the Program - Melbourne Underground Film Festival

Transcription

The 7th Melbourne
Underground Film Festival
July 6- 16, 2006
www.muff.com.au
Muff is offensive and refuses to apologise
The Spanish Club
Loop
Glitch Bar
Pop Shop Gallery
Opening Night:
Jon Hewitt's
darklovestory
International guest
Lloyd Kaufman from
Troma Entertainment, NYC
Closing Night:
Jason Turley's
Welcome Stranger
Muff jury headed
by Alex Spalck,
lead singer of Pankow
m
niwsns
e
k
To for clo
is
Director’s Statement
Richard Wolstencroft
Choking on
Tokenism
“The AFC, a wing of the Federal Government, almost solely funds a film about
the refugee crisis and the problem of detention centres: the same Government
that builds and maintains the detention centre system. Lets just say, I smell
a big fucking rat.”
“Men and Women are tired to disgust of money-economy. They
hope for salvation from somewhere or other, for some real thing of
honour and chivalry, of inward nobility, of unselfishness and duty.”
— SPENGLER
This is how it’s going to go down. We have a tighter MUFF in 06,
like a diamond bullet aimed at the heart of the Australian film
industry. We have Lloyd Kaufman from Troma, we’ve got Alex
Spalck from Pankow heading the jury, we have great new Aussie
features from Hewitt, Turley, McEvoy and Mousoulis, we have the
MUFF Academy plus a solid selection of sordid sensations and
cinematic assortments. Lock and load motherfuckers! MUFF 7 is
here. The theme in 2006 is tokenism. Let me tell you about it.
I was at the 2006 St.Kilda Film Festival (StFF) and let me preface
this by saying that I’m a fan of the festival and especially Paul
Harris who runs it and does the informative and cool Film BUFF’s on
RRR, in addition to writing for The Age. This text is not meant to
criticise StFF per se but to bring attention to an industry-wide
problem. During the opening night presentation of the films at StFF I
felt, as you might say on The Soprano’s ‘A stone in my shoe’, that
the stone was a strong whiff of Tokenism. What do I mean by
Tokenism? Tokenism can be defined as the practice of making only a
perfunctory or symbolic effort to do something about a social or
political problem. Three films stood out as Tokenistic at the St.Kilda
Film Festival in my opinion. The film about the refugee father and
son, the Aboriginal animation film and the Asian ladies gambling
film.
How are these films tokenistic? When the AFC, a wing of the
Federal Government, almost solely funds a film about the refugee
crisis and the problem of detention centres. The same Government
that builds and maintains the detention centre system. Lets just say,
I smell a big fucking rat. When we have a polite little animated
piece about Aboriginal myths and dilly bags for us all to applaud, all
the while real Aborigines are ten to a room with child abuse and
petrol sniffing rife. Again, this film is funded and presented by
Government bodies, the same government that has been fucking the
indigenous population for years. I smell a bigger fucking rat. Then
we have a funny little piece about Asian ladies having fun
Muff 777 - Tokenism is for Clowns
socialising and gambling away at The Pokies at Crown or wherever.
All the while funded by Governments that reap in bucket loads of
cash in gambling revenue; meanwhile the Asian peoples spiritual
beliefs in Numerology and luck has meant Crown and other
gambling organisations have deliberately marketed to, and
financially devastated, a large portion of the Asian community,
leading to cases of child neglect and suicides. Again, that big
fucking rat.
Didn’t anyone notice this at StFF? I guess we all get used to it. I
have seen it on the rise in Australian arts culture in the last 15
years. Real social problem: aboriginal housing and social welfare.
Solution: polite little animated film to make the arts crowd think
everything is A-OK. Don’t forget to thank the traditional landowners
of the site wherever you are! Tokenism par excellence, thank the
traditional landowners of The Astor? Why not give them their
fucking land back then? Tokenistic bullshit all. Really, dear reader,
what a bunch of crap. Real social problem: children in detention
centres (let’s un-spin this word, lets call them what they were
called 60 years ago - concentration camps). Solution: polite film
criticising government policy but fully funded by said government.
It’s kind of like the Nazis making and funding a film criticising the
excesses of say Dachua, a smart propaganda tool more cunning
than Goebbels himself. A little criticism goes a long way to create
the illusion of social change and democracy. This tokenism is
loathsome even if you don’t agree with the actual social problem(s)
under discussion or even agree that they are a problem. It is very
clever though. You don’t need to create real social change, just the
tokenistic veneer of social change through the arts. Their true
ideological function perhaps in a capitalist state? Perhaps the real
reason why funding still increases slightly for the arts under
Howard? This tokenism is so much what our world is about these
days. Tokenism is rampant and you see it everywhere, here and OS.
We at MUFF are here to tell you that tokenism is for clowns. Hence
theme, clown images, etc.
We can run further with this analysis. The Australian film industry is
itself tokenistic. Giving us some half assed film lecturers’ versions
of Australian culture and society all through the lens of the
politically correct infrastructure that stifles everything. The whole
Photo by Bec
concept of Australian content (required often to get funding) is
completely tokenistic and foolish. Any film shot in Australia with a
majority Australian cast will be Australian, whether we like it or
not. Heidegger’s conception of throwness and historicity guarantees
it for a start. One does not have to make it a programmatic mandate
to be artificially and tokenisticly worked into a script. Strewth, stone
the crows, mate... you get what I’m saying. As MUFF filmmakers
and revolutionary cinephiles we have the duty, honour and privilege
to save the Australian film industry from these committees and
boards with their content graphs and programmatic charts and
deliver what we do best: authentic cinematic art.
I thought later deeper into tokenism. What is the ultimate form of
tokenism? Money, of course. We work and strive our whole lives for
worthless token bits of plastic or paper we can exchange for things
like life’s essentials and luxury items (see Sandra Sdraulig’s
expense card at Film Victoria). Is this not the deeper sense of
tokenism that we literally trade our lives for? The coming final
collapse of capitalism (that may be a long way off yet) is the only
time we can look forward and toward an opportunity to transcend
these limitations on basic human existential debasement and the
exploitation of our facticity. Don’t look to Marxian dialectical
materialism either...it is equally caught up in the ideas of tokenism,
wages and salaries for the prole masses, we need to look beyond
all this. What we need is a new non-tokenistic basis for our society.
Something pure, strong, direct and authentic, something with a new
philosophy. I may not agree with Rene Guenon’s lucid yet
pessimistic saying on Western culture and civilization, “It is as if an
organism with its head cut off were to go on living”. It may be a
little time before we can awake a new elite to lead and guide
humanity towards a society where tokens and their slavishness are
something that appear in museums.
Signs of the end times for democracy and liberalism are all around
us. Just read outstanding political philosopher Carl Schmitt’s
Concept of the political and other works to understand the
contemporary Politics of States of Emergency, The Enemy,
Emergency and Sovereign Powers and other ideas. Whilst in Fiji
holidaying with a friend in December 05, I became impassioned
when reading about the local politics of Fiji and its people whilst
also reading some Fitzgerald (and swimming a lot!) Here was a
beautiful country run by its indigenous people, although the coups
of 87 and 00 have been portrayed in such a harsh light. Over many a
bowl of the real Kava with locals, I discussed the coup’s and rebels’
aims and people like George Speight; as they may relate to my own
theories. I was moved by the Speightean cause and found the
media’s portrayal of him and other revolutionaries in papers and
books completely biased. Of course, I do not support the machete
wielding antics aimed against defenceless Indian immigrants but a
desire to see Fiji in the political hands of the real Fijian people’s,
while treating the Indian minority with respect and tolerance
seemed a noble and authentic goal, even if some revolutionaries
crossed the line and forget these ideas to their shame. If only we
had some form or treaty or political partnership with our own
Indigenous population at the start of Australia’s colonial past
instead of a rape and genocide, I think many of today’s ills would
naught exist? Is it indeed not too late to reify some of these ideas
for such a political partnership today?...It all provided much food for
thought as did a full day trip paddling down the untouched-by-man
Upper Navua river - a place where my understanding of Heidegger’s
writings became more potent than before. Untouched Being.
Back to film scoops, this by the way, is almost the MUFF that never
was. Yes, MUFF 7 may never have existed. Ever since starting MUFF
in 2000, the looming project of my next feature has been on the
cards. I have allowed MUFF to distract me at times from my mission
of creating my third (or fourth, if you count ‘The Intruder’) feature.
But the time is now to do something new and I nearly put MUFF off
until next year to deal with the project. As usual I bit off more than I
could chew and decided to just do both. The wisdom of this
decision remains to be seen, but I have made MUFF a little smaller
and easier to deal with from my end and I can’t foresee any major
distractions or disruptions, so into the soup we go.
The appointment of Alex Spalck from Pankow as our jury head is
natural and something of a coup. I have been a big Pankow fan
since the late eighties. They were the only electro/industrial band
that didn’t either sell out, take itself too seriously or not maintain a
hardcore mix of aggression, nihilism and electronics. Anyway, I
heard a rumour from the grapevine that Alex Spalck lived in Albury/
www.muff.com.au
Director’s Statement
Choking on Tokenism
The Myster Man FM from Pankow
Wodonga a few years back. After Muff 6, I acted on the rumours
and hunted down Al pal, not in Albury/Wodonga, but not that far
away from there either. We had a couple of wonderful meals made
by him and his gal Debra with fine wine and we all got along like
houses on fire. I then asked if he’d like to head the MUFF jury and
Alex said a jubilant “yes”. Fait accompli. If you haven’t got into
Pankow yet, as good ol’ Molly would say, “Do yourself a favour”
and get their career spanning box set The Art of Gentle Revolution
and the totally brilliant last LP “Life is offensive and refuses to
apologise”. Spalck’s lyrics and FM and teams electronics are truly
the best thing of its type around at present. I played them recent
electro discovery The Knife and was fortunate enough to hear some
of the new Pankow LP from FM, Alex, Enzo and Massimo (now
being recorded partly in Northern Victoria). The signs are good that
the next LP will be equally as brilliant as the last. Just remember
... each one of us has the potential to betray the revolution! Be sure
to meet Alex on closing night and have a wine with him. And good
luck FM and the boys with getting the album out to us hungry fans.
Oh, ok...I can’t help myself any longer...I just have to tell you about
my fight with James Hewison at the St.Kilda Film Festival. This is
fucking classic, where our evil non-debater James Hewison called
your humble narrator “a cunt” and said I “....destroyed his faith in
humanity”. Pretty fancy achievement the latter one, heh? It wasn’t
Stalin or Pol Pot who destroyed James’ faith in Humanity ... it was
little ol’ me. Read on. Warning: it is pretty funny. I spotted James at
StFF and went over to say “hi” as you do. I complimented him on
the new MIFF artwork for this year’s festival, saying that I honestly
believe it is the best yet under his tenure. It’s a good dig at
Hollywood (using directors as puppets) and how MIFF plays films
that are against the grain in this sense. Which is all indeed true and
on message and much better than that stupid lawn mower from last
year and previous years efforts that are so memorable I can’t
remember them...Oh there was that one that looked like an STA ad
for travelling in Asia...but... I digress. Things got heated when I
mentioned playing a certain film MIFF had decided not to play that
we are playing at MUFF and Hewison taunted that I would
announce its rejection from MIFF from the highest rooftops, he
imagined. This I said I would not do and have no intention of doing
from any rooftop ... except perhaps mentioning it in passing
somewhere. I then tongue-in-cheek make a joke in the blackest hue
about all these Iranian films he loves to play at MIFF, making it hard
for the coalition of the willing (i.e. which includes our Fed Govt
Howard...the people who fund MIFF partly, hint, hint: tokenism ...
the point I was trying to make with said joke, that Hewison
completely missed) to go to war with Iran in the future and/or bomb
Iran if they need to. James then proceeded to call me “a cunt”. He
also proceeded to tell me that I have made him lose his faith in
humanity or some such comment to that effect and to congratulate
me on doing it, no less. He also said I’m a pretty funny guy but not
really. He then tried to stare me down and (...perhaps noticing the
black abyss at the centre of my pupils) thought better of it. He also
told me that “life is too short” and wandered off. Scouts honour,
verbatim folks. If you think I’m lying bring on the polygraph, baby.
