Plenty of interesting fare but no classics emerge

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 08/26/2007 1:38 PM | Life

Cynthia Webb, Contributor, Brisbane, Australia

The recent, 16th Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) screened 121 feature films from 47 countries, (including 12 Australian films) and 20 shorts.

As many of these never get general release, it was a chance to get a sense of what's been happening in world cinema, apart from mainstream studio fare.

The Opening Night feature was Fay Grim by New York Indie director Hal Hartley, starring Parker Posey. This is a sequel, 10 years on, to his dark comedy Henry Fool, which left Hartley fans wondering about the background of the articulate and enigmatic Henry, who fled the law at the end of the film leaving his wife Fay to bring up their son alone.

Fay Grim, set in modern times, is an espionage spoof about the dark doings of the CIA and the modern preoccupation with terrorism, featuring tilted camera angles throughout.

Writer/director Hal Hartley's earlier films include The Unbelievable Truth,Trust, Simple Men, Amateur, Flirt and Book of Life.

During the Franco years film legend Luis Bunuel left Spain and worked in Mexico, and BIFF showed a retrospective of these. There were some films from Africa, musicals from Asia, and films celebrating the 800th anniversary of the birth of Sufi philosopher-poet Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Rumi.

Documentaries on filmmaking included Iran: A Cinematic Revolution and This Film is not yet Rated (U.S.) a documentary by Kirby Dick, which exposes the unfair tactics of the Motion Picture Association of America, regarding the way films are rated for distribution in U.S. theaters.

The system favors studio product and is tougher on Indie films. Dick had the bizarre experience of submitting this revealing doco to the very group that is its subject, for a rating. It would have been good to see their faces as they watched it.

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People demonstrates how Hollywood has created stereotypes and contributed to racist attitudes in the public consciousness. Although this film relates to Arabs, the stereotyping has of course been applied to other national and racial groups at various times.

Asia-Pacific focus

The Brisbane Film Festival has always made a point of focusing on films from the Asia-Pacific region; this year's Asian films took us to remote and fascinating times and places.

Garin Nugroho's Opera Jawa (Indonesia) is a retelling of the Ramayana story of the capture of Sinta by Rahwana, now set in the lead up to Reformasi (1998).

It features art installation sets by some leading Yogyakarta contemporary artists. The exciting political demonstration sequences show the unmistakable influence of Sutanto Mendut and the Merapi Merbabu Dance Companies from mountain villages around Magelang.

Yogyakarta's Martinus Miroto, a well-known dancer, stars as Setyo in the film, along with Eko Supriyanto (Ludiro) and Artika Sari Dewi, (Siti).

Opera Jawa is told in Javanese music and song, composed by Rahayu Supanggah, through rich visual and metaphorical images, and traditional Javanese cultural references. It has received accolades around the world. ""For me this film is not only a film, but a library,"" said Garin Nugroho, referring to it as a record of Javanese culture.

The Banquet from Hong Kong is the Shakespearean Hamlet story transposed to a Chinese setting in the year 907 A.D. It was directed by Feng Xiaogang and stars Zhang Zi Yi and Daniel Wu.

It is a cinematographic feast of set and costume design, with music by Tan Dun. Its foreboding atmosphere leads to the tragic ending, marred only by the jarring modern vocals accompanying the final scene.

The Story of Pao is from Vietnam, directed by Ngo Quang Hai and stars well-known actress Do Thi Hai Yen. This charming film is based on a true story of the mountain dwelling Hmong people. It's another visual treat with colorful traditional costumes, and filmed on location in tribal villages.

Cinematography is by Cordelia Beresford, daughter of Oscar winning Australian director, Bruce Beresford.

The Bet Collector (Kubrador) by Jeffrey Jeturian, is a digital film from the Philippines and won the NETPAC jury award at BIFF. Brilliantly shot in Manila slums, it is about a kind, hard-working, but poor, grief-ravaged woman, who works as a bet collector in her local neighborhood for the illegal gambling game, Jueteng.

It really transports you there, and contains a great performance by Gina Pareno.

Tough issues

The closing night film was Michael Winterbottom's new movie, A Mighty Heart, a docu-drama about the investigation following the kidnapping of Daniel Pearl, of The Wall Street Journal in 2001. Shot on location in Pakistan and India, using handheld cameras, it has a high level of realism, and features a moving performance by Angelina Jolie as Pearl's pregnant wife, Mariane.

There is no sentimentality, and no relief from her agony in this tough film, as after four weeks he was beheaded by Islamic extremists.

Among BIFF'S program were recent films by respected directors Jiri Menzel, Catherine Breillat, Frank Oz, Rolf de Heer, Jacques Rivette, David Lynch, Paul Schrader, Sarah Polley, Ryu Seung-wan and many more.

Four Months, three weeks, two days, the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes this year was screened. It's a grim Romanian film by Christian Mungiu. Audiences also had a chance to see the Golden Lion Winner from Venice 2006, Still Life (China) by Jia Zhang-Ke.

Although there were a few comedies, there were a lot of films that tackle tough issues, reflecting the complexity of today's world.

However, there didn't seem to be anything groundbreaking or brilliant enough to add to the list of all-time classics of world cinema.

Audiences at all screenings were asked to grade films they had seen. The ratings were as follows: 1: Unfinished Sky directed by Peter Duncan (Australia) drama 2. The Home Song Stories, Tony Ayres (Australia) drama 3. Death at a Funeral, Frank Oz (UK) comedy

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