitting down to a family-style feast, too. The menu changes regularly — think ceviche tacos with avocado and charred corn, or whipped chicken liver parfait to start, followed by smoked salmon salad, Turkish-style spiced chicken or grilled steak with caramelised onion butter as mains. Sides-wise, there'll be dishes such as curried potato salad and roasted cauliflower. To check out the full sample menu, head over here. You can also catch some live music while enjoying your lavish spread. And don't forget about those stunning views across the harbour and the Opera House. This boozy feast costs $85 per person, with two sittings available at noon–2pm and 1–3pm. Bookings are limited and can be made here. [caption id="attachment_738610" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Woodburn[/caption] Images: Steven Woodburn
The seventh season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is currently dropping new episodes weekly via SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand — which means you're either eagerly catching each fresh instalment every Friday, or you've got some catch-up binging to do. Either way, if you've been watching and rewatching the hit cop sitcom since it first premiered back in 2013, then you also have something else to pop in your calendar: Isolation Trivia's upcoming B99-themed online quiz evening. How long did Charles Boyle spend dreaming of Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago's wedding? What did Rosa Diaz do before she was a cop? Who keeps swooping in and taking the Nine-Nine crew's cases? Which one is Scully and which is Hitchcock? And which one of the latter duo has a twin? If you can answer all of the above — and name Captain Holt's dog, Terry's kids, Gina's dance troupe and Jake's favourite movie — then you're set for this trivia night. And, because these fictional TV cops wouldn't want you breaking Australia's current social-distancing guidelines, it's all taking place virtually. Live-streaming from 6.30pm AEST (7.30pm AEDT) on Thursday, April 2, this online trivia contest is completely devoted to the show that was cancelled and then resurrected in the space of 36 hours, then was renewed for an eighth season before its seventh one even aired, and features more Die Hard references than you'd think possible in one sitcom. We'd keep asking Brooklyn Nine-Nine questions and dropping tidbits, but we'll save some for the big night. If you're as keen to take part as Terry is about a tub of yoghurt, you just need to head to the Isolation Trivia Facebook page, click 'get reminder' and clear out your Thursday night. That'll be your time to shine (and that can also be the title of your sex tape if you'd like). Images: SBS
Fashion, art, homewares and handcrafted goods as far as the eye can see — that's usually what's on the agenda at The Village Markets on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. The event is taking a break under current circumstances; however that doesn't mean that you can't shop from home. In fact, that's where its first Insta Market comes in. Across the weekend of Friday, March 27–Sunday, March 28, the Village Markets Insta Market is showcasing designers, artists and curators — and highlighting just what you can buy with the click of a few buttons while sitting on your couch. Whether you're after new threads, something to pop on your shelf or some goodies for your pet, you'll find it here, as well as special offers and discounts. And, because it's all online, it's available to everyone — even if you're not in southeast Queensland. By taking part in the Insta Market, you'll also be supporting more than 70 creative small businesses — who, like many folks across many industries at present, have seen their whole lives change suddenly. If that's not a great excuse to spend a couple of days scrolling through your Instagram, then we don't know what is.
Legendary Sydney crew Mary's are giving you plenty of reason to celebrate this month. First up, it's just announced the opening of Mary's On Top — a rooftop bar at much-loved party venue The Lansdowne — on Thursday, June 4. Also on that day, it's reopening its doors to punters after having to close dine-in service due to COVID-19. Sure, you could get it delivered, but you missed out on the good times that got served up with your burgers and fries. So, you can bet the boys will be celebrating. Co-owners Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham know that lots of Aussies have had their salaries reduced during the crisis, so they're temporarily reducing the price of food at all Mary's venues. For a week, you can get 30 percent off food at Mary's outposts in Newtown, Circular Quay, Castlereagh Street and Mary's On Top, with the deal valid for sit-in meals as well as via Deliveroo. Expect favourites such as the Mary's burger, the fried chook and the much-loved mash and gravy being dished up for a fraction of the usual cost, plus vegan fare at Circular Quay, the CBD and Mary's new rooftop venue. The brand's grungy, rock 'n' roll attitude will be alive and well, too. And it would be rude not to at least glance at the top-notch, very fun wine list. Mary's is offering 30 percent off food at its Newtown, Circular Quay, Castlereagh Street and new Mary's On Top outposts from June 4–10. You can find your closest Mary's and check out the menus here. Images: Kitti Gould and Mary's
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Chargrill Charlie's has been helping out impacted restaurants and chefs through its Local Flavours initiative. As well as selling chef Sam Young's dumplings and Kepos Street Kitchen's popular Israeli dishes, the chargrilled chook chain teamed up with pink-haired pastry chef Anna Polyviou to sell her super-chocolatey cookie dough. And sell it did — a whole two tonnes of it, to be exact. So, they're bringing it back to the streets of Sydney, quite literally. Instead of just selling buckets of the dough, Charlie's is rolling out a cookie dough van for one day. It'll travel across Sydney, following the path of Chargrill Charlie's 13 Sydney stores from east to north, kicking off at 9am and finishing around 5.30pm. Keep an ear out for the van — it'll be playing suitable ice cream van tunes — and you can snag brownie or fairy bread cookie dough in 600-gram tubs for $15 or whipped into soft serve for $5 a pop. If you miss the van, you can still try the dough. Chargrill Charlie's will be selling tubs at all of its stores and cookie dough thickshakes for $6.90 at Annandale, Dee Why, Drummoyne, Frenchs Forest, Rose Bay, St Ives and Wahroonga stores.
If you've been making plans to revamp your style, but haven't been able to rustle up the coin or are sick of online shopping, here's your chance. Hugo Boss is hosting a mega sale at its outlet stores. You'll be able to score a further 30 percent off menswear, womenswear, footwear and accessories. Whether you're after a suit for a special occasion later in the year or looking to level-up your WFH wardrobe stat, Hugo Boss's mid-season outlet sale will have you sorted for a fraction of the fashion label's usual prices. You'll have to get in quick to score though, with the sale running from Wednesday, May 27 until Sunday, June 28 (or until stocks last). In Sydney, you can head to Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre and DFO Homebush to get these quality threads for such a steal. Current opening hours at all BOSS outlets are 11am–4pm. Hugo Boss mid-season outlet sale will run from Wednesday, May 27 till Sunday, June 28, or until stocks last (excludes new season stock). To find your closest outlet, visit the website.