James, as you can tell, was getting very hot under the collar. This
incident tells me two things: one, James is perhaps losing it a little
bit; ‘losing his faith in humanity’ pleeeaasse, two, we are doing our
job at MUFF properly by thoroughly annoying the current director of
MIFF. I have decided to up the ante (naturally) during MIFF and try to
challenge James to a boxing match. Yes, the dude won’t debate me
(see last years MUFF manifesto debating challenge and controversy)
because he’s a c word...coward. So, maybe he’ll box me? Attend
MIFF and stand in those long lines to get our publicity. Of course,
James can stop being a coward and just debate me in perfectly civil
surroundings and on agreed terms and all is forgiven. James and I
should get along like we used to and put an end to all this
nonsense, don’t you think? Otherwise, it’s Hewison
vs.Wolstencroft ...The First Inaugural Film Festival Bout.
I think if people in the arts community can’t get along, they should
settle it the old fashioned way ... with Violence, don’t you think? Of
course, the controlled legal violence of boxing. Think of the film and
TV industry bouts we can have in the future: Safran vs. Rove,
Leonander vs. Stratton, Spencer vs. Pommeranz, Bob Ellis vs. Take a
number...the mind boggles.
I’m going to bring this text to a close. Come to MUFF we have a
great main venue - The Spanish Club - that is just ace and close to
all things groovy in Brunswick street. I could say more inspirational
things about how we can change the local film industry but just
read Alex Spalck’s jury statement...he writes better than I do and I
found this piece very inspirational. Though MUFF is about 10
sessions shorter, it is more focussed and should be a lot of fun.
Make sure you meet Lloyd Kaufman. He is something of a
phenomenon. And make sure you see Troma discovery Giuseppi
Andrews’ two films in MUFF - they are fucking brilliant. See you all
at the festival.
Best Regards
Richard Wolstencroft
PS. Anyone giving me trouble about playing my own films in MUFF
should add themselves to my boxing roster and remember Free
Cinema (see MUFF 6). Did anyone give Lindsay Anderson trouble
about playing his own work in Free Cinema? I think not. MUFF is
more than a festival; it is a movement. I am a filmmaker and festival
director and I know no other fully functional filmmaker that runs a
festival in Australia, but tough. At MUFF things are different and my
work will be included when I deem it appropriate, so deal with it
and enjoy it.
PPS. Why MUFF 777? Hunt down Crowley’s book of the same name
and also Jungian writer Edward F. Edinger’s brilliant book Archetype
of the Apocalypse. 777 is all around us ...
Jury President Statement
Alex Spalck
Alex’s Fireside Favourites
Muff 777 Jury
Alex Spalck (Pankow) - President
Eric Pipersbreg (Boutique)
Briony Wright (Vice mag)
Rebecca Sutherland (Polyester, MUFF)
Andrew “Stumpy” Leovold
(Trash Brisbane)
Imagine. Munich 1911. Wassily Kandinsky decides to challenge
the local art dignitaries and establishes Der Blaue Reiter...
Expressionism...Georg Trakl feverishly creates a canon of poetic
masterpieces, before dying from an overdose of drugs on the
Polish front a few months into the 1st World War...Expressionism...
Munich 1919. Ernst Toller and other Anarchists try to overthrow the
Bavarian Government and create the Bavarian Soviet Republic. He’s
going to end up in jail where he will write a few groundbreaking
dramas about the inevitable and discomforting link between
revolution and failure...Expressionism...Berlin 1920. Robert Wiene
directs ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’...Berlin 1922. F.W. Murnau
directs Nosferatu...Superb non-realistic attempts to go beyond the
boundaries of public and visual morality...Expressionism...Berlin
1923. Karl Valentin wrecks havoc in German theatre by dissecting
language and extracting outrageous anarchist humor from
absurdist verbal balancing acts...Expressionism...Everything comes
down to one thing: Der Urschrei (the Primal Scream). Dionysus
defeats Apollo, emotions trample all over rationality, passion
annihilates reason, destruction wipes out creation. The aesthetics
of Revolution, the desperate urgency of using rage and instinct to
return to the original status, Chaos. And Chaos will reign...
establishment, with the state-sanctioned fake morality of our times,
I watch his movies, I read between his ranting lines...And I can’t
help thinking of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the founder of Futurism.
In his Manifesto (1909) he writes:
Imagine. Firenze (Florence) 1981. A 20 year old physically
retarded and mentally deranged specimen, with wild eyes and
soiled fantasies, joins a local electronic band, Pankow. That would
be me, Alex Spalck, FM (the real genius behind the legend) and a
few other arrogant pricks. The band already has a cult-following,
but we want more, we want to rip out the heart of orthodoxy and
bang it against the wall until it produces the one sound that we are
looking for...Expressionism...Every concert, every piece of music,
every fragment of noise is just part of our endless anabasis towards
the ultimate form of expression...Urschrei...We play everywhere,
and every night we consciously and subconsciously try to die...
We release albums, videos, statements... We work with H.R Giger,
Gottfried Helnwein, Adrian Sherwood, Rico Conning etc..., We
write music for theatre, ballet, short movies...We use metal bars,
bones, blood, gigantic theatrical scenographies, giant spiders,
ballet dancers...we write tales of amorality about mental illness,
anarchy, violence, destruction, confusion, absolute freedom, failure,
suicide, we dedicate a song to the German terrorist Ulrike Meinhof
(it’s my favourite)...we’re being accused of pornography, violence,
blasphemy, corruption of youth, fascism, communism...we’re being
shot at in Houston, Texas, we’re being assaulted in Miami, Florida,
we’re being chased by Neo-Nazis in Halle, Germany...and then, one
day, we burn out very painfully, and simply self-destruct. We have
failed, yet again...
Imagine. Wangaratta/Melbourne (Vic) 2005. One day I get an
e-mail from Richard Wolstencroft. He knows Pankow, he wants
to meet me and talk about a possible co-operation. We meet,
he tells me all about MUFF, about his perennial battle with the
“...We have been up all night, my friends and I, beneath mosque
lamps whose brass cupolas are bright as our souls, because like
them they were illuminated by the internal glow of electric hearts.
And trampling underfoot our native sloth on opulent Persian
carpets, we have been discussing right up to the limits of logic and
scrawling the paper with demented writing...
...Our hearts were filled with an immense pride at feeling ourselves
standing quite alone, like lighthouses or like the sentinels in an
outpost, facing the army of enemy stars encamped in their celestial
bivouacs. Alone with the engineers in the infernal stoke holes of
great ships, alone with the black spirits which rage in the belly of
rogue locomotives, alone with the drunkards beating their wings
against the walls...”
And then he goes on and makes a list of the 10 Futurist
Commandments, and the first 2 are:
1. We want to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy
and rashness.
2. The essential elements of our poetry will be courage,
audacity and revolt...
And so here I am, happily failed & retired former ElectronicWannabe-Revolutionary, living in Country Victoria with my
wonderful Debra and sipping wine, oblivious of the past and
indifferent about the future, and suddenly ‘Courage, Audacity and
Revolt’ break into my quiet quasi-rural world and I just have to
let them in. Someone is still raging, someone is still screaming,
bleeding and cursing and I just love being part of the action. Richard
and his gang of seditious knife-throwers are still celebrating the
power of resistance, the joy of sabotage, the vibrancy of morbidity
and disturbance. MUFF was established as a bastion of absolute
uncompromising artistic independence and nothing has changed.
Hollywood crap is banned, mainstream propaganda is powerless,
MUFF thrives on controversy and counter-propaganda and no
external force can subdue its natural incoherence, MUFF would
rather explode in millions of tiny digital pieces...
MUFF is the arena where we’re going to play our own little
games, and the rules are...We’ll make them up as we go, and
then we’ll turn them upside down... Play it hard, play it wild,
imagine it’s the last movie, the last form of expression you’re ever
going to experience in your lifetime. Don’t leave anything unsaid,
unseen, exhaust all your resources and then burn out quickly, as
you should... And to use one last quote from Marinetti’s Futurist
Manifesto, let me say that‘’...Standing on the world’s summit we
launch once again our insolent challenge to the stars!...”
www.muff.com.au
A - Z Film Index
3:18 Page 18 Mini Muff | Thursday 13 July 7pm Loop
Addiction to Conviction Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
Albino Santa Cop Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Another Shot Page 18 Mini Muff | Thursday 13 July 7pm Loop
Blonde Fire Page 31 Sexy Retro Muff | Wednesday 12 July 9pm Pop Shop
Blue Notes Page 12 Muff Neu | Saturday 8 July 7pm Spanish Club
Bluebirds Page 21 Beyond the Ol’ etc | Friday 7 July 7pm Spanish Club
Bouncing Betty Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Business as Usual Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
Bzzzzzzz Page 19 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 5pm Pop Shop
Caffeine Page 12 Muff Neu | Saturday 8 July 9pm Glitch
Call Me Page 12 Muff Neu | Friday 7 July 7pm Spanish Club
Cheeky Page 31 Sexy Retro Muff | Sunday 9 July 9pm Pop Shop
Crime Time Page 28 Australian Cult Cinema | Sunday 9 July 9pm Glitch
Cry Uncle! Page 24 Troma | Sunday 9 July 7pm Glitch
Damon and Hunter: Page 13 Muff Neu | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Glitch
Dark Decisions Page 18 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 5pm Pop Shop
Darklovestory Page 10 Opening Night | Thurday 6 July 7pm Spanish Club
Dead End Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Loop
Dear John Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Loop
Dickless Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 9pm Loop
Dig Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
Dimension X Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Domestic Page 19 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 5pm Pop Shop
Donald Cammall: Page 20 Mind M | Sunday 9 July 9pm Spanish Club
Dudes of Doom Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
Dumbland Page 29 Great Directors | Sunday 9 July 9pm Spanish Club
Dusk Page 15 Muff Neu | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Glitch
Errorism: A Comedy Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Eve Page 19 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 5pm Pop Shop
Flynn Page 28 Australian Cult Cinema | Saturday 8 July 7pm Glitch
From Bollyweird with Love | Saturday 8 July 11pm Glitch
Fuck Frankie Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
Gamers Page 13 Muff Neu | Sunday 16 July 7pm Spanish Club
Glass Page 19 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 5pm Pop Shop
Goatstop Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
Grip of Death Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Headache Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Heaven Tonight Page 28 ACp5 | Sunday 16 July 3pm Spanish Club
Hole in the Wall Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 9pm Loop
Hunting Page 28 Australian Cult Cinema | Thursday 13 July 5pm Glitch
Images of a Relief Page 29 Great D. | Sunday 9 July 9pm Spanish Club
In The Eye Page ? Muff Neu | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Pop Shop
Ink Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Insect Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Jefftowne Page 24 Troma | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Pop Shop
Jolly Good Fellow Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Loop
Jupiter Love Page 13 Muff Neu | Friday 7 July 9pm Glitch
L’Amore Ritrovato Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
Lollilove Page 25 Troma | Saturday 15 July 9pm Glitch
Marvellous Melbourne Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
Matter of Heart Page 20 Mind Machine | Friday 14 July 7pm Glitch
Matthew And John Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Meta 4 Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Midnight Screening Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
Mondo GG Page 21 | Friday 7 July 9pm Pint on Punt Afterparty
Mother’s Day Page 24 Troma | Friday 7 July 11pm Spanish Club
My Life Antonin Art Page 20 Mind Machine | Saturday 15 July 7pm Glitch
