Hello film-lovers! Do you live in South-East Queensland? Do you love cinema enough to pay attention to the fact that the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival (BAPFF) is coming up next week? Everyone in Los Angeles knows when it’s time for the Academy Awards – the whole world knows! Yes, this is something similar, but here in Brisbane the public has a chance to see the nominated films, via the associated film festival.

BAPFF opens on 23rd November, 2016, screening an inspiring and colorful film from India – “Parched”. This film which I will be seeing for the first time at Opening Night, seems to highlight the situation of women in India, in an inspiring way. It’s about some not so ordinary women who ‘buck the system’ and so that means it’s made by women who have done the same. It has received accolades in Toronto, Canada, one of the world’s leading film festivals. It is an high note on which to begin the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival (BAPFF).

For those who don’t know, APSA can be seen as the “Oscars of Asia-Pacific”. During the last ten years, it’s been mainly dominated by Asian films. The “Pacific” part of the name, means Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. There are less films from the latter area, although there have been some very good ones.

From the previous winning films and nominated films over the last nine years, an Asia Pacific Screen Academy has formed (similar to the Academy in Hollywood, which runs the Academy Awards). Our APSA Academy is also a list of spectacular talent. In fact APSA has been where some now world famous film-makers got their first high level international recognition.

The story of Asghar Farhadi of Iran is the most obvious one. He first came to APSA with his film “About Elly” in 2009, won the Grand Jury Prize and Best Screenplay award, and took home the APSA/MPAA funding award for his new screenplay, “A Separation”. This enabled him to make the film. The scenario repeated itself, when he returned with the finished film in November 2011, and it went on to win Best Feature Film at APSA, then continued to scoop up every major world award , finalizing Farhadi’s amazing year with an Academy Award, for Best Foreign Language Film (2012) – the first one ever for Iran. In total, “A Separation” lists 77 wins and 42 nominations around the world, and we saw it first, here at APSA. This could happen again this year for someone and their film – why not? I’m wondering if it might be “Muhammad – The Messenger of God” – a film with superb talent at its helm and behind its lens, and on an epic scale.

APSA opens doors for comparatively unknown Asia-Pacific film-makers to emerge into the international world of cinema.

This is the tenth year of APSA, and we must thank the city of Brisbane, who rescued APSA back in 2012, when the Queensland Government changed from Anna Bligh’s administration, over to the years I personally prefer to forget, under Campbell Newman. He looked around for things to cut, and a lot of things to do with art and culture were on his radar, so APSA was in serious jeopardy. But the long-sighted people in the Brisbane City Council had more vision! They committed themselves to maintain and support APSA.

Brisbane can be seen as firmly linked into the “Asia-Pacific” in identity, because of its location, so tropical, so “Pacific “— and also because it already had a high-profile event in the region – the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, based at our very own Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). I still haven’t understood why Newman’s government didn’t understand this.

This year’s Brisbane Asia-Pacific Film Festival contains most of the films that are nominated in this world-class screen-awards event, The tenth Asia Pacific Screen Awards. It also contains a retrospective of the most exquisite Japanese films from an era of classic film-making in Japan. The black and white, 4:3 screen-ratio art films – which can make your heart and soul sing for the sheer beauty within them. This is Head Programmer, Kiki Fung’s special gift to us this year.

There is also a new “category” – which comes from hearing the comments from the fans of the previous Brisbane International Film Festival. Many people missed the opportunity to see the international masterpieces of the last year – winners from Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto.
So those of you who are waiting for “Toni Erdmann” (Maren Ade) and “Personal Shopper” (Olivier Assayas) , “Paterson” (Jim Jarmusch), “No Home Movie” (the late Chantal Akerman), “The Unknown Girl” (the Dardenne Brothers), and more – here is your opportunity. Book now, as these films have only one screening.
AND, dont forget, there is also a Gala screening of the newest and much anticipated new film by the above-mentioned Asghar Farhadi, (Iran), entitled “The Salesman”. As mentioned, Farhadi is a long-time friend of, and three time visitor to APSA. He recently served as Head of Jury. He’s now frequently mentioned by critics as a Maestro of World Cinema!