As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, Australian's Asian eateries have been doing it tough — even closing down, in some cases — with patron numbers plummeting across the board. Sydney's Chinatown hasn't been immune; however if you're hankering for some sweet and sour pork or kung pao chicken, the Lord Gladstone is giving you an extra incentive to head out to dinner. First, make a date with whichever Chinatown restaurant takes your fancy. Then, mosey on over to the Lord Gladstone with your receipt in hand. Flash that piece of paper at the bar on the same day as your meal, and you'll score your first round of drinks for free. By 'same day', you'll need to make your way to the Lord Gladstone before midnight hits to nab your free beverages. It's the perfect excuse for a nightcap, though — and another reason to support an area that's struggling at present.
Before Buffy Sainte-Marie joins the top-notch lineup at Bluesfest 2020, the Indigenous Canadian American singer-songwriter is performing in Sydney for just one night at City Recital Hall on Wednesday, April 8. The award-winning music powerhouse has been making music since the 60s and is still creating meaningful music today — from her groundbreaking debut It's My Way! (1964) to her most recent album Medicine Songs, released in 2017. She has a total of 21 albums to her name, and wrote the well-known anti-war anthem 'Universal Soldier', most famously performed by Donovan. She's also had the likes of Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker sing and record her songs. And she's considered a pioneer in electronic music. Put simply, she's a pretty big deal. Expect music that speaks to hard-hitting social issues, including First Nations rights, protesting climate change and greed. Think Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, Patti Smith's 'People Have the Power' and a bit of Midnight Oil thrown in — except entirely Buffy Sainte-Marie. So if you can't hack a ticket to Byron Bay, here's your chance to catch the fierce Cree artist on stage. You'll want to nab your tickets sooner rather than later. To book, head here. [caption id="attachment_764363" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Keith Saunders[/caption]
Get your dancing shoes on, because one big ol' glittery party series is headed to your living room. LGBTQI+ club night Poof Doof is throwing weekly digital dance nights — so expect to get down to anthems by the likes of Gloria Gaynor, Madonna, Pet Shop Boys and Cher, 'cause this party is here, loud and (very) queer. The legendary Melbourne party collective is streaming Poof Doof Direct every Saturday from 9pm via Facebook, Twitch and YouTube. Each week, you'll be treated to pumping tunes from a range of DJs. And of course, it wouldn't be a proper Poof Doof party without some drag performances, too. Coming up on Saturday, May 2, is a massive one-off Poof Doof Sydney party live streaming straight from The Ivy. Poof Doof took up residency in the Sydney institution last November and has been dishing up a weekly dance-heavy night ever since. Not even COVID-19 can keep it completely quiet. Expect to be dancing to a packed lineup of DJs, including headlining act Sneaky Sound System, Sveta, Troy Beman and James Alexandr. Plus, catch dazzling drag performances from queens Danni Issues, Hannah Conda and Faux Fur, with Jimi The Kween hosting the entire night. For Sydneysiders wanting to take their night in to the next level, you get a Poof Doof Party Pack ($75) delivered to your door. It'll be filled with vodka, two cans of red bull, some soda water and two Hahn Super Drys. Orders can be made here prior to 9am on Saturday. To catch a glimpse of what you're in for, check out the video below. https://www.facebook.com/PoofDoof/videos/1048635328855408/
Four Australian female composers. Four singers. Four dramatic operatic works inspired by mythology, literature and rare Australian birds. World premiering on one night. Streaming on the Carriageworks Facebook page at 7.30pm AEST on Saturday, April 25, the four-part Breaking Glass was meant to be performed inside the physical arts precinct from March 8–April 4, but its temporarily closure forced the show's premiere online. Presented by Sydney Chamber Opera and Carriageworks together with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Composing Women Program, Breaking Glass is broken into four one-act operas by female composers. There's Commute by Peggy Polias, which combines Homer's Iliad with a modern women's uneasy walk home at night; Josephine Macken's terrifying The Tent inspired by Margaret Atwood's writing; The Invisible Bird by Bree van Reyk, telling the true tale of a rare Australian parrot; and Georgia Scott's Her Dark Marauder, which uses Sylvia Plath's poetry to explore a women's battle for identity. If you can't already tell, these aren't your typical operas. Expect electronic music, "abstract aural soundscapes", smoke surrounding performers, kaleidoscopic digital projections and stories firmly planted in the 21st century. Breaking Glass world premieres on Carriageworks' Facebook page at 7.30pm. Images: Daniel Boud
In early June, beachside favourite Bondi Beach Public Bar reopened to the public and celebrated with 50 percent off all food and happy hour prices for a heap of beers, wine and cocktails — all day, every day until the end of June. Because the team knows many of our wallets are looking a little slim right now, it's decided to extend the offer until the end of July. This means you have another 31 days to swing past the Campbell Parade pub for $5 tacos, $10 burgers (beef, fish, buttermilk-fried chicken and vego) and $16 steaks, as well as $6 select wines and beers and $12 margaritas, negronis and espresso martinis. BBPB has also brought back the tunes. While you can't get up and dance — no mingling allowed at hospo venues just yet — you can sit and shimmy along to DJ Levins on Good Life Fridays and Public Affection on Saturdays. You can either book a table (for a minimum of three people) or walk in, with online reservations over here. Top image: Kitti Gould
The MCA's after-dark, adults-only art party is back — but not as you know it. While usually we'd run amok in the Circular Quay museum, this time we'll be having art-filled fun from our couches. Yep, for the first time ever, Artbar is going digital — and it won't cost you a dime. The one-night-only event is a collaboration between the MCA and the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, which is currently exhibiting across multiple Sydney venues. Much like the citywide arts festival, this season's Artbar is titled Nirin and is celebrating First Nations artists, connected by themes of ceremony, ritual and tradition. It's going down this Friday, June 26 and will kick off at 7pm with a Welcome to Country by artists Julie Bukari Webb and Corina Norman from the Blacktown Native Institution. [caption id="attachment_773774" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caroline Garcia by Jacquie Manning. All images courtesy and © the artist.[/caption] You'll also learn how to cut some serious shapes in a digital dance class led by self-described "culturally promiscuous" interdisciplinary artist Caroline Garcia and catch a gig by the Tamil drummers from the Parai-Yah! Project (STARTTS and Tamil Arts Australia). You'll get to visit Tongan Australian artist Latai Taumoepeau's studio and take virtual tours of the Biennale exhibitions at the MCA, too. There'll also be a live set by female DJ MzRisk, coming straight from the MCA rooftop terrace to your living room. All up, expect a night full of art, music and performances, which will foster the ideas of ceremony and tradition in experimental and boundary-pushing ways. To attend this late-night art shindig from the comfort of your home, you can register for exclusive offers and first access here or head to the MCA website. You can also join its Facebook event to keep up with the latest and join in conversation as the event's happening. The live-stream will run from 7–10pm. MCA Artbar: Nirin is running from 7–10pm on Friday, June 26. For further details — and to tune in — head to the MCA website. Top images: Blacktown Native Institution Site, Dharug traditional owner Shanaya Donovan at the opening of BNI handover, 2018, image courtesy of Landcom, Sydney and DSMG, Sydney, Photograph: Joseph Mayer; MCA, Photograph: Liam Cameron; and Latai Taumoepeau, 'The Last Resort', 2020, Photograph: Zan Wimberley, courtesy of the artist.