N For Nelly Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
Naked Came the StrangerPage 30 S. Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Glitch
Netherworld Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
Nocturnal Submissions Page 11 | Sunday 16 July 9pm Spanish Club
Nocturne Page 29 Great Directors, | Sunday 9 July 9pm Spanish Club
Number 2 Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Penny Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Perdition Page 18 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 5pm Pop Shop
Phase Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 9pm Loop
Plagues and Pleasures... Page 15 Muff Neu | Friday 14 July 5pm Glitch
PO Box Tinto Page 31 Sexy Retro Muff | Sunday 9 July 9pm Pop Shop
Porn: The Secret HistoryPage 30 Sexy Muff | Sunday 9 July 7pm Pop Shop
Pornstar Pets Page 13 Muff Neu | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Glitch
Poultrygeist: A Preview Page 10 ON | Thursday 6 July 7pm Spanish Club
Private Afternoons Page 30 Sexy Retro Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Glitch
Rat Ribbons Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
Red, White, Black & Blue Page 15 Muff Neu | Friday 7 July 7pm Glitch
Remembering Nigel Page 11 | Sunday 16 July 9pm Spanish Club
Richard Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Roast Rabbit, Peruvian Page 19 Mini Muff |Tuesday 11 July 5pm Pop Shop
Robot Chicken: Season 1 Page 20 MM | Thursday 13 July 9pm Glitch
Robots are Blue Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 9pm Loop
Rosebery 7470 Page 15 Muff Neu | Saturday 15 July 5pm Glitch
Rotagitsni Page 18 Mini Muff | Thursday 13 July 7pm Loop
Routine Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Loop
Scorned Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Scrub Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 9pm Loop
Season of the Witch Page 29 | Monday 10 July 9pm Glitch
Second Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Snog - Crash Crash (Music Video Clip) Page 10 Opening Night | Thursday
6 July 7pm Spanish Club
Stained Page 10 Opening Night | Thursday 6 July 7pm Spanish Club
Still Life Page 18 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 5pm Pop Shop
Super-Anon Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Surfing the Now Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Sword Boy Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
Terror Firmer Page 25 Troma | Monday 10 July 7pm Glitch
Test Shoot for Richard Wolstencroft’s Next Feature Page 18 Mini Muff |
Wednesday 12 July 9pm Loop
The Barn Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 9pm Loop
The Bleeding Man Page 18 Mini Muff | Thursday 13 July 7pm Loop
The Builders Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
The China Cat Page 31 Sexy Muff | Wednesday 12 July 9pm Pop Shop
The Dead Shift Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
The Elusive Eel Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
The Final Stage Page 9 Muff Academy | Saturday July 8 1pm Spanish Club
The Gladiators Page 29 Great Directors | Thursday 13 July 7pm Glitch
The Horse Man Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Loop
The J2 Project Page 25 Troma | Saturday 15 July 9pm Glitch
The Killing Room Page 18 Mini Muff | Thursday 13 July 7pm Loop
The Last Outpost Page 18 Mini Muff | Thursday 13 July 7pm Loop
The Listening Dead Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
The Man Who Opened Spam Page 17 MM | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
The Meanies Page 20 Mind Machine | Thursday 13 July 9pm Spanish Club
The Meatheads: Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
The Okapa Connection Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
The Photosynthesist Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
The Scent of Infection Page 15 Muff Neu | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Pop Shop
The Snuff Machine Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Loop
The Speaking Role Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
The Whiskey Bar Page 18 Mini Muff | Thursday 13 July 7pm Loop
The Whisper Stop Page 16 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 7pm Loop
This Is Not an Exit Page 20 MM | Sunday 9 July 9pm Spanish Club
This Sporting Life Page 29 Great D. etc | Friday 14 July 9pm Glitch
Touch Me in the Morn Page 24 Troma | Saturday 8 July 9pm Spanish Club
Trailertown Page 25 Troma | Saturday 8 July 11 pm Spanish Club
Two For the Show Page 18 Mini Muff | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Loop
Waiting for Nesara Page 15 Muff Neu | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Pop Shop
Wake Up Page 18 Mini Muff | Thursday 13 July 7pm Loop
Welcome Stranger Page 11 CN | Sunday 16 July 9pm Spanish Club
When Darkness Falls Page 12 Muff Neu | Saturday 8 July 9pm Glitch
When Evil Reigns Page 15 Muff Neu | Sunday 16 July 5pm Spanish Club
When You Gotta Go Page 17 Mini Muff | Monday 10 July 9pm Loop
Who is the Sonic Manipulator? Page 17 MiniM| Tuesday 11 July 7pm Loop
Wonder Showzen: Season 1 Page 20 Mind | Thursday 13 July 9pm Glitch
Wooden Ice Cream Cones Page 17 Mini Muff | Tuesday 11 July 9pm Loop
Working Stiff Page 24 Troma | Wednesday 12 July 7pm Pop Shop
*Troma Shorts and Avant Muff Shorts refer to pages in catalogue, as we
ran out of room here.
Info & Credits
Festival Director Richard Wolstencroft
Assistant Director Eugene Grobbelaar
Festival Co-Ordinator Nik Vuko
Festival Consiglieri Rebecca Sutherland
Program Director Richard Wolstencroft
Additional Curators Eugene Grobbelaar, Bill Mousoulis, Jason Turley
Michael Helms, Nik Vuko, Andrew Leovold & Rebecca Sutherland
Creative Stuff for Muff Charlie Mazz
Web Stuff for Muff Bridget Conway Taylor
Muff Logo Spike Hibberd
Proof Readers Eugene, Richard, Bec & Nik
CONTACT
Melbourne Underground
Film Festival
PO Box 822, South Yarra VIC
3141 AUSTRALIA
e: info@muff.com.au
www.muff.com.au
BOX OFFICE
Advance tickets will be
available from the 12-5pm
daily at all venues, tickets
available at the door.
Opening Night $15
Closing Night $15
Single Session $10 across all
venues. New cheaper, more
convenient ticket price!
VENUES
THE SPANISH CLUB
59-61Johnston St.,
Brunswick,
P: +61 3 9417 4059
AFTER PARTY VENUES
MUFF RECOMMENDS
Opening / Closing Nights
FESTIVAL CLUB
LOOP
23 Meyers Place, Melbourne
P: + 61 3 9654 0500
THE SPANISH CLUB
FRONT AND BACK BAR
59-61Johnston St.,
Brunswick,
P: +61 3 9417 4059
DALE AND
DANNY’S BLUE
8 Whiteman St., Southbank,
Crown Casino
POP SHOP GALLERY
18-20 Corrs Lane, Melbourne
P: +613 9659 4431
GLITCH
318 St. Georges Rd.
North Fitzroy 3068
P: +61 9489 9799
a place to meet, drink and be
merry during MUFF
BOND BAR
Bond St.,
City
P: +61 3 9629 9844
MADAME BRUSSELLS
Level 3, 59 Bourke St.,
Melbourne 3000
P: 9662.2775
Festival Pass* (6 sessions)
$45/$40 concession
MUFF CONDITIONS
No reserved seating. Due to censorship requirements, entry to films is restricted to persons 18 years and over.. The festival reluctantly reserves the right
to withdraw, change and replace programs without notice. Any changes are regrettable, and the festival apologises for any inconvenience. Note: Purchase
your tickets from the v
Details correct at time of printing. Check website for updates.
DEDICATED TO ALL MUFF FILM MAKERS
SPECIAL THANKS TO Mary Mihelakos at the rest of the team at the Spanish club. Lloyd Kaufman from Troma plu shis team Lisa and Kiel. Thanks also to
Kristen Condon, Director of Teknikunst. Plus Michael Helms for a great Troma section. And new webgirl Bridget Conway Taylor.
THANKS: Charlie, Rebecca Sutherland, Eric Pipersberg, Peter Davey, G Force!, Jack Sargeant. Andrew Leovold, Lynsey Hagen, Dale Reeves at Dale
and Danny’s Blue,
Goss, Nigel Wingrove, The Knife, Fredrik Carlström, Gaby Darbyshire, Alexander Kogan, Jr., Rudolph Grey, Philip R. Frey, Felix, Thom, Johnny, Frank, The
staff of the Berlin Film Festival, Lisa Hutchinson, Rebekah Kay, Bill Mousoulis and his MIF site (check it out on line!), John Harrison,, Richard Metzger
(Disinform
, Michael, and
crew (Vice) David Butcher (Cinevision), Nick Swinton (In Your Face), Shane (Panasonic), Rene & Vlad at Eurotrash, Dustin at Madman Printing, Rob, Ronnit,
Melanie (Beat), M
an Camp,
Robert Fraresso, Robert Pascoe, Thelma Wolstencroft, Pam and David Wolstencroft, Johan, Mardelane & Francois Grobbelaar, Robert Galinsky, Gawain
MacLachl
lmmakers,
volunteers
www.muff.com.au
Special Events
The Muff
Academy
Got the film school blues?
Tired of that run-of-the-mill film theory course? Sick to death of
filling out forms to get your short films funded? We are here to tell
you that all of that is simply not necessary. Yes. STOP all that crap
forthwith and come to the MUFF Academy where we will teach
you nothing about filmmaking, because if you haven’t realised by
now, filmmaking cannot be taught as such. They don’t tell you that
at VCA, do they? In fact, people who have no idea about film or
its production at say, VCA, attempt to prescribe a national cinema
agenda with disastrous results. The fruits of such prescriptive
filmmaking courses, that turn out filmmakers who are worse than
when they went into the course, is all the fucked up movies we see
ad infinitum that come from this so called Aussie film industry. What
we will do at the MUFF Academy is inspire you and enable you to
listen to practical advice from happening, cutting edge filmmakers
about the nuts and bolts of low budget productions. From there, the
ball is in or on your court and don’t let anyone kid you otherwise.
Again, folks’ filmmaking as such cannot be taught! You will teach
yourself through the experience of making shorts and features and
grow naturally like any artist. We will also not prescribe any form or
content for your film. That, again, is your department. Just ‘be’ fresh,
creative, iconoclastic and daring!
We will show at the MA that you don’t need a 20K grant to make a
short. All you need if $500 to $1000 and an iMovie editing program.
At the MUFF Academy we teach the Nikeism of guerrilla filmmaking.
Yes, just do it. No excuses, no BS...just practical advice and
inspiration from filmmakers who have done it before and can inspire
you to do it yourself; first time, or do it again better a second time.
If you are a low budget guerrilla or indy filmmaker or student don’t
miss this intensive two-day forum that only costs $40 - the cost
of a fucking DVD! So get into the MUFF Academy and soon you’ll
be the one whose DVD costs 40 bucks. We have eight sessions on
Saturday July 8 and Sunday July 9 at the Spanish Club where we
can have a bevy or two while we work. – Richard Wolstencroft,
Headmaster of the MUFF Academy.
The Spanish Club
Saturday July 8
Sunday July 9
SESSION 1- 11AM JULY 8
JASON TURLEY
The director of our closing night feature film, “Welcome Stranger”,
will show some of his shorts (Scab a smoke, Wooden Heart) and
talk about the all-important leap from making short films to making
features. Jason has much hands-on knowledge from working before
and behind the scenes on low budget films. Jason will happily guide
us though an important first session of the MUFF Academy.
Lunch Break at 12.30
SESSION 5 – 11AM JULY 9
BILL MOUSOULIS
Bill has made about 30 shorts and eight features in the past twenty
years and is a stalwart of the avant garde Melbourne film scene.
Dating back to his days as part of the Super 8 film group, Bill has
tirelessly been an advocate of real filmmaking in this country. Come
and hear Bill speak of his experiences and maybe see a few rare
shorts and discuss his advanced ideas about the filmmaking art. A
session that all film intellectuals should be a part of.
SESSION 2 – 1PM JULY 8
FRANK HOWSON
The MUFF Academy presents a dissection of “The Final Stage” from
Frank Howson who was either director/producer/screenwriter on
over a dozen Australian feature films in the past 20 years.
Lunch break 12.30
THE FINAL STAGE (1991) 70 minutes
“The Final Stage“ was Boulevard Films’ seventh film and the third
directed by Frank Howson. It is based on an early play he wrote
and is arguably his, and Boulevard’s, best film. Frank directed said
film under exhausting and frustrating conditions - one set, six
actors, two weeks shoot! The film stars Adrian Wright, Abigail,
Tommy Dysart, Michael Lake, Zachary McKay and Tiriel Mora. Frank
will introduce the film and give a detailed talk on its production
following the screening. A great opportunity to learn from an
established filmmaker who also happens to be a top bloke!
JON HEWITT
An analysis of making “darklovestory” - our opening night film. Jon
will draw on his experiences making “Redball” and even putting
up with Richard Wolstencroft making “Bloodlust”, as he talks us
through his latest mini feature. Jon has many strong opinions about
the film industry and about making films and won’t at all mind
telling you about them. A real MUFF Academy highlight!