And another film of huge interest, is “Muhammad, The Messenger of God”, by Iranian director Majid Majidi. He has had a long career, and some of you may remember his film “The Color of Paradise” (1999) which was much loved in Australian Film Festivals. Also, “Children of Heaven” (1997). The newest work by Majidi, is photographed by none other than another Maestro (of cinematography),one of my life-long idols – Vittorio Storaro. The film runs for almost 3 hours and tells the story of the early life of Muhammad – yes, THE Muhammad. This film is of great interest, for those who wish to keep up with world events, as it’s made by a member of the Shia Islam group, who are considerably out-numbered by the Sunni Muslims. As far as I know it’s only the second film after a 1976 film, “The Message”, starring Anthony Quinn, (as Muhammad’s uncle) and Irene Papas, telling biographical story of Muhammad himself. That film was directed by Mustapha Akad, shot in Libya,(oh how times have changed) and ran for 177 mins) It was a co-production from Lebanon, Libya/Kuwait,Morocco, and UK. It was also nominated for an Oscar. “Muhammad, The Messenger of God” is Iran’s choice to submit to The Academy Awards for 2017.

As the film choice in mainstream cinemas becomes increasingly banal here in Australia’s multiplexes, here is your chance to see what’s really happening in the international film scene.The fact is, a lot of the best films of today are coming from the Asia-Pacific and Europe… and only occasionally from USA, but our cinemas are mostly offering us Hollywood fare, as usual. Yes, there are sometimes a few USA Indie films and some from the UK, and some semi-arthouse fare from France, which sometimes give us a lift. Otherwise, we don’t see much of great interest.

So my friends, do yourself a favour – go and see some of the films on offer at BAPFF – but also please remember to check thoroughly the trailers and information on their website and in the published (paper) program. .. looking for what suits your own personal interests. The screenings are at Palace Barracks cinemas, and at Palace Centro in Fortitude Valley.

A film festival exists to offer audiences the best of the art form. It’s a bit like going to the opera, instead of being content with listening to commercial radio all day! A film festival should bring us contemporary works, which are pushing the boundaries of the art of film-making, showing us worlds and lives that we haven’t experienced. Often there are ‘classics’ – films that are important in the development of the art of film. As you all well know, movies have many identities. They’re often just pure fun, holding no challenge, sharing no new perspectives, and making no demands, the worst of them just following a formula. Those are for a few hours of entertainment while you eat your popcorn! But even in most popular genres, there are poor, average and excellent examples.

Films are submitted to APSA from across the Asia-Pacific region, and are viewed by an international and highly qualified Nominations Council, and by process of elimination the members of that council come up with around 40 nominated films in the various categories. Amongst those nominations are usually some films from world respected directors, along with works from first time filmmakers, or at least, unknown outside their own country. Some of the works are simple and sparse, and yet compelling viewing – such as one from China,”Knife in the Clear Water” in which almost every frame is a work of art, reminding me of Vermeer and Georges de La Tour paintings. It’s up for the Cultural Diversity award, but wouldn’t be out of place if it had been nominated for Best Cinematography either.

The best aspect of APSA is that we get to see the cultures of places that some people probably cannot find on a map, where we didn’t even realize there might be a film industry. What a treat it is.

AND, don’t forget the documentaries. This is the era of amazing documentaries! They are no longer dry and boring and full of talking-heads. Some of them are unforgettable, and there’s one this year in that category , entitled “Under the Sun” which tells the story of how life is in North Korea, by following a little girl’s entry into school. This documentary has been so cleverly made and edited, and it is heart-wrenching. The film-makers have achieved a miracle in spite of being watched and often controlled every minute by government representatives. We know so little of what’s going on in that country, so don’t miss this film.

I have already watched quite a number of the nominated films in APSA, which are screening in BAPFF and believe me, they will wake you up, get you thinking, and sometimes stun you into seeing cinema in a whole new way.

http://www.bapff.com.au
http://www.asiapacificscreenawards.com

Text – copyright, Cynthia Webb, November 2016