Often described as "the white wine for red wine lovers", orange wines are certainly going through a moment, thanks to their big, dry flavours. Whether you consider yourself a vino aficionado or you're just getting into the orange wine scene, you won't want to miss an evening dedicated to the sunrise-hued drop coming to Sorry Thanks I Love You this week. Don't worry, this is not a stuffy traditional wine tasting. It's less of a lesson and instead more of an opportunity for casual drinks with a friend or loved one — with a little wine education on the side. Running on Thursday, June 2 from 6.30-8pm, tickets will set you back $50. That lands you four different orange wine varietals — and complimentary snacks — over the 90 minute period. As you sip and scoff, roaming sommelier Sarah Devine from P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants be taking you through the finer points of orange wine. Attendees keen to learn can get schooled up on the history and culture, while those just there for date night can focus on gasbagging with their partner. It's up to you. Set in the mini-atrium of the Martin Place store, you can check out some of the high-end fashion, gourmet food, craft beverages, jewellery and accessories while you're there. Organisers say space is extremely limited, so book your wine-tasting table sooner rather than later. [caption id="attachment_855737" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Garreth Paul[/caption]
On January 26 of this year, Yuin rapper and host of Triple J's Blak Out launched We Are Warriors, a platform dedicated to inspiring and empowering Indigenous youth through a system of role models. "After experiencing racism as a kid, my Mum spoke to me three of the most powerful words I have ever heard – We Are Warriors. It instilled a fire inside of me, a sense of pride and this unimaginable desire to be successful and show the world that WE ARE WARRIORS," said Nooky. "This journey has led me to launch a platform to highlight prolific Indigenous excellence across music, fashion, sports and everything in between; a celebration of Blak excellence to empower young people in our community." As part of Vivid Sydney, Nooky is taking over the Oxford Art Factory with a huge roster of talent who share the We Are Warriors vision. On the lineup, there are local favourites like Triple One, Ziggy Ramo and The Terrys alongside the likes of Dallas Woods, Akala Newman, Jade Le Flay, Jayvy, Muggera, Roman Jody and Scraps. Plus, you can expect some special guests to pop-up throughout the night. All profits from the tickets to the We Are Warriors enterprise will go towards supporting workshops, mentoring programs and support for Indigenous youth and young Indigenous creatives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq-B-GhrDJs
For movie lovers further south, each Melbourne International Film Festival arrives with an extra gift: a Hear My Eyes gig. It brings beloved and classic flicks back to the big screen, accompanied by a live — and all-new, completely original — score that's played while film lovers sit, watch and listen. It's as unique a cinema-going experience as you can get, even if you've seen the feature in the spotlight countless times before. In 2022, this movie-and-music session is also coming to Sydney. And, another exceptional film is getting the Hear My Eyes treatment. Get ready to revisit the role that made Eric Bana an international movie star, and to dive back into one of the most infamous crime tales in Australian history. In other words, get ready for Chopper. Twenty-two years after it first hit cinemas, the exceptional Andrew Dominik (This Much I Know to Be True)-directed flick will grace the big screen at City Recital Hall for one night only, on Saturday, August 27. It'll also pair its visuals with a brand-new original live score, as spearheaded by Mick Harvey, member of the Bad Seeds, and the musician who originally gave Chopper its soundtrack. As well as composing the new score, Harvey will be joined by supergroup Springtime — featuring Gareth Liddiard from Tropical Fuck Storm and The Drones, Jim White from Dirty Three and Chris Abrahams from The Necks — to play it live. Tickets to this big-screen date with Uncle Chop Chop go on sale from 9.30am on Thursday, June 16.
When Sydney Film Festival rolls around each year, screening impressive movies from all around the world isn't the only highlight. The fest has to play those flicks somewhere, so it settles into a heap of picture palaces around the city, giving attendees a tour of the town's best movie-watching spots. One such place: the Art Gallery of NSW's cinema, which has been showing films for 22 years now. And, when SFF is over for 2022, the picture-going spot will relaunch its huge (and free) weekly movie program. To celebrate the 340-seat theatre's birthday, AGNSW is also focusing on flicks that've released since its projectors first starting whirring, with more than 30 set to show between Wednesday, June 22–Sunday, October 16. Each year during that period is catered for, sometimes with one title, sometimes with more. As usual, you'll be seeing them on Wednesdays and Sundays, and you won't be paying a thing to do so. Called Feeling 22, for obvious reasons, the program reads like a must-see snapshot of the millennium-era cinema — starting with Wong Kar-wai's gorgeous and glorious In the Mood for Love. Proceeding in chronological order, it also includes Bong Joon-ho's wonderful Barking Dogs Never Bite from 2000, then hops through everything from David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and Lynne Ramsay's Morven Callar to Jordan Peele's Get Out and Céline Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Also showing: Michael Haneke's Caché, Pedro Almodóvar's Volver, Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret, Leos Carax's Holy Motors and Hong Sang-soo's Yourself and Yours. Or, get excited about big-screen sessions of Aussie gems Lake Mungo, Mad Max: Fury Road and Sweet Country, as well as Soda Jerk's phenomenal Terror Nullius — and an afternoon in praise of the late David Gulpilil, including Crocodile Dreaming and Ten Canoes. Yes, it's basically a who's who list of the very best filmmakers of the past 22 years, and their career standouts. Yes, the list goes on. The season will wrap up a mystery movie, if you're wondering how 2022 will be represented.