INTERNATIONAL GUEST
LLOYD KAUFMAN
The great Troma man himself - arguably one of the most successful
and best known independent filmmakers in the world - will dazzle
us with tales of making independent cinema from NYC for over 30
years. He will use some AV materials from his new films and maybe
even from his DVD and book “Make your own damn movie!” to help
nail his wisdom home. He has a book and dvd on filmmaking you
can buy at the MUFF Academy that we highly recommend. New to
filmmaking, or an old hand, this master class with Lloyd you cannot
miss! Be early, expected to sell out!
SESSIONS 6 – 1PM JULY 9
DAVID THRUSSELL
Film Soundtracks: Some sound advice
The man behind Snog, Black Lung and Soma will talk about
his experiences composing movies like “The Hard Word”,
“Thunderstruck” and “Angst”. David is a real doyen of sound
composing and is also a filmmaker and writer himself, not to
mention a witty provocateur. Be sure to be part of Thrusta’s film
scoring 101 at the MUFF Academy.
SHANNON YOUNG AND PAUL MODER
The director and producer of MUFF hit “Razoreaters” will talk
through their experiences and tell you great things about doing
low budget stunts and explosions, and getting your films into OS
festivals. Paul Moder also co-directed “Bullet in the Arse” and
starred in “Sensitive New Age Killer” and “Bloodlust”. Shannon
Young co-directed “Stygian” (winner: best guerilla film, MUFF 1)
with James Wan of “Saw”fame! A great double master class from
two happening auteurs. They will screen their hour long informative
“Making of Razoreaters”- which is a great ‘making of’ doco!
SCOTT RYAN
One of the greatest MUFF discoveries was our 2003 Best film “The
Magician”. More importantly, after MUFF, Scott took his film to the
big screens in Australia with completion funding from the FFC and
also stunning reviews recently OS in the UK during its theatrical
release there. Scott’s film is a textbook example of brilliant low
budget filmmaking. Scott has been a scholar and gent to come back
to MUFF and tell us about his experiences. This is a major highlight
no to be missed and concludes our program for the MUFF academy
in 2006.
www.muff.com.au
Presented by
Opening
Night
darklovestory
THE SPANISH CLUB Thurs 6 - July 7pm
darklovestory
Dir: Jon Hewitt / 60 mins approx / Australia
Jon Hewitt’s third feature (well mini feature) is a breathless,
flipped-out tale of crime, fate, mayhem and love. Completely shot
on the mean streets of Sydney’s Kings X and starring Belinda
McClory and Aaron Pedersen as star-cross’d lovers chasing a happy
ending, ‘darklovestory’ is a dialectical fairytale about storytelling
wrapped in a crime thriller dripping with sex, violence and subtext!
Set over one frantic night in the mythic neon realm of Australia’s
infamous red light district, Jon’s assured direction has a slightly
surreal and dream-like edge that adds to the overall trance-like and
fairytale feel of the film. McClory and Pedersen are fearless and
excellent in their roles. Set pieces include the fuck scene that opens
the film, the bashing scene where Belinda cops it just like her male
counterpart, the hilarious heist-gone-wrong, and a great torture and
blackout scene. Make no mistake, this is the best Australian film
we have seen since discovering The Magician, so heads up people.
It is authentic, political, adventurous and aggressive - exactly the
way Australian films ought to be but aren’t. Make sure you are here
Opening Night for the World Premiere of Jon Hewitt’s third opus,
darklovestory. It is dark indeed.
Starring Belinda McClory, Aaron Pedersen, Anthony Phelan,
Paul Capsis, Sandy Gore, Ian Roberts, Chris Baz, Don
Atkinson, David Bonney, James Wardlaw.
STAINED
Dir: Mark Savage / 25 mins/ Australia
The new short from Mark Savage, following on from his MUFF
award winning, sans dialogue, guerrilla masterpiece Defenceless, is
“Stained”. Possibly one of the most disturbing films Mark has ever
made and that is saying something, we are drawn into the world of
child pornography and two people who may or may not be involved
in its production and distribution. Excellent performances, some of
the strongest in any of Mark’s work, and the intense subject matter
make this film hard going but excellent all the same. If you have
liked Mark’s work in the past you simply must see “Stained”.
SNOG “CRASH CRASH” FILM CLIP
Dir: Richard Wolstencroft / 4 mins / Australia
A fun film clip created for Snog’s latest electro masterpiece Crash
Crash. Join the adventures of Bush, Saddam and Osama as they
plot with a little help from Mossad to blow up, wait for it... Crown
Casino and succeed! A clip that suggests that the war on terror is
fiction, with all players essentially on the same team and part of
the same problem.
“POULTRYGEIST” A PREVIEW
Dir: Lloyd Kaufman / 20 mins/ USA
A world exclusive preview of Lloyd’s Kaufman new film
“Poultrygeist” from Troma studious NYC with Lloyd in da house,
bitches. Expect some wild exclusive scenes from what looks
like a real return to form of our esteemed International Guest
Mr.Kaufman, director of such classics as the Toxic Avenger series,
Terror Firmer and Tromeo and Juliet. Don’t miss this exclusive taste
of chicken gone
Closing
Night
Welcome Stranger
THE SPANISH CLUB Sun 16 - July 9pm
WELCOME STRANGER
Dir: Jason Turley / 80 mins / Drama / Australia
We have a real treat for you Closing Night, the first feature from
MUFF ingÈnue Jason Turley. The plot: A strange day begins for
18 year old Adam with a phone call from an old school friend.
After several years without any contact, Luke is eager for a
reunion. Bewildered, Adam sets off to meet up with his childhood
mate. What follows is a sequence of interactions with Luke’s
familymembers, overlaid with a drug and alcohol binge. As the
day progresses through a series of funny, sad and violent clashes
it becomes clear that the stranger has little in common with the
people he has been thrown in with. What all these characters do
share though is an intense desire to be something more than what
they are. A great feature film debut from the director of acclaimed
shorts Scab A Smoke and Dirty Work. Remember, if you want great
Aussie cinema, come to MUFF to see it first.
NOCTURNAL SUBMISSIONS
Dir: Bill Mousoulis; / 7 mins Australia / 2006 / DV
Actors: Alex Spears, Vanessa de Largie.
Three characters submit to the night. Glimpses of Bill Mousoulis’
upcoming vampire feature A Nocturne. Sounds very tasty..
Mousoulis and Vampires...this you will want to see!
REMEMBERING NIGEL
Dir: Frank Howson
MUFF is proud to be able to present Frank Howson’s comeback film,
“Remembering Nigel”. For those of you who know Howson’s work
or life there are a multitude of references in this that will delight
and provoke, as well as make you laugh. The eclectic all-star cast
includes Ian Smith, Steve Kearney, Nicki Paull, Tommy Dysart,
Michael Bishop, Molly Meldrum, Billy Miller, Felicity Soper, Keith
Potger, Richard Wolstencroft, Tait Brady, Gavin Wood, Alex Scott,
Graham Simpson, Tim Hughes, Kevin Summers, Jenny Seedsman,
Ross Ditcham, Joan Brockenshire, Peter Lesley, Oliver Howson
and many, many other cameo surprises. Peter Lesley produces
“Remembering Nigel” and executive producer is Simon Baker. It is
written & directed by Frank Howson.
The 7th Muff Awards
Films to be followed by The 7th MUFF awards presented by Festival Director Richard Wolstencroft,
jury head Alex Spalck - the wild man from Pankow, and many other presenters in the jury including
filmmakers from past festivals, industry insiders, and loyal kameraden of MUFF.
www.muff.com.au
Recent local and international features as only MUFF can pick my sweeties,
check out this first rate selection of the latest cinematic fare. Programmed by
Eugene Grobbelaar and Richard Wolstencroft with Michael Smith.
CALL ME
Dir: Tom McEvoy / 80 mins / Australia/ 2006
“Men are like high heels, easy to walk on once you get the hang of
it” so says a character in Tom McEvoy’s new film and follow up to
MUFF 6 hit “Welcome to Greensborough”. Plot: Have you ever been
cheated on and ended up thinking that somehow, you’re the bad
guy? When Claire doubts the strength of the relationship with her
boyfriend she entails the services of her friend Jade to test his
faithfulness. A modern day Dangerous Liaisons shot and completely
improvised over a 2 day period with 1 day of pre-production. Full of
risky ideas, the film is testament to what can be achieved with a
low budget and focused collaboration. McEvoy thinks the film will
divide the sexes in the guessing game of who really is to blame? A
great late addition to MUFF 7. Friday 7 July 7pm | The Spanish
Club. Q + A with enfant terrible Tom McEvoy
BLUE NOTES
Dir. Bill Mousoulis | 93 mins. | 2006 | Drama | Australia
Blue Notes is composed of five tales about people who are “blue”:
a married man struggles with depression; his son spends his days
drifting; a young woman reacts to being abused by her partner;
a heroin addict attempts to start a career in music; and a lonely
man, bereft of family, looks for a way to connect with others. Blue
Notes is a highly realistic work, not afraid to show the everyday,
and the problems ordinary people face, but it is also a supremely
formalistic work, in both its moment-to-moment play (eschewing
conventional dramatics) and in its overall structure (using a 3-part
structure to play out its 5 stories). And, despite its down-beat
subject matter, the film portrays its people with dignity, even as
some of them succumb to their situations, and as others rise up
and save themselves. Q&A with filmmaker. One of Richard’s favs
in MUFF Neu
Saturday 8 July 7pm | The Spanish Club
AUSSIE DOUBLE FEATURE:
WHEN DARKNESS FALLS
Dir. Rohan Spong | 60 mins. | 2005 | Noir | Australia
When Private Detective Virginia Martin is suspected of murdering
a local girl, she has two days to clear her name. Under the
watchful eye of a police rookie – the alluring Betsy Sloane – the
investigation that ensues draws our heroine into the familiar noir
landscape of New York in the 1940s. In solving the case, the pair
meets a number of quirky characters including a drunken sailor
with a violent streak, a Police Commissioner with a secret vendetta
and an ill tempered showgirl called Jinx. Written, scripted, shot,
directed and even scored in the manner of a Hollywood film noir,
When Darkness Falls evokes the highly stylized 1940s genre
with a bent twist. Well known actors Natalie Bassingthwaighte
(Neighbours, Grease the Musical, The Rogue Traders) and Katy
Manning (Doctor Who, Ruby Wax Meets, UKTV) co-star.
Screens with CAFFEINE.
Saturday 8 July 9pm | Glitch
CAFFEINE
Dir. Paul Dowie | 55 mins. | 1999 | Australia
Gregory Pakis, mastermind behind M.U.F.F. hit “The Garth Method”,
co-scripted this tale of a coffee addict named Mitchell who, having
been awake for three days, embarks on a late night caffeine-hunt
and reluctantly takes over security duties at a 24-hour supermarket.
Screens with WHEN DARKNESS FALLS. Q&A with filmmakers.
Call Me
Call Me
Call Me
SEX DOUBLE FEATURE:
PORNSTAR PETS
Dir. Margie Schnibbe | 53 mins. | 2005 | Documentary | USA
Just when you thought it was safe to drive through the San
Fernando Valley, here’s the movie that pulls back the sheets on
the explosive realm of adult entertainment. Pornstar Pets is a ribtickling romp with the dogs, cats and unusual animals that belong
to some of the world’s most popular adult film stars. Marvel as Ron
Jeremy feeds his pet Turtle called Cherry. Swoon as Taylor Wane
fires-up some spicy-shrimp for Buddy, the tempestuous Terrier. Flail
as Teri Weigel soaps her snakes, bathes her birds and wrangles
with an outrageous army of well-groomed Shelties ... Also featuring
Airforce Amy, Brittany Andrews, Violet Blue, Kim Chambers, Jessica
Drake, Caressa Kisses, LaTia Lopez, Rebecca Lord, Nick Manning,
Mr. Marcus, Sharon Mitchell, Melissa Monet, Kitten Natividad,
Dave Pounder, Lena Ramon, Anastasia Sands, Shay Sights, Jeremy
Steele, Evan Stone, Scott Styles and of course the legendary
William Margold! Screens with DAMON AND HUNTER.
Tuesday 11 July 9pm | Glitch
DAMON AND HUNTER: DOING IT TOGETHER
Dir. Tony Comstock | 46 mins. | 2006 | Documentary | USA
“Damon and Hunter” is a frank, humane and erotic exploration of
the sexual and emotional relationship between longtime lovers
Damon Demarco and Hunter James. The film offers a candid look
at the central role that sex plays in the relationship between these
two men. Forget Brokeback Mountain, if you want gay sex, check
this out. Screens with PORNSTAR PETS.
