By Travis Johnson
Acclaimed and controversial filmmaker Oliver Stone is confirmed for this year’s Vivid Sydney. The director of Platoon, Wall Street, and Natural Born Killers will speak at both the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer Talks Series, and at the global creative forum, Semi Permanent.
Establishing himself as a screenwriter in the late ’70s, Oliver Stone first made his directing bones with the 1986 one-two punch of Platoon and Salvador (nobody counts his earlier efforts, Seizure and The Hand) Stone was an important and contentious figure in the cinematic landscape of the ’80s and ’90s, giving us the likes of Talk Radio, JFK, and Any Given Sunday to various degrees of acclaim and outrage. Recent years have seen his commercial fortunes wane a bit, even as his explorations in the documentary field has seen him eschew the feature form to address his political and cultural concerns more directly with works such as South of the Border and Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States.
Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney, Sandra Chipchase said, “At the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer Talks Series, Oliver Stone will speak ‘In Conversation With Margaret Pomeranz’, providing rare, behind-the-scenes insights into the creative workings of this cutting-edge cultural icon at the height of his industry.
“Vivid Sydney consistently presents and showcases the world’s leading cultural innovators and Oliver Stone’s involvement in this year’s program is a further testament to the global creative talent Vivid draws to Sydney.”
On Sunday, May 28, at City Recital Hall, Stone will speak about his philosophy on telling difficult stories, navigating controversy and resistance. He will address how his approach to the interplay between writer, storyteller and director has cemented his position among the legends of Hollywood. Legendary Australian critic Margaret Pomeranz, who will be joining Stone on stage, observed, “Interviewing Oliver Stone? One of the most significant filmmakers of the past forty years to trawl through our political and cultural history! It’s intimidating, exciting and absolutely unmissable. If I weren’t on the stage with him I would be in the audience.”
For Semi Permanent 2017, Stone will be speaking ‘in conversation’ on the power of film to create change and challenge perceptions on Friday, May 26, at Carriageworks. Semi Permanent founder and director Murray Bell said, “Semi Permanent is excited to welcome iconic filmmaker and storyteller Oliver Stone to our extraordinary line up for 2017 in Sydney. The Academy Award winning writer and director is one of the most prolific of our time, making films that profoundly capture pivotal moments in our recent history – a lifetime spent creating entertaining and provocative works.”
Tickets for the Vivid Ideas Game-Changer Talks Series are available here. For info and tickets for Semi Permanent, click through here.
