Steve McQueen's British drama Hunger took the cake, winning the inaugural award of the Sydney Film Festival last night. And by cake I mean pavlova, as the award has been dubbed due to its strange appearance (suits the Festival right for not being able to choose a name, what a wasted opportunity...).
Hunger is an intense and visually arresting drama about the violent conflict between guards and IRA prisoners in 1981, which led to the death of Booby Sands of a hunger striker. Word is that the emaciated Michael Fassbender (who was great in Ozon's Angel) gives a harrowing, jaw-dropping performance.
The film had its international premiere on June 7th as one of 12 international competition entries, hot off winning the Camera d'Or in Cannes. Unlike other galas, it was awarded a late 9:15pm slot (possibly to make room for a last minute addition to the gala roster, Kung Fu Panda), resulting in a frustrating ticketing conflict for me. This means that Hunger is the only film in the competition I actually haven't been able to see and thus can't comment on.
Presumably, though, it is fitting that a Turner Prize-winning visual artist win an award meant to recompense 'new directions in film' and 'audacious, cutting-edge and courageous filmmaking'. In fact, a few of the films in the Official Competition, such as The Square, In Bruges, Stop-Loss or Quiet Chaos fell somewhat short of that description. According to Armstrong, "Hunger was selected for its controlled clarity of vision, its extraordinary detail and bravery, the dedication of its cast and the power and resonance of its humanity."
"The jury would like to make special mention of two films", said jury president Gillian Armstrong. "We commend Carlos Reygadas' Silent Light for its highly poetic and creative use of sound and image and the honest treatment of its universal story of love and pain. The second film we commend is Matthew Newton's Three Blind Mice for its energy, passion, superb ensemble cast and as such a fine collaboration by a talented group of young filmmakers.
Hear hear! Had I been on the jury, I would have fought for special mentions for these two films which really impressed me last week. As for the $60,000, I would probably have given them to Guy Maddin for My Winnipeg, which I enjoyed even more the second time around. His film belongs to a genre invented by Maddin himself, how's that for "new directions in film"?
Kiyoshi Kurosawa would also have been a deserving winner: his Tokyo Sonata is probably my favourite film in the festival.
The inaugural Jury included four other members: Australian actress Essie Davis, film writer and critic Scott Foundas, Iranian director/writer/producer Majid Majidi and Hong Kong producer Nansun Shi. Their decision was unanimous.
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6 comments:
Just thought I'd say I'm a longtime reader and have been reading and enjoying your fest coverage over the last few years. Good work.
I'm nearing the end of my 22-film schedule, though Tokyo Sonata, Hunger and Of Time and the City have stood above the rest.
Have you seen the new Hong Sang-Soo? I saw it today and think I liked it, but haven't formed a solid opinion yet.
I've written a few capsule reviews here:
http://match-cut.org/showthread.php?t=873
Hey Ian,
Thanks for introducing yourself! Readers are so shy about leaving comments I don't understand it.
Thanks for your kind words about the blog... I checked out your link (are you boner m?).
I saw the Hong Sang-Soo yesterday as well and I left the cinema slightly perplexed. The same thing happened when I saw Ackerman films for the first time as a teenager (the program guide draws a parallel with her films).
Though I was never bored, my gut feeling was negative. But in the middle of such a hectic schedule it's difficult to ponder properly... Must talk it out with others who've seen it.
How about coffee around Lorna's Silence / Page of Madness time?
Coffee sounds good. I'll give you an email closer to Sunday.
Hi there - another shy, longtime reader here. Matt, I'm really enjoying your festival coverage and I used a number of your recommendations to help plan my own (relatively modest) 15-film schedule.
For me, My Winnipeg, Silent Light and Alexandra have really stood out. I hadn't seen any of Guy Maddin's work before and am now v keen to raid the video store for his previous films. Something about those images (eg, the guys sleeping on the train, the 'sleepwalkers' wandering the streets) has really stayed with me.
I missed 'Three Blind Mice' - so fingers crossed it gets Australian distribution. I've been disappointed by so many Aussie feature films in the past that I often end up (unfairly) failing to seek out new stuff and give it a go. (I did manage to catch a terrific Australian doco at the festival - 'End of the Rainbow', about a gold mine in Guinea, directed by Canberra filmmaker Rob Nugent.)
Alright! Cinephiles coming out of the woodwork! Man I love film festivals...
Thanks for reading Paul. I hope you catch some of Maddin's earlier work, especially Dracula, Pages from a Virgin's Diary, Cowards Bend the Knee and Brand upon the Brain! Though I don't think these are available on DVD in Australia (yet).
As for Three Blind Mice, I'm sure a distribution deal is already in the works. The key will be to get people to overcome their reluctance to take a chance on Australian films...
I think Mice has had a first round of offers but they want to play a few more fests (Toronto) and will then sell it for higher methinks.
Still want to see Newton cut one or two of his deleted scences back in towards the pivotal ending, but maybe not.
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