Q + A with filmmakers.
JUPITER LOVE
Dir. Michael Andre | 80 mins. | 2005 | Thriller | Australia
Made by two self-proclaimed “mad Russians”, this violent yet
sensual road movie follows the interstate travels of a beautiful
blonde digital artist named X. On the open road, a lone male driver
named Y begins to chase her. He taunts her, becoming crazed and
obsessed, enslaved by his neurotic sexual dependency. The surreal
climax confirms that ‘Nature is a bitch’. Eugene pick of the MUFF
Neu section.
Friday 7 July 9pm | Glitch
GAMERS
Dir. Christopher Folino | 87 mins. | 2005 | Comedy | USA
“Gamers” is a comedy about the lives of four hapless friends (and
one obsessive interloper) and how they evolve over a 23-year
span. It centers on a single day when they are about to break a
world record for hours spent role-playing a game called DND, or
Demons, Nymphs, and Dragons. The sacrifice, the obsession, the
blind dedication... This is their true story. First Time filmmaker, Chris
Folino tells the story of “Gamers” in a mockumentary style featuring
the wickedly dry narration by Michael Bell (Unsolved Mysterious)
and with guest appearances by William Katt (American Greatest
Hero & House), Kelly Le Brock (Weird Science), Beverley D’Angelo
(National Lampoons Vacation) and WIlliam Heard (Home Alone).
This film is wicked and clever with some big laughs which will leave
you with a big smile on your face. - Mike Smith
Sunday 16 July 7pm | The Spanish Club
Q + A with Director Christopher Folino. Our 2nd international
guest for MUFF 7, Be sure to come along and support this
great indy movie.
www.muff.com.au
Pornstar Pets
Blue Notes
WHEN EVIL REIGNS
Dir. Luke and Alix Jackson | 92 mins. | 2006 | Horror | Australia
”Friday the 13th” meets “Night of the living dead” in this Aussie
horror film made on a $5000 budget. A mismatched group must
lock themselves inside and fight off the murderous hordes attacking
the building in this homage to slasher flicks and epidemic classics!
Needless to say, a chilling and terrifying time is guaranteed for all!
PLAGUES AND PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA
Dir. Chris Metzler & Jeff Springer | 71 mins. | 2005 |
Documentary | USA
Once “California’s Riviera”, the Salton Sea is now America’s
worst ecological disaster. Yet a few hardy eccentrics hang on to
hope, including a roadside nudist and a man building a religious
mountain out of mud and paint. Hair-raising and hilarious, this is
the American Dream stinky as a dead carp. Narrated by none other
than B Movie legend John Waters, this film is simply one of the
best recent documentaries we have seen here at M.U.F.F., and we
were not surprised at the fact that it has won no less than 18 “best
documentary” awards!
THE SCENT OF INFECTION
Dir. Sean Murphy | 70 mins. | 2005 | Experimental | Australia
This film has been described as being “about the allegory between
sex and suicide, a journey through the first person and through
self-inflicted heaven and hell that are states of mind. In the midst of
this nightmare, almost all rational thought seems to break down.”
We at M.U.F.F. call it a 70 minute roller coaster ride on the waves of
misanthropy and graphic violence that is definitely not for the faint
hearted! Screens with IN THE EYE – a short film also by up-andcoming director Sean Murphy.
Tuesday 11 July 7pm | Pop Shop Gallery
WAITING FOR NESARA
Dir. Zeb Haradon | 77 mins. | 2005 | Documentary | USA
Shot in the months between September 11th, 2001 and the start of
the war against Iraq, “Waiting for Nesara” documents the true story
of The Open Mind Forum, a messianic group of Salt Lake City exMormons, and the radical faith that binds them together in the wake
of September 11th. The group anxiously awaits the implementation
of NESARA - a secret law that they believe was blocked from
implementation by the Bush administration. Although there’s no
mention of the law in any official government source, the group
believes it will abolish the IRS, remove George Bush from office,
expose him as a reptilian alien, and install a UFO-flying Jesus Christ
as America’s new leader. The group believes that the September
11th attacks were carried out under Bush’s orders, and were his first
attempt to delay NESARA’s implementation. In other words the films
talks perfect sense right?
Tuesday 11 July 9pm | Pop Shop Gallery
Pornstar Pets
DUSK
Dir. Iqbal Barkat | 93 mins. | 2003 | Drama | Australia
Talented Australian screenwriter, producer and actor David Phillips
stars in this story of a man – a curious individual and has-been
boxer named Arnie - and his troubled relationships with family,
friends and lovers. When Arnie steps out of the ring and into the
real world, sexual desire and family deception combine to push him
towards breaking point. Can he fight back? Do those close to Arnie
want to nourish him or suck his bones dry? Find out in this current,
slice-of-life exposition on the impossibility of living life on one’s own
terms. We at M.U.F.F. say: Don’t miss “Dusk”!
Q + A with Writer/Producer/Actor David Phillips from Sydney.
ROSEBERY 7470
Dir. Stefan Popescu | 90 mins. | 2006 | Experimental | Australia
A fucked up girl in a fucked up family in a fucked up town - How
do you cope with the perversity of the everyday? Demanding and
visually arresting, Stefan Popescu uses his unique experimental
style to create a visceral and monstrous world! “Rosebery 7470” is
disturbing and reminds of a cross between David Lynch and Stan
Brakhage. Experimental in parts but made with considerable flair
and tenacity this is one of MUFF Neu’s must sees. One of Richard’s
favs in MUFF neu.
RED WHITE BLACK & BLUE
Dir. Tom Putnam | 92 mins. | 2006 | Documentary | USA
Bill and Andy are the two toughest 85-year-olds you’ve ever met.
Together, they fought 3000 Japanese in a secret Alaskan invasion
during WWII. Now, these forgotten heroes embark on an intense
journey back to the island of Attu, where they relive the brutal
19-day battle that America was never told about. As Bill and Andy
retrace their steps over this untouched battlefield, the line between
past and present begins to blur and long-forgotten memories
resurface with moving force. A fascinating doco on a piece of history
many (includeing us) didn’t know about. Those dirty Japs!
www.muff.com.au
Mini Muff
Local and International Short films selected
and programmed by Jason Turley
Presented by
The Photosyntesist
Short films screening at MUFF this year are a mixed bag in the best possible sense.
No genre is over represented and the quality is very high throughout. Programming has
accounted for various tastes and predilections. A glance through our catalogue will reveal
a generically grouped session or three to arouse anyone’s interest.
Standouts include Melbourne actor John King’s Penny. Even those who loathe romantic
comedies will be reformed by Holly Marshall’s endearing performance in the title role.
From Spain we have Pablo Valiente’s Roast Rabbit, Peruvian Girl and Desolation, a fantastic
tragi-comic film about an ageing male porn star who is unwilling to gracefully step aside for
younger flesh.
Darker films include David Jackson’s Snuff Machine and Steven Kostvissios’
The Horseman. Horror fans will be impressed by the Swiss/Italian co-production by Paolo
Vandoni, L’Amore Ritrovato, and also by Annabel Osbourne’s Midnight Screening with it’s
original use of special effects.
SESSION 1
Monday 10 July 7pm | Loop
ALBINO SANTA COP
Dir: Tom Priestley / 2006 / Aus / 4 mins
Animation. A greedy Traffic cop gets what
he deserves.
SWORD BOY
Dir: Tristan Orchid / 2005 /
Canada / 5 mins
Animation. A still pic animation about a
boys quest to attain greatness.
ERRORSIM: A COMEDY OF TERRORS
Dir: Eddie White / 2006 / Aus / 4 mins
Animation. Meet Terry an Inept
Cartoon Terrorist.
INK
Dir: Adele Wilkes / 2005 / Aus / 9 mins
Experimental. A lonely young woman
writes sad love poems to get her through
a long night.
SURFING THE NOW
Dir : Doug Mason / 2005 / Aus / 3 mins
Experimental. Einstein tells us there is no
universal now. But is that the end of it?
THE WHISPER STOP
Dir : Emma Rozanski / 2006 /
Aus / 8 mins
Experimental. Five passengers encounter
a mysterious woman on a train.
INSECT
Dir: Magda Matwiejew / 2006 /
Aus / 4 mins
Animation. A beautiful woman grows
into an insect.
GRIP OF DEATH
Dir: Frank Candiloro / 2006 /
Aus / 3 mins
Animation. A Wooden puppet tries to keep
it’s dying companion from death.
THE PHOTOSYNTHESIST
Dir: Grantley Smith / 2005 / Aus / 8 mins
Experimental. In the depths of a water well
a man finds an interesting escape route.
THE BUILDERS
Dir: Brad Betts / 2005 / Aus / 3 mins
Animation. Bizarre little creatures attempt
to find the answer to the ultimate question.
META 4
Dir: Katrina Mathers / 2006 / Aus / 2 mins
Experimental. Exploration of four/fore/for/4
in our language and everyday life.
SESSION 2
Monday 10 July 9pm | Loop
DIMENSION X
Dir: Nick Kunin / 2005 / USA / 7 mins
Animation. A comic strip story of vampires,
astronauts and political scandals.
SCORNED
Dir: Andrew Murray / 2006 / Aus / 4 mins
Comedy. When a cheating husband is
caught in the act, the battle begins.
THE MEATHEADS-THE MEAT SHALL
INHERIT THE EARTH
Dir: Marc Eiden / 2006 / Aus / 7 mins
Animation. Mankind is wiped out by a
giant intergalactic meatball.
SECOND
Dir: Greg Apps / 2006 / Aus / 7 mins
Comedy. Two brothers set out on a day of
adventure.
N foe Nelly
NUMBER 2
Dir: Martin Copping / 2006 / Aus / 7 mins
Comedy. Sylvia has finally met the man of
her dreams, but will one mistake wash her
chance of love down the drain.
PENNY
Dir: John King / 2005 / Aus / 16 mins
Drama/Comedy. Penny has fallen for Josh,
but will he be everything she hoped for?
RICHARD
Dir: Mick Elliot / 2006 / Aus / 3 mins
Animation. Meet Richard, an ordinary man
striving to keep his head up.
HEADACHE
Dir: Tim Auld / 2006 / Aus / 7 mins
Black Comedy. Two guys courier
a severed head.
WHEN YOU GOTTA GO
Dir: Clem Malina / 2006 / Aus / 6 mins
Comedy. A dark comedy about love,
heartbreak, suicide and sushi.
BOUNCING BETTY
Dir: Jason Stacy / 2005 / Aus / 5 mins
Black Comedy. A soldier steps on a land
mine.
THE DEAD SHIFT
Dir: Ana Djordjevic / 2005 / Aus / 7 mins
Comedy/Horror. A naïve gas station clerk
receives a visit from a zombie in the dead
of the night.
THE MAN WHO OPENED SPAM
Dir: Simon Best/Paul Murphy /
2006 / Aus / 9 mins
Comedy. What if everything spam promised
delivered?
SUPER-ANON
Dir: Stephen H Plitt / 2005 /
Canada / 10 mins
Mockumentary. A look at a therapy group
for relatives of superheroes.
MATTHEW AND JOHN
Dir: David Brand / 2006 / Aus / 8 mins
Black Comedy. Two Mormons find
themselves in dire straits.
L’Amore Ritrovato
SESSION 3
Tuesday 11 July 7pm | Loop
SESSION 4
Tuesday 11 July 9pm | Loop
MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE
Dir: Shane Northey / 2005 / Aus / 11 mins
Mockumentary. A satirical look at the
history of Melbourne.
ADDICTION TO CONVICTION
Dir: Mark Aquilina / 2005 / Aus / 3 mins
Preview. Life is a bitch and so is revenge.
DIG
Dir: B.Walker / 2005 / Aus / 4 mins
Experimental/Animation. Before the age of
Industry Potatoes were dug by hand.
THE ELUSIVE EEL
Dir: Richard Hughes / 2005 / Aus / 7 mins
Doco. A giant eel shakes up a
country town.
MIDNIGHT SCREENING
Dir: Annabel Osbourne / 2005 /
Aus / 8 mins
Fantasy/Horror. Being short after midnight
can be deadly.