After dinner, you're sure to need supper. Billed as "the ultimate nightcap", the Vivid Sydney Supper Club will transform Mary's Underground into a cabaret club on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the festival. Like any cabaret worth its salt, there's a wide range of entertainment disciplines on the roll call: musical theatre, dance, comedy, burlesque, jazz, DJing and more (think Mahalia Barnes with her soulful music and theatrics and singing from First Nations actress and singer Ursula Yovich). Legendary local drag artist Trevor Ashley (pictured above) has the unenviable task of keeping all the plates spinning and, according to the Vivid Sydney website, "he'll leave the stage door ajar in case special guests drop by for an impromptu jam". Quelle intrigue! Image: John McRae
Something chilly is headed Sydney's way on Monday, September 12: House of the Dragon-themed gelato, and for free. Two new limited-edition varieties are being whipped by up Gelato Messina, and they'll only be available for a single day at the chain's Newtown store — 3000 scoops in total, and with no wallets needed. If your tastebuds are as eager as a Targaryen about sitting on the Iron Throne, House Vanillaryon combines burnt vanilla gelato, smoked chocolate brownie and burnt honey caramel, while Heir to the Cone will feature red velvet cheesecake gelato with dragonfruit puree. (Yes, something dragon-related was always bound to pop up.) Just for the day from 12–9pm, Messina's King Street spot is also transforming into Westeros, which is set to involve appropriate decor. Given that House of the Dragon is all about the Targaryens, expect to feel like you're stepping into their world. Dragons will likely feature heavily here, we suspect — and if want to wear your best (or worst) blonde wig while you're there, that's up to you. A key caveat: Messina's collaboration with Australian streaming service Binge, which airs House of the Dragon, is a first-come-first-served event. So, while the one-day-only affair will kick off at 12pm and could indeed run till 9pm, those free gelato flavours are just available while stocks last. Also, you do need to go in-store to get your freebies, as it isn't on offer via delivery. Go on, try not to say "winter is coming" while you're there.
If you've missed Sydney Fringe Festival over its last few years of absence, you're in luck, the festival is back with one of its biggest programs to date. Included in the festivities are six weeks of everything from cabaret and drag to comedy and live tunes taking over First Fleet Park in The Rocks as part of Runaway Gardens. This beloved part of the festival returns on Tuesday August 16–Sunday, September 25 with its extravagant Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent on hand. Amid the impressive pop-up venue's stained-glass windows, velvet aplenty and yes, mirrors, you'll be able to watch boundary-pushing burlesque, laugh at big comedy names and sip your way through a mimosa-fuelled drag brunch club. Headlining the program is the previously announced Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett, which'll unleash its second 2022 season upon Sydney — sword swallowing, hair hanging, Cirque Du Soleil aerialists and all. German kabarett superstar Bernie Dieter leads the charge, and she's been described as "an electrifying cross between Lady Gaga, Marlene Dietrich and Frank-N-Futer in sequins", if you're wondering what you're in for. Also on the lineup: the Poof Doof Drag Brunch Club, which is exactly what it sounds like. Spend your Saturdays drinking while checking out an array of drag, comedy, burlesque and cabaret performers, with your beverages included in your ticket. If you're keen on checking out the live music bill, Runaway Gardens is focusing on legendary performers playing intimate gigs, with Daryl Braithwaite, Kate Ceberano, Diesel, Renee Geyer, Richard Clapton, Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks, and The Black Sorrows doing the honours. And if you're eager to get giggling, the comedy lineup includes Arj Barker, Jimeoin, Akmal and Lawrence Mooney, as well as a Multicultural Comedy Gala featuring Dilruk Jayasinha, Georgie Carroll and Tahir. Merrick Watts will talk you through vino in the Idiot's Guide to Wine, too — and, across two Friday Up Late gigs, Odette and Jack Ladder will unleash their musical talents. Plus, there's a gin-fuelled Festival Club running a best of the fest program every Thursday night, covering comics, cabaret, circus and musos, with help from the house jazz band. As well as all the action in the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, Runaway Gardens boasts an outdoor bar and pop-up restaurant, all with views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The precinct operates from 4–10pm Tuesday–Thursday, 12–11pm Friday–Saturday and 12–10pm on Sundays. Images: Andre Castellucci
Looking for somewhere to sample share plates with friends or grab a quick bite before a Town Hall show? Tucked away down one of Sydney's hidden CBD laneways is the recently opened Galli Galli, a vibrant eatery slinging delicious street eats and colourful cocktails. The mammoth three-storey eatery has a pretty eclectic menu lineup, including starters, share plates, mains and some extremely aesthetic cocktails. But it's the opening deal that's sure to get punters through the doors in droves: until June 18, Galli Galli is serving up its famous Nepalese dumplings — called Momos — for just $1 apiece. Six different flavour combinations of the steamed dumplings are on offer, each filled with a savoury assortment of meat or vegetables (or both). Round up some friends and some loose change, and head down to sample them all. We'd recommend getting there for happy hour between 4pm-7pm, when you can wash your dumplings down with a $6 beer.
