By Erin Free
DON’T LET THE DEVIL TAKE ANOTHER DAY
For fans of Welsh band Stereophonics, and music in general, Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day will be one of The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival’s key titles. The film traces the life history of the band’s lead singer, Kelly Jones, and also looks to get emotional when it comes to the throat surgery that threatened to derail his career.
WE ARE CONJOLA: OUR FIRE, OUR STORY
Before the onslaught of COVID-19, the bushfires that tore through big chunks of Australia looked like the last word in localised horror, and this doco investigates both their devastating impact on the small coastal town of Conjola Park, and the extraordinary way in which its residents joined together to heal and rebuild their shattered lives.
COOGAN’S WAY
In need of a little feel-good factual storytelling? Well, we are, and Coogan’s Way looks like the film to fit the bill, following the fortunes of a small bar/restaurant in Washington Heights that became the profoundly troubled and crack-ravaged area’s ersatz community hub, and a safe place where people in fear of their violent surroundings could congregate.
CLAYDREAM
In what sounds like an absolutely fascinating meeting of two very different minds, Claydream juxtaposes pioneering claymation innovator Will Vinton (seen by many as something of a successor to Walt Disney) with Nike figurehead Phil Knight, with the results being acrimony, court action, failure and business dissolution.
WOMEN OF STEEL
A vital and impassioned look at a rarely discussed chapter in Australian history, Women Of Steel is the story of a group of Wollongong migrant women who took the fight to BHP, the city’s biggest employer, when they were denied employment at the company’s massive steelworks. This looks like a voluble and entertaining call to action.
YES I AM: THE RIC WEILAND STORY
Produced by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Inside Deep Throat, The Eyes Of Tammy Faye), Yes I Am: The Ric Weiland Story takes a dep dive into the life of Ric Weiland, an early player in Microsoft’s rise who eventually became a hugely influential philanthropist, and a major figure in the fight for gay rights and understanding of HIV/AIDS.
VINYL NATION
For those that can feel – deep, deep in their bones – the resounding lack of soul that emanates from current musical platforms like Spotify and iTunes, this doco will be the cinematic equivalent of the perfect needle drop, tracking the newly discovered joys of vinyl, both as a collectible piece of music, and as the best way to listen to it.
ENEMIES OF THE STATE
With the mighty Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog Of War) listed as executive producer, Enemies Of The State will be an instant source of interest for those into non-fiction film. Sonia Kennebeck’s feature follows a family fed through a US government grinder when their hacker son finds himself in the crosshairs of the authorities.
THE REVOLUTION GENERATION
Since the 1950s, the youthful sector of the population has been the mainstream’s whipping post, blamed for everything and accused of even more. It’s no different today, with millennials constantly called out by those in the media for all manner of ills. The Revolution Generation shifts gears by celebrating the world’s junior partners, and their role in creating change.
DIRTY BANKING
Timely and relevant in both Australia and the rest of the world, Dirty Banking follows the major investigation into the deeply corrupt Swedbank by journalists from Sweden’s public broadcaster. Showcasing the role of the press in outing otherwise unchecked corporate malfeasance, Dirty Banking is a powerful treatise in this age of fakes news and alternative facts.
The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival runs from July 1-31 (online) and July 21-31 in-cinema. For all ticketing, session and programming details, click here.