FUCK FRANKIE
Dir: Jason Turley / 2004 / Aus / 3 mins
Experimental. One nerds wild night.
N FOR NELLY
Dir: Katrina Mathers / 2006 / Aus / 7 mins
Mockumentary. In 1985 the phrase “N for
Nelly” was first heard.
L’AMORE RITROVATO
Dir: Paolo Vandoni / 2006 /
Switzerland-Italy / 15 mins
Horror. A woman makes love to a man after
meeting at a concert.
THE SPEAKING ROLE
Dir: Ivan Duzel/Adam Krongold / 2006 /
Aus / 6 mins
Mockumentary. A guy who is mis-cast and
sacked on set, tries to find resolve.
NETHERWORLD
Dir: Greg Connors / 2005 / Aus / 14 mins
Thriller/Horror. God bets on a rigged boxing
match between Gabriel and the demon
of pain.
WHO IS THE SONIC MANIPULATOR?
Dir: Zev Howley / 2005 / Aus / 10 mins
Doco. Meet Musician and inventor Claude
Woodward.
DUDES OF DOOM
Dir: Christian Malmquist / 2005 /
Aus / 16 mins
Comedy/Adventure/Horror. A man walks
into a pub and meets Lemmy and Ozzy who
tell him they met the devil.
THE OKAPA CONNECTION
Dir: Pip Starr / 2006 / Aus / 15 mins
Doco. Follows the journey of Fairtade
coffee from PNG to Melbourne.
BUSINESS AS USUAL
Dir: Joe Hiscott / 2005 / Canada / 10 mins
Doco/Experimental. Reveals the
grotesquely human nature of the
executive citizen.
RAT RIBBONS
Dir: Chrissie Hall / 2006 / Aus / 25 mins
Doco. A look at the world of completive
rat shows.
THE LISTENING DEAD
Dir: Phil Mucci / 2006 / USA / 14 mins
Horror. An obsessed composer neglects his
wife, with horrifying consequences.
WOODEN ICE CREAM CONES
Dir: Michael Kratochvil / 2006 /
Aus / 2 mins
Experimental. Imagery from Bugsy Malone,
Society and Fade to Black edited with
additional footage.
GOATSTOP
Dir: James Barahanos / 2006 /
Aus / 6 mins
Drama. An imp looks for the
perfect subject.
www.muff.com.au
Mini Muff
Programmers picks: Roast Rabbit, Peruvian Girl and
Desolation, Another Shot, Penny and the Elusive eel.
Presented by
Roast Rabbit, Peruvian Girl & Desolation
SESSION 5
Wednesday 12 July 7pm | Loop
DEAR JOHN
Dir : Mat Cavang / 2006 / Aus / 7 mins.
Black Comedy. A filmmaker rejected from a
film festival does something about it.
JOLLY GOOD FELLOW
Dir: Jean Philippe Lopez / 2006 /
Aus / 5 mins
Black Comedy. A young man is kidnapped
by a gang of would be terrorists.
TWO FOR THE SHOW
Dir: Mark Priems / 2006 / Aus / 9 mins
Drama. A criminal and his girlfriend hold a
wealthy executive hostage.
DEAD END
Dir: Flora Georgiou / 2006 / Aus / 9 mins
Drama. A desperate junkie accepts to take
on a job for his next hit.
THE HORSEMAN
Dir: Steven Kostvissios / 2006 /
Aus / 16 mins
Thriller. The council exterminator comes
knocking. Scenes may offend.
ROUTINE
Dir: Jamshed Mubaraki / 2006 /
Aus / 18 mins
Black Comedy/Drama. Days in the life of a
racist, sexist call centre worker.
THE SNUFF MACHINE
Dir: David Jackson / 2005 /
Aus / 20 mins
Thriller. A young man picks up a mysterious
girl at a bizarre bar called the snuff
machine. Scenes may offend.
SESSION 6
Wednesday 12 July 9pm | Loop
DICKLESS
Dir: Ben O’ Mara / 2006 / Aus / 7 mins.
Black Comedy. Have you ever felt like less
of a man?
THE BARN
Dir: Fluer Nelson / 2005 / Aus / 8 mins
Drama. Six year old Rosie hides a stranger
in her barn.
HOLE IN THE WALL
Dir: Peter Hegeous / 2005 /
Aus / 11 mins
Drama. When a strange hole appears in his
wall, Ben is shocked by what he sees.
PHASE
Dir : Sky Crompton / 2005 /
Aus / 15 mins
Drama/Animation. The story of a post
modern superhero coming to terms with
the realities of modern life.
SCRUB
Dir: Douglas Watkin / 2006 / Aus / 10 mins
Drama. A biker has conformed into
mainstream society.
ROBOTS ARE BLUE
Dir : Bill Sebastian / 2005 / USA / 8 mins
Comedy/Sci-Fi. In a workplace infiltrated by
robots, sometimes the line between human
and machine becomes blurred.
ANOTHER SHOT
Dir: Simon Ryan / 2006 / Aus / 7 mins
Drama. One man’s heartbreaking story of
regret and his determination to turn his
life around.
3:18
Dir: Anthony Samangy / 2005 /
USA / 12 mins
Drama/Comedy. Take two stoners, mix in a
bit of urban isolation and what you get is
something truly unique.
ROTAGITSNI
Dir : Lee Kennedy / 2005 / Aus / 8 mins
Drama. Ekul finds himself drinking his
problems away in a strange bar called
Rotagitsni.
WAKE UP
Dir : Dane Owen / 2006 / Aus / 10 mins
Drama. A man wakes up alone in a room
with no sign of entry or exit.
THE BLEEDING MAN
Dir : Melissa Azizi / 2005 / Aus / 18 mins
Drama. A story of a man who bleeds the
filth of the world through his senses.
TEST SHOOT FOR RICHARD
WOLSTENCROFTS NEXT FEATURE
Dir: R.Wolstencroft / 2006 / Aus / 25 mins
An adaptation of an old novel brought to
life through a lens of the writing of Bret
Easton Ellis and Festival director Richard
Wolstencroft. See this sneak peak at a few
scenes shot as a test for RW’s next feature.
THE LAST OUTPOST
Dir : Cassie Dart / 2005 / Aus / 20 mins
Drama. Darius’ girlfriend Shelley has an
addiction and he doesn’t know how to
help her.
SESSION 7
Thursday 13 July 7pm | Loop
DARK DECISIONS
Dir: Scott Lawson / 2005 / Aus / 15 mins
Drama. After witnessing his life fall
apart, James searches for a new life in
a new world.
THE WHISKEY BAR
Dir : Michael Hoath / 2005 / Aus / 12 mins
Drama. After a bungled suicide attempt, a
young man wanders the streets, eventually
finding a deserted bar.
THE KILLING ROOM
Dir : Alex Kuzelicki / 2005 / Aus / 14 mins
Drama. A Colombian freedom fighter must
assassinate an idealistic youth for a cause
which goes against everything he’s been
fighting for.
SESSION 8
Tuesday 11 July 5pm | Pop Shop
STILL LIFE
Dir : Tahnee McGuire / 2005 /
Aus / 17 mins
Drama. Ron had no life until Mandy lit
it up.
PERDITION
Dir : Matt Carter / 2005 / Aus / 7 mins
Drama. Josephine is a young woman who
is in the fight of her life.
Phase
DOMESTIC
Dir : Katie Hides / 2005 / Aus / 8 mins
Comedy/Action. It’s crouching lover,
hidden agenda when a couple put their
relationship and martial arts skills to
the test.
GLASS
Dir : Ivan Duzel / 2006 / Aus / 8 mins
Drama. A story of two Melbourne
gangsters.
Whiskey Bar
EVE
Dir : Paul Leeming / 2005 / Aus / 15 mins
Sci-Fi. Companion. Servant. Lover. Machine.
BZZZZZZZ
Dir: Lee Demarbre / 2006 /
Canada / 22 mins
Comedy. A group of characters are
trapped in Canada’s capital city during
a killer bee invasion.
The Bleeding Man
ROAST RABBIT, PERUVIAN GIRL
AND DESOLATION
Dir: Pablo Valiente / 2005 /
Spain / 12 mins.
Drama. A former porn star finds it hard
to move on.
Mind Machine
The Cinema of Perception
From Doyens of Dome-Culture to
Deviants of Pop-Culture.
Curated by Rebecca “Beckster” Sutherland
Wonder Showzen
MATTER OF HEART
Dir: Mark Whitney / 1985 / USA / 107 min / Colour / DVD
The extraordinary journey of C.G Jung into the soul of a man. A
compelling and inspiring film portrait of Carl Gustav Jung, a man
whose extraordinary genius and humanity reached far beyond
the sometimes exclusive realm of psychiatry into redefining the
essential nature of who we are and what we hope to become.
Featuring rare home movies, valuable archival footage and a wealth
of interviews.
MY LIFE AND TIMES WITH ANTONIN ARTAUD
Dir: Gerard Mordillat / 1993 / France / 90 min / B&W /
French with English Subtitles / DVD
From the perspective of poet Jacques Prevel we discover the heady
existence of genius artist Antonin Artaud, and the quest for poetry,
drugs and the absolute. A companion and friend of the artist from
the days of his release from internment in an asylum, Prevel shares
his experience in the presence of a master renaissance man - poet,
actor, director, playwright, philosopher, visionary, and madman.
THE MEANIES
Dir: Rachael Hough / 70 mins / Australia / 2006
The Meanies is a wild new doco about the band that formed in
1989 and were an integral part of the Melbourne and Australian
music scene throughout the 90’s. The Meanies have established
themselves as one of Australia’s most enduring underground rock
bands, cultivating a huge all-ages following. Packed with rare live
footage and extensive interviews THE MEANIES is an insightful
story for both hardcore Meanies fans and those with any interest in
the Australian independent music scene.
Thursday 13 July 9pm | The Spanish Club
THIS IS NOT AN EXIT:
THE FICTIONAL WORLD OF BRET EASTON ELLIS
Dir: Gerald Fox / 1999 / USA / 80 min / Colour / VHS
When American Psycho was released early in 2000 it reaffirmed
author Bret Easton Ellis as the controversial “bad boy” of
contemporary American fiction. This Is Not An Exit reveals the world
inhabited by Ellis and his fictional characters, and explores the main
themes of Ellis’s books - the MTV generation, pop culture of the
Robot Chicken
80s and 90s, the drugs and night life scene, and the obsession of
current culture with glamour, fashion and wealth.
DONALD CAMMELL: THE LAST PERFORMANCE
Dir: Kevin MacDonald / 1998 / UK / 75 min / DVD
Kevin MacDonald and Chris Rodley produced and directed this
British documentary about film director Donald Cammell, best
known for his collaboration with Nicolas Roeg on Performance
(1970). The lead actors in Performance, Mick Jagger and James Fox,
are interviewed along with Roeg, Barbara Steele, Cathy Moriarty,
and avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger, who cast Cammell in his
1973 Lucifer Rising. MacDonald and Rodley trace Cammell’s career
from his days as a Paris portrait artist to such films as Demon
Seed, White of the Eye, and The Wild Side with Anne Heche and
Christopher Walken, probing the dark side of Cammell’s dissociative
personality” that triggered his 1996 suicide. Cammell is seen in
several interview clips.
WONDER SHOWZEN: SEASON 1 (selected episodes)
2005 / USA / approx 60 min / DVD
“Like Sesame Street on Crack!” Some of you may have gazed
upon the bootlegged pilot episode of TV’s newest and sickest
sensation, then called Kidshow. See puppets gettin’ freaky and
all up in yo’ face, see the innocent traverse the fine lines of moral
questionability, and not to forget the best segment of all - Beat
Kids...sing along with me: “Kids on the Beat, Kids on the Street,
Beat Kids, Beat Kids!” Not for Children. Definitely, not for children.
Thursday 13 July 9pm | Glitch
ROBOT CHICKEN: SEASON 1 (selected episodes)
2005 / USA / approx 60 min / DVD
A frenetic lambasting of pop-culture movies and tv, as animated by
toy action figures. The premiere season of Robot Chicken, from the
creatively twisted souls of Seth Green and Matthew Senreich,
featuring toy murderin’, attention span shatterin’ episodes straight
from the hellish maw of Adult Swim’s late night line-up. Enjoy bitesized nuggets of sketch comedy performed by yesteryear’s favourite
playthings, animated in state-of-the-art stop motion. “It’s like a
poultry polka party in your pants!”.
