More than 80 films fill out the 2016 Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, which launched today in Queensland. From award-winning European films through to 8-hour Filipino pictures and a massive Japanese retrospective, it’s going to be a big year for BAPFF. Screening from 23 November to 4 December, BAPFF’s third year will be its best yet, featuring 31 Australian premieres and 33 Queensland premieres. Check out the full program over at brisbaneasiapacificfilmfestival.com
The Opening Night film will be Leena Yadav’s PARCHED, nominated for Best Screenplay at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The Australian premiere of Halkawt Mutafa’s EL CLÁSICO will close the festival 11 days later.
Highlights include Asgar Fahardi’s THE SALESMAN, which took Best Screenplay and Actor at the Cannes Film Festival this year; Jim Jarmusch’s PATERSON, Olivier Assayas’ divisive PERSONAL SHOPPER, Kenneth Lonergan’s high-profile MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, and Maren Ade’s TONI ERDMANN and a gala screening of food porn documentary ANTS ON A SHRIMP: NOMA IN TOKYO.
Australian premieres include Disney’s QUEEN OF KATWE, Katsuya Tomita’s BANGKOK NITES, and the short (for Lav Diaz) 4-hour THE WOMAN WHO LEFT. Lav Diaz’s 8-hour (yes, 8 hours!) A LULLABY TO THE SORROWFUL MYSTERY, which had its Australian premiere at MIFF this year, will also screen at the festival, so clear a day for that one. Other Australian premieres includeHong Sang-soo’s YOURSELF AND YOURS, Iran’s BREATH, Nagraj Manjule’s THE WILD, Wang Xuebo’s KNIFE IN THE CLEAR WATER, Midi Z’s CITY OF JADE, Japan’s RAISE YOUR ARMS AND TWIST — DOCUMENTARY OF NMB48, and Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu’s 21 NIGHTS WITH PATTIE.
For fans of Japanese film, this year is a special treat. In addition to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s magnificent AFTER THE STORM and Tetsuya Mariko’s wonderfully named DESTRUCTION BABIES, the Festival is running the program Transcending the Inevitable: Japanese Screen Legends and Their Works with Masters, featuring a retrospective of Japanese actors and their works with masters, including Setsuko Hara’s (1920 – 2015) elegant collaborations with Yasujiro Ozu; Hideko Takamine (1924 -2010) in her most emotionally complex with Mikio Naruse; or Kinuyo Tanaka (1909 – 1977) in her sexually subversive roles with Kenji Mizoguchi.
We’ll bring you our favourite picks later this week. For now, go forth and buy those tickets!
