Four Australian films have been selected to screen at the 2014 South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas.
Writer/directors Michael and Peter Spierig’s Predestination, directors Angus Sampson and Tony Mahony’s The Mule, and writer/director Hugh Sullivan’s The Infinite Man will have their world premiere screenings. Kitty Green’s feature documentary Ukraine Is Not a Brothel will also screen at the festival.
Predestination, a film noir, science fiction mystery from writer/director brothers Michael and Peter Spierig (Daybreakers), will screen in the Headliners section of the festival, which features major and rising names in cinema. Produced by Paddy McDonald and Tim McGahan, the film is about the life of a temporal agent who has to recruit his younger self to pursue the one criminal who has for a lifetime eluded him. Predestination received production investment from Screen Australia. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook and Noah Taylor.
Paddy McDonald said, “We are delighted to be screening Predestination, based on a trail-blazing sci-fi Robert A Heinlein short story, at SXSW, which is blazing a trail for media, creatives and technology across so many disciplines. It is real honour to be a part of, and afforded such a great platform at, such an amazing and important event."
The black comedy The Mule, co-written and co-produced by one of Australia’s most successful international screenwriter/actor/producers Leigh Whannell (Saw franchise), will screen in the Narrative Spotlight section, which features high profile narrative films making their world, North American or US premieres. Whannell stars in the film with co-writer and co-producer Angus Sampson, along with Hugo Weaving and John Noble. The film is directed by both Angus Sampson and Tony Mahony, and is also produced by Jane Liscombe and co-written by Jamie Browne. The Mule received both development funding and production investment from Screen Australia.
Leigh Whannell said, "Austin is a film fan's town and we are so excited to be holding the world premiere of The Mule at SXSW, a festival that embraces independent and original films… We cannot wait to see the crowd in Austin devour it."
The Infinite Man will screen in the Visions section, which showcases audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape, who demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking. Starring Josh McConville, Hannah Marshall and Alex Dimitriades, writer/director Hugh Sullivan’s The Infinite Man is a time-travel comedy/romance about a man whose attempts to change the past reveal him to be his own worst enemy. The film is produced by Kate Croser and Sandy Cameron and was supported by the South Australian Film Corporation’s (SAFC) FilmLab, run in collaboration with Screen Australia.
Kate Croser said, “We are thrilled to premiere The Infinite Man at the SXSW Film Festival, given its reputation as one of the best launching pads for indie films like ours. Recent SXSW premieres include Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture, Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers and Duncan Jones’ Source Code, and we couldn’t be happier to be in that company.”
The feature documentary Ukraine Is Not a Brothel, directed and produced by Kitty Green, will screen in the SXGlobal section, which hosts a diverse selection of international filmmaking talent, featuring innovative narratives, artful documentaries and premieres. The film, co-produced by Jonathan auf der Heide and Michael Latham, offers an intimate look into the lives of Ukraine’s topless feminist sensation Femen, a movement against patriarchy that has taken the European media by storm.
Jonathan auf der Heide said, “We're really excited. SXSW will be the perfect platform to introduce US audiences to our film and to the women of Femen. We've had a dream run with festivals so far and the film has been all over the world, but our family and friends here in Australia have yet to see it. We can't wait to premiere in Australia later this year!”
The SXSW® Film Conference and Festival takes place from 7–16 March 2014.
http://sxsw.com
PREDESTINATION
Genre Sci-fi Mystery
Producers Paddy McDonald, Tim McGahan
Writers Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig (based on a short story by Robert A Heinlein)
Directors Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
International Sales Arclight Films International
Australian Distributor Pinnacle Films
Cast Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor
Synopsis A temporal agent on his final assignment must recruit his younger self, while pursuing the one criminal who has eluded him throughout time.
THE MULE
Genre Crime/Black Comedy
Producers Angus Sampson, Jane Liscombe
Exec Producers Michele Bennett, Leigh Whannell, David Griffiths, Angus Coupland, Troy Lum, Bryce Menzies
Writers Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Jamie Browne
Directors Angus Sampson, Tony Mahony
International Sales eOne Films International
Australian Distributor Hopscotch/eOne
Cast Hugo Weaving, Angus Sampson, John Noble, Leigh Whannell
Synopsis In 1983, a naive man is detained by Australian Federal Police with lethal narcotics hidden in his stomach. Caught, ‘The Mule’ makes a desperate choice… to defy his bodily functions and withhold the evidence… literally.
THE INFINITE MAN
Genre Comedy/Sci-fi
Producers Kate Croser, Sandy Cameron
Exec Producer Jonathan Page, Cameron Rogers
Writer/Director Hugh Sullivan
International Sales Shoreline Entertainment
Australian Distributor Infinite Releasing
Cast Josh McConville, Hannah Marshall, Alex Dimitriades
Synopsis The Infinite Man is a time-travel comedy/romance about Dean (Josh McConville), a man whose attempts to construct the perfect romantic weekend backfire when he traps his lover, Lana (Hannah Marshall), in an infinite loop.
UKRAINE IS NOT A BROTHEL
Genre Feature Documentary
Producers Kitty Green, Jonathan auf der Heide, Michael Latham
Director Kitty Green
International Sales Cinephil
Synopsis Ukraine’s topless feminist sensation, Femen, have stirred up a press frenzy across Europe. Outraged by the world's image of Ukrainian women as either brides for sale or commodities of sex tourism, Femen bare their breasts in protest in order to disrupt this perception and agitate these patriarchal forces. Now, for the first time, Ukraine Is Not a Brothel offers an intimate glimpse inside the world's most provocative feminist organisation. A movement that began in the snow-filled streets of a corrupt, post-Soviet Ukraine, Femen’s naked war against patriarchy is gaining momentum across Europe. But before they take the world by storm, these bold and beautiful women must first confront the perverse and contradictory forces that power their own 'titillating' feminist organisation.