Artaud
Andrew Leovold
Trash Video
Owner-manager of Brisbane’s cult movie store Trash Video and subject of the SBS
documentary Escape From The Planet Of The Tapes, underground film archivist,
writer and researcher, filmmaker, cabaret performer, MC, masked wrestler and
most recently movie trivia quizmaster. Our yearly page of Strangeness from Andrew
Leovold this year contains three treats on offer from The Talented Mr. Stumpy...
read on.
EVENT 1
EVENT 2:
FROM BOLLYWEIRD WITH LOVE!
2 hours of Hindi splatter, Hindi sleaze, Hindi drug thrillers, and more
tacky musical numbers than Kamahl’s had white robes, with Trash
Video’s Andrew “El Stumpo” Leovold narrating the entire journey
and trying to make sense of the inexplicable. There’s James Bond
777 (1971), from a whole series of Tegalu (or “Tollywood”) James
Bond rip offs from the 60s and 70s starring local superstar (wait
for it) Anal Krishna! The Saturday Night Fever rip off Disco Dancer
(1982), possibly the most tragic musical in film history, and one of
India’s all-time box office money spinners! Lady Tarzan (1990), an
almost soft core-porn jungle comedy, was banned three times by
the Indian censors for the infamous “thigh-sucking” scene - which
we of course intend to show in full! International Guerillas (1990):
Salman Rushdie actually begged the British censors to overturn a
ban on this Pakistani film which features three Muslim superheroes
in Batman costumes attempting to assassinate “Rushdie” on his
island lair. “Rushdie”, who beheads Muslims with a sword, is finally
destroyed by four flying Korans shooting laser beams. I swear to
Allah its all true! Plus the gory excesses of the Ramsay Brothers’
Dak Bangla (1987),the Pakistani vampire film The Living Corpse
(1968), the kitsch surf rock & roll musical numbers from Teesri
Manzil (1966) and Gumnaam (1965, as featured in Ghost World!).
Indian films are always three hours long, so we actually cram
the most insane moments from NINE of the weirdest titles into a
program shorter than a regular flick. Now that’s irritainment!
“MONDO GG”
The most infamous punk rocker, scatologist and shit-smeared
provocateur GG Allin’s home movies, career lowlights and footage
from his last ever show between Brisbane’s finest toilet rockers
The Vaginabillies and The Australian GG Allin Show (both featuring
Andrew “El Stumpo” Leavold), Melbourne’s The Twits (with St
Kilda’s answer to GG Allin, Fred Negro) and the spiky Motorheadinspired Crack Whore. Where?
Pint On Punt, Friday 7th July Show kicks off at 9pm!
EVENT 3:
Playing with Call Me, Friday 7 July 7pm | The Spanish Club
BLUEBIRDS OF PEACE AND DESTRUCTION
2006 Brisbane, Australia 30 mins Mini DV w/dir. Andrew Leavold
Two co-dependent blood addicts drag a doe-eyed innocent into the
cracks between hell while the Older Gods peer out of the darkness.
An exercise in detachment and artistic delirium, the director of
Lesbo-A-Go-Go (MUFF 2003) has devised a sordid, netherworldly
reimagining of the notorious Brisbane lesbian vampire murder from
1989. Filmed over a manic 49 hours at the original locations under
a full moon, entirely improvised with a two-person crew, and
conceived from an entirely amoral perspective: “Imagine for a
moment there is no Good or Evil. There is only Creation and
Destruction, the two mirrored faces of a knife’s blade - just as light
must shine out of the darkness, just as beauty is ugliness waiting
like a cloaked assassin in the shadows.”
www.muff.com.au
Muff Schedule
July 2006
From Doyens of Dome-Culture to
Deviants of Pop-Culture.
THUR 6/7
UE
N
VE
H
S
NI
A
SP
E
TH B
U
CL
SAT 8/7
SUN 9/7
11am
JASON TURLEY
MUFF ACADEMY
MOUSOULIS
MUFF ACADEMY
1pm
F. HOWSON
MUFF ACADEMY
D. THRUSSELL
MUFF ACADEMY
3pm
JON HEWITT
MUFF ACADEMY
YOUNG+MODER
MUFF ACADEMY
GEN BAILEY &
JARRAH GARRIE
KAUFMAN
MUFF ACADEMY
SCOTT RYAN
MUFF ACADEMY
CALL ME/
BLUEBIRDS
BLUE NOTES
MATTHEW CLAYFIELD
9pm
DAVID LYNCH
DUMBLAND
VON TRIER SHORTS
TOUCH ME IN
THE MORNING
THIS IS NOT AN EXIT
+ DON CAMMELL
11pm
MOTHER’S DAY
TRAILER TOWN
5pm
7pm
OP
LO
OP
H
PS
PO ERY
LL
GA
DARKLOVESTORY
+ SHORTS
MON 10/7
7pm
MINI MUFF 1
9pm
MINI MUFF 2
5pm
PORN HISTORY 1
7pm
PORN HISTORY 2
PORN HISTORY 3
9pm
TINTO BRASS
DOUBLE
HENRY PARIS
DOUBLE
5pm
CH
7pm
RED WHITE
& BLACK
FLYNN
CRY UNCLE
TERROR FIRMER
9pm
JUPITER LOVE
WHEN DARK
+ CAFFEINE
CRIME TIME
SEASON OF THE
WITCH
FRANK HOWSON
DRINKS AT GLITCH
SLEEPING…
ANDREW LEOVOLD
BOLLYWEIRD
11pm
IT
GL
TY
THE SPANISH CLUB
FRONT AND BACK BAR
AR
RP
TE
AF
FRI 7/7
GG ALLIN SHOW
SEE STUMP PAGE
BOND BAR
TOXIC KAUFMAN
DRINKS
VENUES
THE SPANISH CLUB
59-61Johnston St.,
Brunswick,
P: +61 3 9417 4059
POP SHOP GALLERY
(UP @ EUROTRASH BAR)
18-20 Corrs Lane, Melbourne
P: +613 9659 4431
LOOP
23 Meyers Place, Melbourne
P: + 61 3 9654 0500
TUE 11/7
WED 12/7
THUR 13/7
GLITCH
318 St. Georges Rd.
North Fitzroy 3068
P: +61 9489 9799
FRI 14/7
AFTER PARTY VENUES
FESTIVAL CLUB
THE SPANISH CLUB
59-61Johnston St.,
Brunswick,
P: +61 3 9417 4059
SAT 15/7
SUN 16/7
HEAVEN TONIGHT
WHEN EVIL
MINI MUFF 3
MINI MUFF 5
MINI MUFF 4
MINI MUFF 6
KIM MILES
GAMERS
THE MEANIES
WELCOME
STRANGER PLUS
MUFF AWARDS
MINI MUFF 7
MINI MUFF 8
SCENT OF
INFECTION
+ IN THE EYE
JEFFTOWNE
NESARA
BOBBY CHIN
DOUBLE
HUNTING
PLAGUES &
PLEASURES
ROSEBERY 7470
DUSK
PETER WATKINS
THE GLADIATORS
MATTER OF HEART
MY LIFE & TIMES:
ANTONIN ARTAUD
PORNSTAR PETS
+ DAMON &
HUNTER
WONDER SHOWZEN/
ROBOT CHICKEN
LINDSAY ANDERSON
THIS SPORTING LIFE
LOLLILOVE
GLITCH BAR
DRINKS
THE SPANISH CLUB
FRONT BAR
THE SPANISH CLUB
FRONT BAR
STILL SLEEPING…
MORE SLEEPING…
THE SPANISH CLUB
FRONT AND
BACK BAR
www.muff.com.au
It’s hard to believe thirty something years have passed since
Troma began acquiring, distributing and producing their own
crazed toxic brand of film. And now, here they sit atop a film
library that is huge by any standards. This programme is a
selection from that library that both celebrates and represents
the non-stop dedication of the Troma team to filmmaking. With
BLOODSUCKING FREAKS 2 in production and Lloyd Kaufman’s
next directorial effort POULTRYGEIST: ATTACK OF THE CHICKEN
ZOMBIES in post, the Troma roller coaster isn’t about to come
to a stop soon either.
CRY UNCLE! (1970)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Writers: Michael Brett & David Odell
Producers: David Jay Disick & Frank Vitale
Cast: Alan Garfield, Paul Sorvino, Lloyd Kaufman,
Madeleine Le Roux
A softcore comedy about people who worked together on a
porn film. From the director of ROCKY made just after his
breakthrough hit JOE. Originally banned in Oz and notorious for
it’s necrophilia sequence. Lloyd Kaufman worked extensively
behind the camera on CRY UNCLE! before Troma rescued it
from obscurity several years after it’s manufacture. Funny and
sick in and highly representative of what would become the
Troma house approach to humour. (87 mins)
With documentary short MONDO FORD (6 mins)
Sunday 9 July 7pm | Glitch
MOTHER’S DAY (1980)
Director: Charles Kaufman
Writers: Charles Kaufman & Warren D Leight
Associate Producers: Lloyd Kaufman & Michael Herz
Music: Phil Gallo & Clem Vicari
Cast: Nancy Hendrickson, Deborah Luce, Tiana Pierce,
Holden McQuire, Billy Ray McQuade, Rose Ross
Kaufman brother Charlie roped in the whole family to make this
cheesy, creepy killfest. Standing at the dawn of the slasher
epoch Mother’s Day punches in and on with a three girl
camping reunion gatecrashed by two demented back woods
brothers. The boys play for keeps in order to please their equally
degenerate mother and the jokes may sit too uneasily for some
viewers alongside the brutal personal violence. (90 mins)
With snowbound and gory living dead short out of Quebec
LE DIAMANT DES DAMNES — DIAMOND OF THE DAMNED
(14 mins)
Friday 7 July 11pm | The Spanish Club
JEFFTOWNE (1998)
Director, writer, producer, editor: Daniel Krause,
Cast: Jeff Towne, Genevieve Lutgen, Kim Davis,
Kristi Fitzpatrick
Jeff Towne is a thirty eight year old (he turns thirty nine during
the course of the film) American with Down’s Syndrome. He
lives with his 98 year old wheel chair-bound foster mother who
calls him, “a glorious boy”. Filmmaker Daniel Krause
unblinkingly takes us into Jeff’s lifestyle which is more
rock’n’roll than your own and revolves around ,”Kirk (as in the
Captain of the USS Enterprise), Mall & Film”, with a daily dose
of the Three Stooges on the side and plenty of hugs for his
female colleagues at the Cinema that he nominally ‘works’ at.
After JEFFTOWNE you’ll never look at a handicapped person in
the same way again. (60 mins)
With fun wistful short KID FEARS (11 mins)
& WORKING STIFF (14 mins)
Wednesday 12 July 7pm | Pop Shop Gallery
TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING (1999)
Director, writer, music: Giuseppe Andrews,
Producer: Adam Rifkin,
Cast: Bill Nowlin, Ruthe Estes, Walt Dongo.
Giuseppe Andrews first feature is in black and white because
he couldn’t find the colour control. With money from the
director of DETROIT ROCK CITY Andrews put together TOUCH
ME IN THE MORNING. Andrews saw his first movie a
The Troma Aroma Blows South:
Lloyd Kaufman & Seven Toxic Reasons
To Go Spanish!
notes & programming by Michael Helms
Fassbinder film, at the age of 17. TOUCH ME IN
THE MORNING is very much like Fassbinder meets BUM
FIGHTS. Andrews stars as Coney Island, a young guy with an
identity crisis. Mom is a cokehead with a boyfriend she met at
rehab bingo and Dad is permanently pissed when he’s not in jail
which is where he is about to leave at the start of the film.
Things look a little shaky for Coney and get a lot worse before
they get better in his world of cheapjack caravan living.
