By Travis Johnson
The 2018 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival hits Backlot Cinemas and Cinema Nova from July 6 – 14, kicking off with a double feature of Anjelica Huston on James Joyce: A Shout in the Street and Filmworker, plus the short I am Famous.
Directed by David Blake-Knox, Anjelica Huston on James Joyce sees the actor, who grew up in the West of Ireland and played the lead role for her father, John Huston, in his adaptation of Joyce’s The Dead, tell the story of the acclaimed Irish writer’s life and work. Meanwhile, Filmworker looks at the career of Stanley Kubrick’s personal assistant, Leon Vitali, and the effect he had on the great auteur’s life and work.
Those films kick off a fantastic festival of factual film, encompassing art documentaries, sports films, true crime accounts, social justice films, and more. Some highlights include:
Big in Japan (dir. Louis Dai, David Elliot-Jones, and Lachlan Mcleod)
After hearing about the huge demand for foreign talent in Japan, ‘ordinary Melbourne guy’ Dave sets out on an outrageous mission to understand fame.
Black Anzac (dir. Tim Anastasi)
A documentary about Australian Artist Hego’s journey to tell an undertold story of Australian history through a mural in the Indigenous heart of Sydney, of a WWI Aboriginal soldier of colossal proportions and its positive impacts on the wider community.
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami (dir. Sophie Fiennes)
Larger than life, wild, scary and androgynous – Grace Jones plays all these parts. Yet here we also discover her as a lover, daughter, mother, sister and even grandmother, as she submits herself to our gaze and allows us to understand what constitutes her mask.
George Michael: Freedom (dir. David Austin)
A deeply autobiographical story of George Michael’s life concentrating on the period around the making of his album Listen Without Prejudice and detailing his love, his loss, his court case with his record company and his struggle with fame. It is a poignant and intimate portrait of a music icon, narrated and co-directed by George Michael himself just before his death.
Rodents of Unusual Size (dir. Chris Metzler)
Meet fisherman turned bounty hunter Thomas Gonzales and a pack of colourful diehards as they defend their land, and way of life against the unforgiving forces of nature. It is man vs. rodent. May the best mammal win.
War Mothers (dir. Stefan Bugryn)
War Mothers is the story of three women: Galina, Svetlana, and Yulia. They live in the town of Zaporizhia, which is along the eastern front of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
…and many more – 63 in total. For tickets and session times, head to the official site.