To write notable things, does someone need to live a notable life? No, but sometimes they do anyway. To truly capture the bone-chilling, soul-crushing, gut-wrenching atrocities of war, does someone need to experience it for themselves? In the case of Siegfried Sassoon, his anti-combat verse could've only sprung from someone who had been there, deep in the trenches of the Western Front during World War I, and witnessed its harrowing horrors. If you only know one thing about the Military Cross-winner and poet going into Benediction, you're likely already aware that he's famed for his biting work about his time in uniform. There's obviously more to his story and his life, though, as there is to the film that tells his tale. But British writer/director Terence Davies (Sunset Song) never forgets the traumatic ordeal, and the response to it, that frequently follows his subject's name as effortlessly as breathing. Indeed, being unable to ever banish it from one's memory, including Sassoon's own, is a crucial part of this precisely crafted, immensely affecting and deeply resonant movie. If you only know two things about Sassoon before seeing Benediction, you may have also heard of the war hero-turned-conscientious objector's connection to fellow poet Wilfred Owen. Author of Anthem for Damned Youth, he fought in the same fray but didn't make it back. That too earns Davies' attention, with Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) as Sassoon and Matthew Tennyson (Making Noise Quietly) as his fellow wordsmith, soldier and patient at Craiglockhart War Hospital — both for shell shock. Benediction doesn't solely devote its frames to this chapter in its central figure's existence, either, but the film also knows that it couldn't be more pivotal in explaining who Sassoon was, and why, and how war forever changed him. The two writers were friends, and also shared a mutual infatuation. They were particularly inspired during their times at Craiglockhart as well. In fact, Sassoon mentored the younger Owen, and championed his work after he was killed in 1918, exactly one week before before Armistice Day. Perhaps you know three things about Sassoon prior to Benediction. If so, you might be aware of Sassoon's passionate relationships with men, too. Plenty of the film bounces between his affairs with actor and singer Ivor Novello (Jeremy Irvine, Treadstone), socialite Stephen Tennant (Calam Lynch, Bridgerton) and theatre star Glen Byam Shaw (Tom Blyth, Billy the Kid), all at a time in Britain when homosexuality was outlawed. There's a fated air to each romantic coupling in Davies' retelling, whether or not you know to begin with that Sassoon eventually (and unhappily) married the younger Hester Gatty (Kate Phillips, Downton Abbey). His desperate yearning to hold onto someone, and something, echoes with post-war melancholy as well. That said, that sorrow isn't just a product of grappling with a life-changing ordeal, but also of a world where everything Sassoon wants and needs is a battle — even if there's a giddy air to illegal dalliances among London's well-to-do. Benediction caters for viewers who resemble Jon Snow going in, naturally, although Davies doesn't helm any ordinary biopic. No stranger to creating on-screen poetry with his lyrical films — or to biopics about poets, after tackling Emily Dickinson in his last feature A Quiet Passion — the filmmaker steps through Sassoon's tale like he's composing evocative lines himself. Davies has always been a deeply stirring talent; see: his 1988 debut Distant Voices, Still Lives, 2011's romance The Deep Blue Sea and 2016's Sunset Song, for instance. Here, he shows how it's possible to sift through the ins and outs of someone's story, compiling all the essential pieces in the process, yet never merely reducing it down to the utmost basics. Some biopics can resemble Wikipedia entries re-enacted for the screen, even if done so with flair, but Benediction is the polar opposite. It must be unthinkable to Davies that his audience could simply pick up standard details about Sassoon by watching a depiction of his existence, rather than become immersed in everything about him — especially how he felt. Benediction plays like the work of someone who wouldn't even dream of such an approach in their worst nightmares. That's true in Lowden's scenes, with the bulk of the movie focused on the younger Sassoon. It remains accurate when Peter Capaldi (The Suicide Squad) features as the older Sassoon, including opposite Gemma Jones (Ammonite) as the older Hester. When the latter graces the picture's immaculately shot frames (by Harlots, Gentleman Jack and upcoming The Handmaid's Tale season five cinematographer Nicola Daley), he's a portrait of man embittered, and he's utterly heartbreaking. Lowden and Capaldi's performances are as critical to Benediction as Sassoon himself, and Davies as well. They're that fine-tuned, that tapped into the whirlwind of emotions swirling through the man they're playing, and that awash with anger, determination, longing, loneliness, defiance, despair, resentment and tragedy. (Yes, that's a complicated and chaotic mix, and 100-percent steeped in everything that's thrown Sassoon's way). As overseen by Davies, Lowden and Capaldi are also two halves of a whole, not that either actor gives anything less than their all, let alone a fraction of a portrayal. It's devastating to see how and why Lowden's charisma eventually gives way to Capaldi's loathing, but that's the plight that both men are charged with surveying, relaying and helping echo from the screen — exceptionally so. For all of the feeling coursing through Benediction — including when using archival war footage to hark back to the combat that so altered his central figure, rather than taking the 1917 re-creation route — Davies remains a rigorous, fastidious and controlled filmmaker. The feature's 137-minute running time feels as lengthy as it is. While there's a rhythm to Alex Mackie's (Mary Shelley) editing, the movie is methodically paced. Every single image seen is meticulous in its composition, too. Watching Benediction is an active act, rather than a case of being swept away. That matches everything that the film conveys about Sassoon's experiences and the turmoil they caused him, of course. Still, the art of using restraint and precision to stir up big emotions, and to whip and whisk them around so that they're inescapable, is also on display here — and it's one that this exquisite picture's driving force dispenses with as much talent as his subject did with his poetry.
