By Jackie Shannon
10:00AM: THE UPCOMING AUSTRALIAN FILM SHOWCASE Promising an in-depth glimpse into the world of local science fiction filmmaking, this very special programme offers an exclusive look behind the scenes of three upcoming Australian sci-fi flicks. The filmmakers behind these three films will be screening clips from their works and answering audience questions. This is your chance to land right at ground zero when it comes to finding out how science fiction films are financed, shot, edited, and released in this country. Whether you’re a filmmaker yourself, an aspiring filmmaker, or just a film lover, The Upcoming Australian Film Showcase promises to be truly fascinating, and will feature the following three upcoming Australian sci-fi films.
THE OSIRIS CHILD: SCIENCE FICTION VOLUME ONE From Australian writer/director, Shane Abbess – the man whose creative vision drove the mini-epic fantasy, Gabriel, and the impressive sci-fi thriller, Infini – comes The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One, another daring trip into genre filmmaking. Set in the future in a time of interplanetary colonisation, the film tracks an unlikely pair who must race against the clock to prevent an impending global crisis, while being confronted by the monsters that live inside us all. Boasting a strong cast (Kellan Lutz, Daniel MacPherson, Temuera Morrison, Rachel Griffiths, Teagan Croft, Isabel Lucas, Luke Ford), this is another stellar slab of sci-fi from a rising Aussie master.
BLUE WORLD ORDER Directed by Dallas Bland and Che Baker, Blue World Order is a sci-fi action belter set in a grim, post-apocalyptic future, with the few survivors driven to violence while competing for scarce resources and battling infectious, deadly bacteria. In an attempt to rebuild civilisation, a self-appointed government called The Order have distributed an immunisation to the bacteria via a massive Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP). Secretly, The Order has also delivered a bio-tech virus through the EMP, giving them the power to control the population. One man remains immune to the Order’s virus, Jake Slater (Jake Ryan), who scavenges the wasteland searching for a way to keep his unconscious daughter alive, unaware that she is the last child on Earth, and the key to the survival of mankind. Also starring Billy Zane, Jack Thompson, Stephen Hunter, and Bruce Spence, Blue World Order is a wonderfully manic piece of Australian sci-fi.
SPACE/TIME Australia is entering a boom period for thoughtful, albeit low budget, science fiction cinema. At the very top of that list is the very exciting Space/Time. Described by its writers – Adam Harmer and Michael O’Halloran, who also directs – as “Breaking Bad with time travel”, the film is set in a world on the brink of disaster. In amongst the starvation, war, and economic collapse, a group of scientists are working on a complex engine with magnanimous ramifications: not only interstellar travel, but the ability to bend time and space itself; in other words, a time machine. When their project is eventually suspended, the group must turn to criminal activity in order to finance their operation, with consequences that could unravel the whole fabric of space and time.
12:00pm: CERULEAN: A SPECIAL PRESENTATION The debut directorial effort of Tani Kunitake (an accomplished illustrator and storyboard artist whose work has appeared in The Matrix, I Am Legend, Man Of Steel, The Avengers, Edge Of Tomorrow, and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII), Cerulean is anchored by dancer and actress, Dani Swan, who stars as the title character, an interstellar combat pilot in control of the sentient AI-controlled starship, Hecate. Beginning life as a graphic novel, before being expanded outward first into a short film and now a full blown feature, Cerulean is a true mind-bender. “I’m very excited with Tani directing,” Dani Swan tells FilmInk. “He’s got the support of The Wachowskis [The Matrix, Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas]. They support him all the way.” In this special presentation, Tani Kunitake will illustrate Dani Swan, live in person, and the duo will then detail their collaboration on the multi-media extravaganza that is Cerulean.
The AFTRS Theatre is located at The Australian Film, Television & Radio School, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, Sydney. The 2016 Sci-Fi Film Festival runs from October 19-23 at The Ritz Cinema, Randwick. For more information and to buy tickets, head to the official site.
