Whatever genre of music is on your playlist, we have it covered. From an iconic record producer (Quincy Jones), to the original rock goddess (Joan Jett) to haunting operatic voices, we’re bringing it all to the big screen at Adelaide Film Festival. These stories are sure to resonate with the beat of music maestros: uncompromising, relentless, rousing, delicate.
The Eulogy
Geoffrey Tozer was one of Australia’s most brilliant, prolific and least understood pianists. From child prodigy to youngest-ever semi-finalist at the famous Leeds Piano Competition, he dazzled audiences around the world. As an adult Geoffrey Tozer continued to perform in Australia and internationally but for a career that promised and delivered so much, Tozer’s end was shocking. At his memorial service in 2009, Paul Keating delivered a searing eulogy, a gauntlet flung into the face of Australia’s media, politicians and arts institutions for their brutal indifference. Intrigued by Keating’s controversial eulogy, conductor and music educator Richard Gill goes on a journey to discover the truth of Tozer’s tumultuous life. The epic tale and musical legacy of one of the greatest pianists Australia never really knew is finally revealed—and it should start a long overdue conversation of how much we value the work of the artists among us.
Screenings:
Sunday 14 October, 11:30am, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
Sunday 21 October, 11am, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
Maria by Callas
Forty years after her death the great opera singer Maria Callas tells her own story. French documentary maker Tom Volf spent four years searching for previously unknown footage, unseen photographs, private recordings, personal home movies and candid letters composed by the legendary diva. Guided by Callas’ epistles (read aloud by French acting royalty Fanny Ardant) Maria is a stunning portrait of a woman whose magnificent voice was matched by her tempestuous marriage to Aristotle Onassis and scandal-plagued personal life. As Maria’s story unfolds we catch rare glimpses of her in the company of major 20th century figures including Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Alain Delon, Yves Saint-Laurent, Winston Churchill, J.F.K., Luchino Visconti and Elizabeth Taylor. Brava, Maria, brava.
Screenings:
Wednesday 17 October, 9pm, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
Sunday 21 October, 4:10pm, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
Bad Reputation
When 13-year-old Joan Jett first plugged in her electric guitar she was told ‘girls don’t play rock’n’roll.’ Yeah, right. Five years later Joan Jett and her band The Runaways recorded the smash hit Cherry Bomb. After The Runaways demise Joan and creative partner Kenny Laguna launched Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, only to be rejected by 23 record labels. Their response? A string of hits including the worldwide smash I Love Rock’n’Roll. Joan Jett’s career as one of the great women of rock continues to this day. Kevin Kerslake’s fabulous documentary tells the story of the girl from Wynnewood, Pennsylvania who wanted to make noise and would let nothing stop her. Jett and a to-die-for gallery of guests including Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Pete Townshend and Kristen Stewart (who played Jett in the 2010 feature The Runaways) reveal Jett’s status as a rock icon, feminist heroine and passionate supporter of causes beyond the music world. Raucous, intimate and packed with fantastic archival footage, Bad Reputation is a hugely entertaining profile of a music pioneer whose uncompromising spirit and kick-ass attitude remain undiminished. ‘Put another dime in the jukebox, baby.’ Oh yeah.
Screenings:
Sunday 21 October, 6pm, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
Quincy
Quincy is an intimate look into the life of icon Quincy Jones. A unique force of nature in music and popular culture for 70 years, Jones has transcended musical and racial boundaries; his story is inextricably woven into the fabric of Black America. Beyond his own acclaim as a trumpeter, producer, conductor, composer and arranger, Jones’s inimitable gift to discover the biggest talents of the past half of the century is unprecedented. He has mentored and cultivated the careers of young talents, from Lesley Gore and Michael Jackson to Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith. With his boundless energy, Jones has also awakened many generations to the significance of humanitarian issues. Quincy captures the kind of life that can only belong to a man with a big heart and an even bigger will to live forever. Directed by Rashida Jones (Angie Tribeca and Hot Girls Wanted) and Alan Hicks (Keep On Keepin’ On), Quincy, a Netflix original documentary, seamlessly threads personal vérité moments with private archival footage to reveal a legendary life like no other.
Screenings:
Friday 12 October, 8:15pm, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
Thursday 18 October, 3:30pm, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
I Used to be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story
One Direction, Backstreet Boys, Take That… and the granddaddy of all boy bands, The Beatles: all have inspired fierce devotion on the part of surging armies of young women. Scenes of screaming, hysterical fans are much loved by our media, but hey, let’s stop putting the girls down! Melbourne documentarist Jessica Leski interviews three generations of fans who speak candidly about the vital role boy band obsession has played in addressing important issues in their lives. Spanning continents and cultural backgrounds, Leski’s film is full of surprises (there is even an explanation of Boyband Theory, and Take That fan Dara reflects memorably on her obsession with Gary Barlow). If you’ve ever secretly or openly loved a Boyband, or just want to know what all the fuss is about, don’t miss this thoughtful, touching, funny and joyous celebration of the positive power of fandom.
Screenings:
Friday 12 October, 5pm, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
Friday 19 October, 7pm, GU Film House Adelaide. Tickets.
Special performance by Electric Fields
Made in SA returns to showcase the best of South Australia’s diverse and talented filmmaking community. The Gala Screening will be followed with an afterparty – with a very special performance by Electric Fields – at Queen’s Theatre presented by Flinders University!