Curious presents its Cannes-winning short and three features at the Melbourne 2011 International Film Festival from 21st July to 7th August
Radical Black Power activists, an 85 year-old sushi master, a cult Japanese love story, a 10 year-old gangster, and an unemployed children’s TV mascot are all coming to Melbourne International Film Festival 2011 thanks to Curious.
Curious is presenting four films at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF): Black Power Mix Tapes, Norwegian Wood, Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Toomelah.
This Sunday 24th July (11am), Curious presents ‘Norwegian Wood’, an adaptation of Murakami Haruki’s popular novel, directed by Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung. Set in the late ’60s in Tokyo, Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama) falls in love with fragile Naoko (Rinko Kikuchi) and becomes entwined in an emotionally involving love triangle. It screens again on Tuesday 26th July (6:30pm).
“The film’s lyricism is unshakeable… One moment we are watching these characters, the next – without quite noticing – we are inside them, walking about in their emotional landscapes.” – Financial Times
On Saturday 30th July (11am) and Sunday 7th August (6:30pm), Curious presents ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’, a documentary depicting the life of 85 year-old Jiro Ono, legendary sushi master and owner of the world-famous tiny sushi bar in Tokyo’s Ginza subway station.
“David Gelb’s documentary on the world’s greatest sushi chef utilizes a spare, elegant style that perfectly complements its subject’s monastic devotion to purity – and like the master himself, turns something simple into a work of art.” — Time Out
On Tuesday 26th July (9pm), Curious presents ‘The Black Power Mix Tapes 1967-75’, a treasure trove of archived film reels rescued from the vaults of Swedish television, which illuminates the heyday of the US’s Black Power movement and the political hysteria that surrounded it.
‘The Black Power Mix Tapes 1967-75’ is a musically driven nine-year journey through a period of major social upheaval in the US. The archival footage – captured by Swedish journalists in the US – depicts the front lines of this radical militant activism.
On Saturday 30th July(4pm) and Sunday 31st July (1:30pm), Curious presents Toomelah , a story set in one of Australia’s most impoverished Aboriginal communities. Ten-year-old Daniel is all but abandoned by an uncaring mother and alcoholic father, when he falls in with a local drug dealer’s crew.
In addition to having four films selected at MIFF, Curious is also presenting ‘Blue’, a short film directed by Curious director Stephen Kang, which won the Critics Week Canal Plus Grand Prix at the Cannes International Film Festival in May 2011.
“It’s been just over a year since Curious began acquiring the distribution rights to independent films, so we’re really pleased to have such a strong presence at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival,” says Matt Noonan, executive producer at Curious. “We’ve already lined up two Australasian features ERRORS OF THE HUMAN BODY and VENICE for 2012, and Kevin Smith’s RED STATE to see out this year, so we’re excited about what lies ahead.”
MIFF runs from 21st July – 7th August.Click here for full program details and to purchase tickets.