The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) has revealed its first films for 2023, featuring a diverse lineup of Australian and world premieres, special previews and international award-winning features.
Amongst the first drop is Housekeeping for Beginners, which follows the journey of a lesbian woman in Macedonia raising her late partner’s two daughters. The film is described by AFF CEO and Creative Director Mat Kesting as “a blackly comic drama that’s something like a cross between the films of Almodovar and David O’Russell.”
“I can’t wait to share this film with Adelaide audiences. Extraordinary, rich and nourishing cinema, Stolevski’s Housekeeping for Beginners is essential festival viewing,” Mat said.
The film received Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) funding and was produced by Kristina Ceyton and Sam Jennings with Marija Dimitrova, Klaudia Śmieja-Rostworowska, Ankica Jurić Tilić, Beata Rzeźniczek, Milan Stojanovic and Blerta Basholli.
Second in the line-up is AFFIF film Speedway, a true crime documentary about the unsolved ‘Burger Chef’ murders in Indiana in 1978. The film, a result of the collaborative efforts of Luke Rynderman and Adam Kamien, will be presented at the festival’s opening weekend gala.
Speedway was produced in South Australia by Bonnie McBride, Anna Vincent, Louise Nathanson and Lisa Scott, developed and produced by Ringleader Films with Hianlo in association with Highview Productions.
Next is Anatomy of a Fall, a psychological thriller set in the French Alps by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, where a woman is brought to trial after the mysterious death of her husband.
Monster by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-Eda, will also be screened, co-presented in partnership with the Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival.
Internationally-acclaimed thriller You’ll Never Find Me by Adelaide filmmakers Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen will make its local premiere, starring Brendan Rock and Jordan Cowan.
Next in line is Rewards for the Tribe, a playful documentary following the collaboration between a group of abled and disabled contemporary dancers from dance companies Restless Dance Theatre and Chunky Move, by Rhys Graham, Molly O’Connor and Philippa Campey.
Galang will make its Australian premiere, directed by Adriyanto Dewo, written by Tumpal Christian Prata and produced by Syaiful Wathan and Amanda Iswan, tells the struggles of a generation typically under-represented in cinema.
First Nation’s filmmakers and stories will also be represented, including the world premiere of AFFIF film Her Name Is Nanny Nellie by Daniel King, Ben Pederick, Andrew Arbuthnot and Beck Cole. A trio of nameless statues are made to record a ‘dying race’ buried in the archives of the Australian Museum which triggers a great granddaughter’s quest to honour her ancestors and reclaim their life stories.
And last but certainly not least, AFFIF film Isla’s Way by South Australia’s Marion Pilowsky and Georgia Humphries- a tribute to 88-year-old cowboy, rebel, survivor and grandmother, Isla Roberts.
“The Adelaide Film Festival invites audiences back to cinemas to ‘See in the Dark’ and embrace the richness of cinema. This amazing line-up of first films illustrates how films can illuminate our world and deepen our understanding of our own and other cultures. And there’s lots of fun to be had in the line-up too,” Mat says.
Visit the Adelaide Film Festival website here for further details.
WHAT: Adelaide Film Festival. WHEN: October 18th to 19th.
