The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) – to be held from October 14 – 25 – has today announced the first five films in the Festival program.
The films announced today include the Australian Premiere of Another Round, from the team behind The Hunt: – director Thomas Vinterberg and Scandinavia’s biggest star Mads Mikkelsen. Another Round, a sobering comedy about dealing with the world through the bottom of a glass, will screen in Adelaide direct from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Also announced today, the World Premiere of the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) feature documentary, Phil Liggett: The Voice of Cycling. From the filmmakers behind AFF Audience prize winning Remembering the Man and MAMIL (Middle Aged Men in Lycra), Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe, comes this fascinating portrait of cycling royalty. Amateur racer turned broadcaster, Phil Liggett has covered forty-seven Tours de France and fifteen Olympic Games, calling every triumph, tragedy and scandal with his inimitable wit and poetry.
Bangarra means making fire, and for 30 years the Bangarra Dance Theatre has blazed fiercely. AFF will host the South Australian Premiere of Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra, about Australia’s most renowned arts company; it’s the story of three brothers—Stephen, Russell, and David Page—and it’s the story of the way that art can become a weapon that helps people to survive and a nation to heal. The film is co-directed by Wayne Blair (Top End Wedding, The Sapphires) and Nel Minchin (Matilda & Me, Making Muriel). The project received principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen NSW and is financed with support from the ABC.
AFF will also feature the South Australian premiere of High Ground, the most powerful and engrossing Australian film of the year. The critical darling at this year’s Berlin film Festival, High Ground, directed by Stephen Johnson (Yolngu Boy) takes an unflinching look at the brutal facts of white settlement. This is a film with all the breathtaking beauty and savagery of this country, rich in dramatic tension driven by taut, understated performances by newcomer Jacob Junior Nayinggul, and also starring Simon Baker (Breathe) and screen legend Jack Thompson. The film received major production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Screen Territory and Film Victoria.
The Painter and the Thief is described by The Guardian as “the year’s most moving documentary”. This acclaimed Norwegian documentary, which won the world cinema documentary special jury prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, is unflinching and delicate in its depiction of the growing emotional bond between an artist and the junkie thief who stole her paintings. Director is Benjamin Ree (Magnus).
“We are so very lucky it is safe to enjoy seeing films in cinemas here in South Australia and it is thrilling to announce that we are going ahead with a physical Festival in 2020. I am excited to share the first films that will be screening. These five films are representative of the program we will be presenting in October – inventive, absorbing, brilliant, provocative” said Mat Kesting, Adelaide Film Festival CEO and Creative Director.
Mr Kesting also announced that the 2020 Festival’s principal venue partner will be Palace Nova East End Cinemas.
Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni said: “The 2020 Adelaide Film Festival will showcase the very best of Australian and international cinema while celebrating our city’s love of the creative industries. The local screen industry supports hundreds of local jobs, from screen writers and set designers and tradies to producers and directors. The AFF represents a wonderful opportunity for cinema audiences to enjoy an enriching cultural experience while supporting local businesses.”
Festival passes are now available. Passes can be purchased with the choice of a 3, 7 or 10 MultiPass. The true AFF fanatic can indulge in a full festival experience with a Gold or Platinum pass to squeeze in as many films as possible into their schedule. For AFF Members there is an amazing early bird deal of 20% off all passes and ticketing, doubling the regular AFF Member discount. This offer is strictly limited until 16 August. See the AFF website to see all the benefits of an AFF Membership including priority access at the Festival and a sneak peek at the full AFF 2020 Program with an invitation to the launch in September.
See all details of these first five films at www.adelaidefilmfestival.org
