by FilmInk Staff
This week, two exciting Australian film projects will launch at the Sydney Opera House as part of the annual UnWrapped arts program. Shortwave and Tender [pictured] are film projects made by emerging Australian filmmakers and artists that encompass documentary, music video and experimental film.
Shortwave, Studio | 8 September. A session of new short films from Australian interdisciplinary artists, exploring their relationship with the screen, through themes of resistance, reclamation and renewal. Tickets start at $25 + booking fee.
- Hương – Award-winning dance artist and choreographer Tra Mi Dinh explores her relationship with incense and its meditative practice of returning ‘home’.
- Mohabat, a Lullaby for a Rising – Lebanese multidisciplinary artists Maissa Alameddine and Narjis Mirza continue their collaborative work interrogating the sacred practice of the lullaby. Curated by Blacktown Arts.
- Gatekeepers – A work exploring First Nations musicianship and gatekeeping within the music industry from Kabi Kabi / Gubbi Gubbi / Wiradjuri artist Loki Liddle and producer and Jabirr Jabirr storyteller, poet and musician Alethea Beetson. Curated by BLACKSOCIAL.
- If You Can’t Larp, You’ll Cry – A new short film scrutinising the shift in digital media production brought about by the subscription economy from Taiwanese video performance artist Li Yi Fan and Melbourne artists – choreographer and digital artist Harrison Hall; artist and curator Mat Spisbah; and contemporary dancer Nikki Tarling.
- Look Intruder – Tahlia Palmer, an artist of mixed settler and Murri descent, confronts the volatility of Australian national identity where narratives of colonial triumph mask harsh realities.
- Planetether Kin – Western Sydney-based dancer and physical performer Em Yali investigates human relationships with the earth. Curated by Blue Mountains Propel Projects Emerging Performers Residency.
Tender, Western Foyers | 6-15 September. An anthology of four immersive documentaries displayed across a 270-degree digital canvas that challenge, examine and subvert Western Sydney-based stigma and stereotypes. Commissioned by the Sydney Opera House and presented in association with Curiousworks, each documentary has been directed by emerging creatives from Western Sydney. This is a free event.
- Carielyn Tunion’s meditative video poem explores delicate connections of a personal diasporic family story rooted in the archipelago known as ‘the Philippines’ and Hong Kong.
- Mohammad Awad’s music video documentary debunks the myth that queer and trans people need to leave their Western Sydney homes to find love, joy and intimacy.
- Diamond Tat’s experimental portrait of her mother finds softness and vulnerability beneath strong exteriors.
- Sharon Mani’s joyous investigation maps a range of significant and personal stories to unassuming locations throughout Western Sydney.
Both programs have been commissioned by the Opera House alongside organisations across the cultural sector.
