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Ben Ferris’ debut feature to premiere in Croatia

INSIDEFILM apologies for the error which appeared in the Inside Film News 29.10.08, which said that Penelope will premiere on Nov 5 in Paddington. The world premiere of Penelope will actually be held in Zagreb, Croatia on November 20.

[Press Release by tsuki]

Penelope, the first Australian-Croatian art film shot entirely on location in Croatia, is a fresh interpretation of Homer’s tale of Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, who waits for twenty years for her husband to return from the Trojan War.

The film will have its world premiere at the 4th One Take Film Festival in Zagreb Croatia on November 20 as the Opening Night film, following in the footsteps of Alexander Sukurov’s long-take masterpiece Russian Ark which opened the inaugural festival in 2003.

In celebration of its world premiere in Croatia, production company Artemis Projects will be holding a special exhibition in Sydney entitled Penelope 16 x 9, on November 5 at Global Gallery in Paddington, featuring 24 luscious photographic images from the film.

Influenced by world class art film directors such as Andrei Tarkovsky (The Mirror), Federico Fellini (La Dolce Vita) and Bela Tarr (The Man from London) who champion the long-take filmmaking style, Penelope favours a psychological narrative over a conventional chronological one, pushing cinema storytelling into a new dimension.

“I’m not so interested in conventional story-telling,” says Australian director Ben Ferris about his debut feature film. “In my mind books do that better than films can. I’m interested in exploring those qualities native to cinema: for instance its manipulation of time and space.”

The exhibition Penelope 16 x 9 will also incorporate costumes by Jennie Tate, a short extract from the art film itself, and the haunting original sound track by British composer Max Richter.

“It’s all about being able to think outside the square. A film like Penelope presents cinematographic challenges which allow for a true creative exploration. I am a great believer in the artistic potential that cinematography can bring to the filmmaking process” says James Barahanos, Director of Photography.

Exhibition
Opening Night: Wednesday 5th November
Time: 6:00pm
Price: Free
Open to the general public
Location: Global Gallery
Address: 5 Comber Street, Paddington
Exhibition: 5th Nov – 19th Nov

Penelope
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Country: Australian / Croatian
Language: Croatian with English subtitles
Director: Ben Ferris
Producer: Irena Markovic
Director of Photography: James Barahanos
Production Designer: Jennie Tate
Music Composer: Max Richter
Penelope: Natalie Finderle
Odysseus: Frano Maskovic

www.penelopa.com.au