With apologies to Bonnie Tyler, cinema isn't holding out for a hero — and hasn't been for some time. The singer's 80s-era Footloose-soundtrack hit basically describes the state of mainstream movies today, filled as screens now are with strong, fast, sure and larger-than-life figures racing on thunder and rising on heat. But what does heroism truly mean beyond the spandex of pop-culture's biggest current force? Who do we hold up as role models, and as feel-good champions of kind and selfless deeds? How do those tales of IRL heroism ebb, flow and spread, too? Pondering this far beyond the caped-crusader realm is Asghar Farhadi, a two-time Oscar-winner thanks to A Separation and The Salesman. As is the acclaimed Iranian filmmaker's gambit, his latest movie is intricately complicated, as are its views on human nature and Iranian society. As Farhadi has adored since 2003's Dancing in the Dust — and in everything from 2009's exceptional About Elly to his 2018 Spanish-language feature Everybody Knows as well — A Hero is steeped in the usual and the everyday. The 2021 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix-winner may start with a sight that's the absolute opposite thanks to necropolis Naqsh-e Rostam near the Iranian city of Shiraz, an imposingly grand site that includes the tombs of ancient Persian rulers Xerxes and Darius, but the writer/director's main concerns are as routine, recognisable and relatable as films get. One such obsession: domestic disharmony, aka the cracks that fracture the ties of blood, love and friendship. A Hero sprawls further thematically, wondering if genuine altruism — that is, really and wholeheartedly acting in someone else's interest, even at a cost to oneself — can ever actually exist. But it charts that path because of the frayed and thorny relationships it surveys, and the everyman caught within them. When A Hero begins, calligrapher and sign painter Rahim Soltani (Amir Jadidi, Cold Sweat) is no one's saviour, victor or ideal. While he definitely isn't a villain, he's just been given a two-day pass from an Iranian debtor's prison, where he's incarcerated over a family financial feud. Owing 150,000,000 tomans to his ex-wife's brother-in-law, he's stuck serving out his sentence unless he can settle it or his creditor, copy shop owner Bahram (Mohsen Tanabandeh, Capital), agrees to forgive him. The latter is unlikely, so with his girlfriend Farkhondeh (debutant Sahar Goldust), Rahim hatches a repayment plan. She has stumbled across a handbag filled with 17 gold coins, and together they hope to sell it, then use the proceeds to secure his freedom — except, when they attempt to cash in, they're told that their haul won't reach anywhere the sum they need. Instead, with a mixture of guilt and resignation — and at Farkhondeh's suggestion — Rahim decides to track down the coins' rightful owner. Cue signs plastered around the streets, then an immensely thankful phone call. Cue also the prison's higher-ups discovering Rahim's efforts, and wanting to cash in themselves by eagerly whipping up publicity around their model inmate's considerate choice. The media lap it up, as do the locals. Rahim's young son Siavash (newcomer Saleh Karimaei), a quiet boy with a stutter that's been cared for by his aunt Malileh (fellow first-timer Maryam Shahdaei), gets drawn into the chaos. A charity that fundraises to resolve prisoners' debts takes up the cause, too. Still, the stern and stubborn Bahram remains skeptical, especially as more fame and attention comes Rahim's way. Also, the kind of heroism that's fuelled via news reports and furthered by social media is fickle above all else, especially when competing information comes to light. It's always been apt that Farhadi loves warm hues — tones that are even golden here, as lensed meticulously by cinematographers Ali Ghazi (Zero Day) and Arash Ramezani (Headless). His pictures are so intimate, and so engrained in homes and daily lives, that the cosy neutral colours that shade these spaces automatically become the director's own. His work is never about black-and-white situations, either, and his exacting search through a plethora of shades of grey is also never cold or calculating. A Hero uses the glow of its imagery to help offer plenty of questions about its underlying scenario, in fact, including who might be right and wrong within it. Of course, solving that binary battle is not the movie's aim; rather, poking, prodding and probing it, examining why we're so obsessed with heroes and villains, and exploring what that means when social media's moods, whims and affinities can turn in a second, flickers scorchingly at the film's core. Also searing is Jadidi's performance, which couldn't be more complex. His smile charms, yet also has a flimsy tenor, the grin of someone who knows how embracing the world can be to him — and how closed. When the movie opens with Rahim making the difficult albeit spectacular climb up the Tomb of Xerxes to speak with his brother-in-law Hossein (Alireza Jahandideh, another debutant), who is working amid the scaffolding, it also immediately casts its protagonist as an ordinary man facing an insurmountable and age-old situation. Jadidi plays the part exactly that way, as someone striving to get by, grasping rare and unlikely chances with visible desperation, yet still bound by so much that's long proven unmovable about his country. His character is caught in a morality play where no good deed goes unpunished, too, and the weight of that truth ripples in his posture. But he's also the centre of a reckoning on what's worthy of praise and scorn — "where in the world are people celebrated for not doing wrong?" asks Bahram — and what that says about those cheering, condemning and flipping between the two. The brilliantly layered premise, the deep and cutting dissection of Iran today, the devastating lead portrayal, the incisive visual gaze, the station-full of trains of thought set in motion: it's all classic Farhadi, and he has the applauded past flicks to prove it. Thankfully, A Hero also sees the writer/director back at his best; despite that wealth of familiar elements, the feature is never as oh-so-expected as Everybody Knows and The Salesman, both of which felt like the filmmaker on autopilot. Tough, tight, tenacious, and terrifically disdainful of opportunism and obstinance alike, and of people and institutions guilty of both, A Hero is an excavation of secrets and lies as well — but its power can't be hidden, and its emotional impact is as true as cinema gets. And, although almost everyone in its frames is indeed holding out for some style of hero, few movies realise how fraught and futile that is, let alone with the same patient but unshakeable feeling and intelligence.
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 to make this festive season extra merry. And, to the jolly delight of Sydneysiders, to the Aware Super Theatre at 7.30pm on Sunday, December 19. Here, you'll revisit the Richard Curtis-written and -directed film 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. Tickets go on sale at 4pm local time on Thursday, November 11, with presales from 10am local time on Tuesday, November 9.
There are plenty of things that Sydneysiders haven't been able to enjoy for much of this year, all thanks to the city's lengthy lockdown. Saying cheers with your mates with a few brews at a club is obviously one of them — but now that that's back on the cards under the city's eased restrictions, Clubs NSW wants to give you a free beer to celebrate. On Wednesday, November 10, you'll be clinking your glasses with free Together Ales thanks to Malt Shovel Brewers and Batch Brewing Co. You'll need to be double-vaccinated to take advantage of the offer, and you'll also need to register for a coupon first. Also, it's a while stocks last kind of deal, both in terms of vouchers and beer supplies on the day. The offer is valid for one voucher per person, which can only be redeemed on November 10 at participating venues — which includes a lengthy list of spots, such as Club York and Castlereagh Boutique Hotel in the CBD, and plenty of bowls clubs and RSL clubs around the place.
Before you ever watched your first horror movie, you probably learned one of the genre's undying truths: that, by turning out the lights, things instantly get spookier. That idea also proves accurate at The House After Dark, which sees the Sydney Opera House opening its doors for late-night tours. Returning for a second season between Thursday, May 27–Friday, June 25 — after a successful first run between January–March — the new tour marks one of the rare occasions that you'll be able to explore the Opera House when all of its performers, patrons and staff have gone home. And, if that isn't eerie enough — because wandering through big public spaces when they're free from crowds is always a little disconcerting, as the pandemic has taught us — you'll also hear ghost stories, learn secrets about the site and discover all the mysterious occurrences that have taken place in the famed venue's halls. And, you'll mosey through hidden tunnels and passageways, too. Tickets cost $55 per person, which includes drinks and dessert before the 90-minute tour. You don't want to roam around the place on an empty stomach, after all — or without a sip of something to bolster your courage. Taking place on selected nights — ranging from Wednesdays to Saturdays, with exact days varying per week — each session kicks off at 10pm, with arrivals at the State Door at 9.45pm. There's a maximum of ten people per tour, so you won't have much company. And, when tickets go on sale at 9am on Wednesday, May 19, getting in quick is recommended — as the first round of tours sold out quickly. [caption id="attachment_797498" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Trent Parke[/caption] Top image: Hamilton Lund. Updated May 19.
