Cultures combine in a burst of creativity during Adelaide’s 2010 OzAsia Festival, an annual celebration of Australia’s rich Asian heritage. Beginning on September 17th and ending a fortnight later on October 2nd, this year’s OzAsia program offers a dizzying array of exciting, exotic and educational experiences from Asian artists in the fields of theatre, dance, music, food and, of course, film!
Tucked away in downtown Adelaide, the elegant Mercury Cinema will play host to all twenty films shown as a part of the festival, seven of which will be making their South Australian debut. In addition to a strong showing of Australian films reflecting on Asian culture, program curator Matthew Kesting has amassed an impressive selection of international cinema from as far away as Iran to as near as Indonesia.
The festival uncorked last Wednesday with an advance screening Dev Benegal’s Road, Movie (pictured above), a feel-good fable from India that follows an insensitive city slicker named Vishnu (Abhay Deol) as he attempts to escape his father’s failing hair oil business by delivering a beat-up old truck – which spectacularly doubles as a mobile cinema — across the desert. He runs into trouble, of course, when the truck repeatedly breaks down and his water supply runs dry, chancing upon a spirited young runaway boy, a gregarious mechanic and an alluring gypsy who help him complete his physical and somewhat spiritual journey.
The frankness of the title is warranted; Road, Movie deviates little from the formula it is named after, losing much of its early whimsy to stagnant plotting and an overload of contrivances. Still, I can see why it was chosen for opening night; it’s a light and inoffensive diversion that does well to ease audiences into some of the more targeted and challenging films on the agenda. At its prime, the film also pays tribute to the magic of cinema, which is a welcome tenor heading into any film festival. If you missed the opening, Road, Movie is set to screen once more on Saturday, September 25th.
If a tepid trip across the Indian desert does little to whet your appetite, fear not, as the festival has been programmed to cater for all cinematic tastebuds. On the menu you’ll find intimate documentaries (Agrarian Utopia, My Asian Heart), soulful dramas (The Rainbow Troops, Autumn Moon), war epics (City of Life and Death), a harrowing Korean horror (Epitaph) and an upbeat coming-of-age comedy (Like a Virgin). This year’s program also features a retrospective of the acclaimed film’s by Macau-born, Australia-based director Clara Law, who is often regarded as one of the masters of Hong Kong cinema. Law will be in Adelaide for the duration of her retrospective (direct from screening her short film Red Earth at the Venice Film Festival) and will treat audiences with a number of Q & A sessions following screenings of Autumn Moon (16 September), Temptation of a Monk (18 September), Floating Life (19 September) and Like a Dream (20 September).
So instead of going to see another mindless Hollywood blockbuster in the coming weeks, head over to the Mercury for what will likely be your one and only chance to see this eclectic collection of rare and acclaimed films on the big screen.
For a complete overview of the OzAsia festival’s film program, including detailed synopses and show times, head over to the Mercury Cinema’s website or the official OzAsia website. Tickets to all screenings are $12 for adults and $10 for concessions and can be booked by phoning (08) 8410 1943.
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