Panels, Conversations And Forums #YOUMUSTSEE In October

This year’s Adelaide Film Festival program spans a dizzying range of topics, and there’s no better way to get inside of the film industry after a screening than to hear from the filmmakers themselves, or experts who have insights to share on what the film explores.

These special screenings, panels, conversations and forums will take your festival experience to the next level.

The Cinematic World of Arab Women: Past And Present

From the early days of cinema to the flourishing film industries of today, Arab women have shaped Arab screen culture as directors, writers, actors and producers, figuring luminously as subjects and objects of our collective gaze.

The 2018 Adelaide Film Festival, in collaboration with Arab Film Festival Australia, is proud to present a panel discussion exploring the past and contemporary cinematic world of Arab women. Join 17 director Widad Shafakoj alongside Arab Film Festival Australia Committee members Dr. Mehal Krayem and Dr. Paula Abood for this special event.

Arab Film Focus at Adelaide Film Festival 2018 has received grant funding from the Council for Australian-Arab Relations of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Writing for the New Reality

With screen entertainment becoming more and more immersive, writers are needing to cater for new modes of interactivity and audience engagement. At the same time technologists working in industries as far ranging as museums, education, health, defence and manufacturing are turning to forms of immersive entertainment to communicate and deliver their message. The collision of these two forces is providing fertile ground for new and imaginative approaches, and for new relationships. This unique Writing for the New Reality showcase and panel discussion will be followed by speed networking & drinks. Hear from a select group of interactive, game and virtual reality writers on the challenges and opportunities afforded by these new realities. Introduce yourself and mingle with a new cohort of creative and inventive industry leaders. Don’t miss out!

Spectra: In Conversation: Bodies in Space

Join artists Sue Austin and Sarah Jane Pell in conversation with Natasha Mitchell (ABC RN). Presented by the Australian Network for Art & Technology.

Bettison Oration: A Lifetime Not Still

The Jim Bettison and Helen James Award recognises individual Australians who have contributed exemplary and inspiring lifelong work of high achievement in their area of expertise, with benefit to the wider community. The 2017 recipient, Robert McFarlane, a leading Australian social documentary and arts photographer, has been capturing defining moments of Australian life for more than half a century. The Bettison James Award has afforded Robert the opportunity to collate an invaluable archive of his collection to ensure Australians can benefit from his work well into the future. Experience the stories behind these iconic images with Robert and explore his lifetime achievements working across the world as a photographer and critic. Join us for this extraordinary visual tour of Robert McFarlane’s private collection.

Starstruck: In Conversation With Scott Hicks

Scott Hicks in conversation with Starstruck co-curators Penelope Grist & Jennifer Coombes.

Saturday 13 October, 12pm, Samstag Museum. Free entry.

Davi

Meet the filmmakers

With the unique ability to produce their own water, The Numi are the Dry Land’s most valuable assets and for decades have been enslaved by people's desperate need for their water. When her father is murdered trying to save her from hunters, Numi girl Davi and her younger sister Ya-Way, are kidnapped and forced to give up their water on a daily basis. Knowing that she will eventually be sold to the highest bidder and separated from her sister forever, Davi comes up with a plan to outsmart her captors but it does not come without severe consequence on both her mind and her morality. In a dire world, where mankind’s oppression of those it outnumbers is as prevalent as ever, Davi takes you on the dark adventure of a grieving sister trying to bear the weight of protecting the last family member she has left.

Tickets

A Stone’s Throw

After a truck driver is killed by a rock thrown from an overpass, teenage schoolgirl Hannah runs from the scene and is hit by a car. Now her parents Jo, fretful and protective, and Isaac, distant and logical, wait outside her hospital room for the police. Jo wants them to create an alibi to save Hannah from prison, because whatever Hannah has done, it is their fault as parents. Isaac feels they must let justice take its course, even if it means Hannah pays for their failures. With police drawing closer, their debate forces them to expose deep emotional wounds. What they’ve uncovered cuts to the heart of an even more important crisis within their family.

Running 62

Can he inspire, drive change in his community or raise enough money? Zibeon Fielding, Aboriginal TSI man and long distance runner is preparing to run a crazy 62 kilometres. Driven by passion to help those he loves, Zibeon will run further than he ever has before in the heart of Australian desert. He is determined to run from Iwantja to Mimili raising funds to create dialysis in the APY lands allowing this health access in the remote APY Lands. We follow him on his journey of training and experience with him the mental and physical preparation required whilst living in one of Australia’s remotest and smallest communities. Training early mornings with the help of the camp dogs, his two year old daughter and his wife and going to Boston Marathon as part of his training plan, Zibeon is a unique and driven man with a positive outlook on life. He wants to bring awareness that making healthy change can give you a healthier, happier lifestyle to live longer and enjoy life.

Lucy and D.i.C.

A simple urban story about a girl and her robot, a floating support drone that talks. Think a strange mix of the movie Ted and the TV show Wilfred. An irreverent adult comedy that looks at our reliance on technology, but what happens when technology is as ill-informed as we are.

The Nightingale

Filmmakers in attendance

Set in 1825, Clare, a young Irish convict woman, chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy, who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.

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.