If you're keen to dive into an arts-filled 2021, make tracks to Chatswood's premier concert hall The Concourse to catch its resident orchestra the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra. Known for pushing the boundaries of classical music as well as performing symphonic twists on much-loved rock and pop tunes, the orchestra will delight audiences at its epic Gala Concert this summer. With two performances set for Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14, it's the perfect excuse to head to the buzzing suburb for Lunar New Year celebrations, with everything from art exhibitions to cultural performances and markets to explore pre- and post-performance. Or, you can treat your partner in crime to a dose of live tunes for Valentine's Day, with romantic melodies such as Delibes' 'Flower Duet' and Tchaikovsky's iconic 'Waltz of the Flowers' from The Nutcracker both on the set list. And, it won't be all strings and woodwind, with the talents of Pacific Opera's rising stars singing pieces from the likes of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Bizet's Carmen and Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. Plus, at the centre of the program will be a new work by Willoughby Symphony Orchestra's composer-in-residence Alice Chance. The orchestra hosts some of the country's most exciting emerging artists and composers and is led by the world-renowned conductor and artistic director Dr Nicholas Milton AM. For the Gala Concert, the orchestra will be conducted by Guy Noble. For more information, head here.
As its name makes plain, Huxtaburger serves up quite a few patty-and-bun combos. It also does a mean chicken sandwich, however. So, if you like tucking into fried chicken, ranch slaw and pickles on toasted sourdough, you're in the right spot, From Monday, February 15–Wednesday, February 17, you'll definitely want to make a date with the chain's Redfern store if you're feeling particularly peckish. That's when it's doing two-for-one chicken sangas, so you'll double your meal while only spending $12.50. The sangas come with your choice of mild chipotle barbecue sauce or Huxtaburger's own sauce, and they're available all day for those three times. You can grab the deal multiple times, too. And, you can choose between dining in, grabbing takeaway or ordering online and getting your sangas delivered. If you opt for the latter and spend $30 — by grabbing some chips or shakes as well, perhaps — you can also get it brought to your house without paying a delivery fee via Deliveroo.
If you're staring at that blank space on your bedroom wall and feeling uninspired, fret not. The Other Art Fair returns this March. The celebrated global event returns to Sydney for the seventh time from March 18–21. The fair will showcase a lively collection of emerging artists in the stimulating surrounds of The Cutaway in Barangaroo. Presented by Saatchi Art, this year's fair is a highly anticipated one, with the 2020 event's cancellation. The creative works of more than 110 carefully chosen artists, each selected by a prominent panel of art industry experts, will be up for sale. From the ornate to the inexpensive, The Other Art Fair 2021 offers thousands of artworks starting from as little as $100. Plus, the artists will be on-site, so you can chat with them and hear the stories behind your chosen piece. The vast four-day event is complemented by art activations, hand-poked tattooing, workshops and immersive performances, plus street food and DJ sets. Make a party of it by attending on opening night ($35–50), or stop by for a general browse between Friday to Sunday — general entry tickets cost $20 online or $30 on the door. The Other Art Fair is happening from March 18–21. Book tickets here.
If you've worn that one summer outfit to death, are in need of a new set of sandals for all the beach trips you've got planned or are looking to start prepping your winter wardrobe, it might be time to pick up some new threads. Luckily, you can currently refresh your wardrobe with this huge 40 percent off sale over at The Iconic. There are hundreds of items on sale from a range of sought-after brands including Dazie, M.N.G and Commune as part of the site's Exclusive Edit Sale. Pick up a silky slip dress for your next night out, a tan overshirt that can slip over any autumn outfit or a black leather pair of sandals from Atmos + Here. You can browse the full selection of both women's and men's outfit as well as shoes, jewellery and accessories here. Once you find what you're looking for, the 40 percent discount will be applied on any sale items at the checkout. The sale is running through until 11.59pm on Monday, March 8. Find all the details here. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
You can never have too many occasions to eat cheese, but this returning Sydney cheese festival isn't just keen to shower cheese fiends with creamy goodness. A collaboration between Bruny Island Cheese Co. cheesemaker Nick Haddow and the organisers of Pinot Palooza, Mould wants dairy lovers to explore and devour the mild, hard and soft bites that Australia's best cheese wizards have to offer. Returning for a third year in 2021, after a postponed 2020 festival thanks to COVID-19, the cheesy event will paint Carriageworks yellow between Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22. Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — with the lineup yet to be announced — it'll feature flavoursome fare from cheese specialists too. Think of it as a cheese tasting trip around Australia without leaving Wilson Street. Of course, snacking on samples and purchasing slices and slabs to take home with you are just two ways to enjoy cheese. The fest will have cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks so you can stretch your cheese knowledge as well as your cheese stomach. And it wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, beer and sake — all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. Tickets cost $45, and there'll be three sessions: 4.30–8.30pm on Friday night, 11am–3pm on Saturday morning and 4–8pm on Saturday afternoon. Of course, the event is running at a COVID-safe capacity, so tickets are limited.
There are many ways to celebrate February 14 with someone special, including tried-and-tested date ideas and more creative options. For those who like Italian food, wine and opera — and enjoying all of the above in a brewery, too — you might want to make plans to head to Yulli's Brews' Italian night. For $110 per person, the Alexandria spot is serving up a six-course degustation. Each round of food will be paired with a matching Italian wine, and there'll also be a guided wine-tasting, too. Given the location, you'll start with a beer upon arrival, though. (It just wouldn't be the same without at least one brew.) To add some entertainment to the evening, live opera performances are also on the agenda — on the brewery floor, between the tanks. So, as well as sharing a top-notch meal, some beer and some vino with your date, you're guaranteed to take them to something they haven't seen before.
Backyard cricket, barbecues and water sports are all Aussie summer clichés for a reason: they're good, wholesome fun. Another one? Outdoor cinemas. And we're here to tell you the very good news that North Sydney's version of this al fresco activity is returning for another season. Sunset Cinema is once again taking over North Sydney Oval from Thursday, January 28–Saturday, April 3. Whether you're planning a cosy date night or easy family outing under the stars, this year's program has something for everyone — with the cinema releasing its lineup month by month. So far, the nostalgic lineup includes titles like Dirty Dancing, Grease, The Lion King, multiple Star Wars movies, and Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, plus recent releases such as The Dry, Wonder Woman 1984, Promising Young Woman and The Witches. Or, you can check out new flicks like the Tom Hanks-starring News of the World, Penguin Bloom with Naomi Watts, and Irish-set romance Wyld Mountain Thyme on Valentine's Day. BYO picnics are encouraged, but if you want to enjoy a sparkling or brew throughout the film, the onsite bar will be serving a range of drinks. Didn't pack enough snacks? There'll be hot food options, which you can order online and then pickup, plus plenty of the requisite movie treats like chips, chocolates, lollies and popcorn. Tickets start at $20 for adults, and you can hire a foldout chair for $6, a bean bag for $10 and a lawn lounge for $22.
Heading to a movie might be one of the easiest date night options there is, but it has remained a romantic go-to for a reason. Pair the right person with the right film, and the magic doesn't just happen on the big screen. And, some flicks are just guaranteed to strike a chord no matter who you're with. If you'd been thinking about falling back on this tried-and-tested date option for Valentine's Day, we're sure that you're not alone — but you don't need to watch whatever new release has just hit the screen. At Ritz Cinemas in Randwick, Sunday, February 14 will be filled with special showings of swoon-worthy classics. See one, make it a double or, if you're special someone is a bit of a movie buff, turn the occasion into your own day-long film festival. The program starts with a 60th anniversary screening of Breakfast at Tiffany's. From there, other options include 1934 standout It Happened One Night, the Cher and Nicolas Cage-starring Moonstruck, and the mind-bending Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Then, there's also Heath Ledger singing in 10 Things I Hate About You to cap the whole day off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07-QBnEkgXU
Wandering beneath shining red lanterns, grabbing a bite to eat from an array of food trucks, checking out live performances — sounds like a top-notch itinerary, doesn't it? Forget running around town to fit everything in, however, with this list of activities all on offer at this year's brand-new Lunar Lane Night Markets. Every evening between Thursday, February 11–Saturday, February 13, this Sydney Olympic Park event will celebrate the Year of the Ox with bright lights, roving performances, plenty of food and ample space for a picnic. That's what Sydneysiders will find at Yulang, next to Cathy Freeman Park, from 4–9pm — plus DJs spinning tunes, local bars serving beverages, and wooden seating for you and your mates to gather around. Food-wise, Bao Brothers, Bubble Tea Truck, Birdman Korean fried chicken and Yan Asian are just some of the joints that'll be keeping your hunger in check, with the culinary lineup spanning meals-on-wheels ventures as well as eateries in the area. Entry to this family-friendly affair is free, although you'll want to bring your wallet so that you can fill up your stomach.
The World Press Photo Foundation is a global platform connecting professionals and audiences through raw visual journalism and storytelling. The organisation was founded in 1955 when a group of Dutch photographers organised a contest to expose their work to an international audience. Since then, the contest has grown into the world's most prestigious photography competition and global travelling exhibition. The 64th edition of the World Press Photo Exhibition will touch down in Sydney this year and be on display at the State Library of New South Wales from Saturday, May 15–Monday, June 14. The winners from this year's contest were chosen by an independent jury that reviewed 74,470 photographs by 4315 photographers from 130 countries — with more than 150 images from 45 photographers in 28 countries included in the exhibition. Taking top honours for 2020: Mads Nissen's First Embrace. The COVID-19 pandemic was always going to play a part in this year's batch of winners, with the image showing 85-year-old Rosa Luzia Lunardi being embraced by nurse Adriana Silva da Costa Souza at the Viva Bem care home in São Paulo, Brazil. This will be on display alongside other finalists, such as Luis Tato's stunning image of locust swarms in Kenya — and eye-catching images in other categories, such as contemporary issues, the environment, general news, nature, portraits and sports. [caption id="attachment_812191" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] The First Embrace © Mads Nissen, Denmark, Politiken/Panos Pictures[/caption] Top image: Fighting Locust Invasion in East Africa © Luis Tato, Spain, for The Washington Post.
UPDATE, May 29, 2021: With Victoria in lockdown, the St Kilda Film Festival isn't hosting any physical screenings on its final day — but you can watch Australia's Top 100 short films for free online until 11.59pm today, Saturday, May 29. You'll find big things in small packages at the St Kilda Film Festival this year. That's true every year — even last year, during lockdown — but you'll also find some changes on this year's program as well. Australia's oldest short film festival, the massive event will once again physically descend upon St Kilda in 2021; however, as it did in 2020, the lineup is also jumping online and screening to movie buffs nationally. The hybrid version of the festival will still showcase works by some of the best up-and-coming filmmakers in the country, which you can watch at 11 physical events or via 15 digital sessions. Running from Thursday, May 20–Saturday, May 29, it all kicks off with opening night at The Astor Theatre, then gives student animation, family-friendly animation, Victorian-made shorts, women filmmakers and directors under the age of 21 their time to shine at ticketed screenings. As always, the backbone of the festival is Australia's Top 100, featuring filmmakers from every corner of the country competing for prizes. You can view these short flicks online this year — and for free — as broken down into themed packages. The Australian Animation Showcase highlights Aussie animation, 'Dark Matter' showcases horror, thriller and dystopian tales, 'Suburban Keyholes' is all about life in the suburbs and 'Age of Innocence' focuses on coming-of-age stories, for instance. Image: Jim Lee
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all people of Australia to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In the past, the "National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee" were responsible for organising the events of NAIDOC Week, and since then the acronym has become the name of the event itself. The theme of NAIDOC Week this year is 'Heal Country!'. Grounded in Country, this theme calls for the recognition, protection and maintenance of all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. But in order to achieve this, it's essential that historical, political and administrative settings adapt in order to empower and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Did you know the Aboriginal flag is currently under copyright? Clothing The Gaps are leading the campaign to have the Aboriginal flag freed. Join them for this lunchtime yarn to learn about the Aboriginal Copyright issue and the progress of the Free the Flag campaign. Head to Clothing the Gaps Instagram to keep up-to-date with everything the organisation is doing this NAIDOC Week and view its 'Heal Country!' collection. [caption id="attachment_817386" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Supplied by Clothing The Gaps.[/caption]