Highlights include a surprise birthday stripper and gang bang
for Dad, gratuitous shit stomping and a happy ending involving
farts and a jar of peanut butter. (83 mins)
With documentary short PLEASE KILL ME MR. KINSKI
capturing the late, great German actor going off the deep end
during the making of his last film, CRAWLSPACE (9 mins)
TRAILER TOWN (2003)
Director, writer, producer, score: Giuseppe Andrews,
Cast: Bill Nowlin, Chief Stan, Walt Dongo
By TRAILER TOWN Andrews had found the colour control on his
camera. He doesn’t spend as much time in front of it though as
he utilises drinking and drugging curmudgeon Bill Nowlin again
along with several other new star recruits from the trailer park
where all his films seem to hermetically sealed. It all ends in a
performance number after covering itself in shit and having sex
with that shit! The end result is as strangely touching as
TOUCH ME IN THE MORNING. (81 mins) With short
DEADBEATS starring WWE wrestler Mick Foley and featuring
music by Man Or Atronman and The Woggles (28 mins)
TERROR FIRMER (1999)
Director: Lloyd Kaufman
Writers: Pat Cassidy, Douglas Buck & Lloyd Kaufman
Producers: Mark C.Adams, Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman
Original Music: Sean McGrath
Cast: Will Keenan, Alyce LaToirelle, Lloyd Kaufman, Debbie
Rochon, Ron Jeremy, Lemmy Kilmister
TERROR FIRMER is an epic created by Troma to see in the new
millennium with a bang. They throw in everything from the
kitchen sink to a naked fat guy running loose in the streets of
New York in this ode to filmmaking that pushes the gross-out
bar way beyond the reach of anyone seeking to compete with
Troma. Lloyd Kaufman directs himself playing blind filmmaker
Larry Benjamin as death stalks his film set. See the Toxic
Avenger having sex as Sgt. Kabukiman looks on and laugh as
the sex of the killer is revealed in excruciating close up. Troma’s
biggest gagfest!(114 mins)
Monday 10 July 7pm | Glitch
LOLLILOVE (2004)
Director: Jenna Fischer
Writers: Jenna Fischer & Peter Alton
Executive Producer: James Gunn
Cast: James Gunn, Jenna Fischer, Linda Cardellini.
James and Jenna are an idealistic young couple looking to do
something for society that at the very least will launch Jenna
as a national celebrity. They decide on a project they christen
Lollilove which is designed to demonstrate their sharing caring
attitudes (and attract massive donations and sponsorship) by
handing out Chupa Chups wrapped in James’ own naïve
artwork to as many homeless people as they can. Very cleverly
put together (over three years) LOLLILOVE is slightly deeper and
funnier than your average and now most commonly found
mockumentary. More an instant classic along the lines of
FORGOTTEN SILVER or THE RUTLES. Fischer has featured in the
US version of THE OFFICE while Gunn who has had a major
writing hand in both SCOOBY DOO features and the remake of
DAWN OF THE DEAD has never forgotten his Troma roots which
are on display in his first film as director, the recently released
SLITHER. (64 mins) With shorts ARROWHEAD BEER (5 mins),
MARIJUANA’S REVENGE (5 mins), THE J2 PROJECT (12 mins).
www.muff.com.au
Avant Muff
The New Breed
Melbourne independent
filmmakers curated by
Bill Mousoulis
Lemon Ani
Following on from my retrospective programming of Melb indie directors in MUFF ’04, and also
Jake Wilson’s selection in MUFF ’05, this year the focus is on three newer/younger filmmakers:
the team of Genevieve Bailey & Jarrah Gurrie, Matthew Clayfield (who’s actually just arrived in
Melbourne recently), and actor-turned-director Kim Miles.
In the context of ever-staid mainstream Australian cinema, these three filmmakers are,
respectively, refreshing, intelligent and anarchic. They utilise digital video in a creative way, rather
than as a substitute for film, and they are prolific to boot. Their films are exhilarating, because of the
imaginative forms they’ve come up with.
Full profiles of all the filmmakers can be accessed at the Melbourne independent filmmakers
website at www.innersense.com.au/mif. All sessions will have an intro and Q&A.
PROGRAM 1: GENEVIEVE BAILEY & JARRAH GURRIE
Genevieve and Jarrah met at the School of Creative Arts,
Melbourne University in 1999, and have been working together
ever since. As well as being enticed by other peoples’ true stories
through doco making, their narrative films have been described as
possessing doco flavoured qualities. They like to tell simple stories
in not so simple ways. It is important to them to present new
and fresh faces on screen. They strive to work with people from
different age groups, experiences, backgrounds, sexualities and
cultures. They thrive on the challenges that filmmaking can bring
and enjoy the pressure of making films in under 24 hours. They like
working with non-actors, children, seniors and animals.
Genevieve and Jarrah are currently living and filmmaking in
different parts of the world (Melbourne and New York respectively).
They are working on a range of projects independently, and look
forward to nurturing their unique creative relationship for many
years to come.
BRIGHT LIGHTS
(2004) 7 mins, Doco Drama, in camera edited for
Shootout 2004, directed by J & G)
WEBSTER SAY (2005) 15 mins, Surreal comedy shot
and edited at GTV 9 Melbourne, J & G)
Sick to the Vitals
Matthew Clayfield
DANSU KURABU (DANCE CLUB)
(2002) 17 mins, Japanese Comedy with English Subtitles, (G)
WRITING: AN HOMAGE TO JAMES AND ABBAS
(2005, 10 mins 30 secs)
ONE MORE SLEEP
(2005) 7 mins, in camera edited for Shootout 2005,
J & G & Gavin Youngs
KITE CIRCUIT (2005, 9 mins 30 secs) (as producer)
FROM HERE (2005) 7 mins, 15/15 film fest entry 2005, J & G
Thursday 13 July 7pm | The Spanish Club
PROGRAM 3: KIM MILES
MUMS TALK ABOUT PLANES, MARRIAGE,
ASYLUM AND POP MUSIC
(2004) 2 mins, Experimental Doco, J & G
WHITE SOAP (2001) 4 mins, Doco, J
LEMON ANI
(2006) 10 mins, Doco flavoured Drama, (G & Henrik Nordstrom)
FROM BOMBAY TO BROKEN HILL
(2002) 10 mins, Documentary, G
INDI (2004) 10 mins, 15/15 Film fest entry 2004, Drama, J & G
PROGRAM 2: MATTHEW CLAYFIELD
It is at once both very satisfying and very embarrassing to be
showing my short films at MUFF. Satisfying because, obviously,
it’s nice to be recognised for your work; embarrassing because, as
proud as I am of said work, I also don’t think it’s particularly good.
Some of this stuff was made when I was all of seventeen, which
has a tendency to be a very embarrassing age when looked upon in
retrospect. Which isn’t to say, mind you, that this little filmography
of mine doesn’t have its moments or some kind of overarching
coherence. It occasionally does. Every film has something to offer
(or at least, almost every film) and a number of recurring thematic,
formal and practical concerns can be seen to emerge after the
completion of Flushed, which I’ll let you discover for yourself.
– Matthew Clayfield
THREE CARD MONTE (2003, 3 mins 30 secs)
FILM NO. 2 (2004, 2 mins 30 secs)
FLUSHED (2004, 7 mins 40 secs)
NOTES FROM THE ARCTIC CIRCLE (2005, 7 mins 10 secs)
MARK AND KATRINA GO BOATING (2005, 6 mins 10 secs)
ON HYPERLINKAGE AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPECIES
(2005, 4 mins 15 secs)
FIRELIGHT (2005, 6 mins 5 secs)
These films are about discovery, risk-taking, poetry, metaphor,
entertainment, great filmmakers of the past (and a few of
the present), dreaming, imagination, self-expression, and the
possibilities and language of cinematic art.
A film is a film. A camera capturing images. It succeeds or it
doesn’t. Everything else has been layered on and become the
accepted model.
So fuck rules, man-made structures, “development”, trucks of
equipment, millions of dollars, Oscars, Hollywood, tunnel-vision
career paths, mediocrity, vulgarity, pornography (i.e. Saw, Wolf
Creek, Hostel), judges, world domination and artistic stagnation.
– Kim Miles
I THOUGHT I WASN’T (2003, 5 mins 30 secs)
Singing, dancing Work for the Dole project
THE WORLD REALLY IS W (2004, 6 mins)
A fucked up office
THE COLOUR IS BLUE (2004, 4 mins)
A tender but doomed relationionship
TOP SPEED OF A RABBIT - 72 KPH (2004, 10 mins)
2 women drug a man
THE PURPOSE OF LIFE AND THE NATURE OF DEATH
(2002, 4 mins 45 secs)
A man living in a room full of pigeon shit
PROPORTION OF AUSTRALIAN MALES WITH ERECTILE
PROBLEMS; NEARLY 40% (2003, 7 mins 30 secs)
A man falls in love with an orange
TO MASTER A LONG GOOD NIGHT (2005, 6 mins 40 secs)
One man – 7 girlfriends
SICK TO THE VITALS
(2005, 20 mins)
2 years after Idol and she’s fucked
www.muff.com.au
Australian Cult Cinema
Part 5
Flynn
The Frank Howson /
Boulevard Films Legacy
Frank Howson was virtually born into show business, treading the
boards for the first time when he was seven years old. By the time
he’d reached his twenty-first birthday he’d starred in 21 major
theatrical productions as an actor/singer/dancer.
In the late eighties and early nineties Frank Howson ran Boulevard
films that produced over ten features in a short period of time all on
film. After being shafted by his business partner Frank has fought
back from many a crisis to be a great supporter of indy and guerilla
filmmaking today. We are pleased to present a selection of the
more alternative cutting edge and interesting films from Boulevard’s
catalogue, a company that could have easily become Australia’s
own Miramax or Lions Gate if certain things had not occurred that
derailed the grand vision of Mr. Howson.
MUFF is honoured to premiere Howson’s new film “Remembering
Nigel” on Closing Night also and we live in hope that this is just a
teaser of more films to come. We have a feeling his best work is yet
to come.
HEAVEN TONIGHT (1988) 97 minutes
Boulevard Films’ third movie and debatably one of its best. It
fulfilled Howson’s dream to make a movie about the dark side of the
rock’n’roll industry, capturing all the grit and dashed hopes of that
cut-throat profession. Howson again wrote the screenplay and it is
loosely based on many characters he encountered during his career
in the music business.
Howson was tired of all the Hollywood versions of the rock industry
story and wanted this one to show it as it really was/is. As a result
he demanded that all the music performed live in the film actually
be recorded live as the cameras rolled. This required casting actors
that could actually play and sing. John Waters plays the deluded
aging rocker Johnny Dysart, and his son is played by Guy Pearce
(making his big screen debut). Support actors include Rebecca
Gilling, Kim Gyngell and Sean Scully. Gyngell was again nominated
for an AFI award for his chilling performance as the heroin addicted
Baz Schultz, one of Johnny’s old band members and songwriting
partners from the golden days.
HUNTING (1989) 97 minutes
Boulevard’s fourth film and Howson’s directorial debut. Written by
Howson during a time of disenchantment with his business partner
and the way his company was being run, it is filled with layers of
meaning, both visually and spoken, that foretells the dark
disillusionment Howson was finding himself more and more trapped
in. It also predicts the fall of many of the eighties’ high-rollers.
Starring respected American actor John Savage as the mysterious
Michael Bergman, a multi-millionaire whose business details are as
cloudy as his past. Savage won rave reviews in the U.S for his
performance and it reactivated his career there. Kerry Armstrong
plays Michelle Harris, a married secretary for a stock-broking firm,
she becomes drawn into Bergman’s world at the expense of
Hunting
everything else she cared about in life. Armstrong was nominated
for an AFI award for Best Actress but did herself no favours by not
promoting the movie and lost out. Supporting roles are played by
Rebecca Rigg, Jeffrey Thomas and Nicholas Bell. Watch out for Guy
Pearce’s turn as a ruthlessly cold hit man. Hunting was sold to
Paramount in the U.S and became Boulevard’s most financially
successful movie. It was also nominated for 2 AFI awards. David
Stratton described “Hunting” as the best Boulevard film yet.
FLYNN (1989-1993) 94 minutes
Boulevard’s sixth film and Howson’s second feature as director.
This much anticipated bio-pic of Errol Flynn’s early life, preHollywood, became as controversial as its subject matter. The
original director departed the project and the overseas distributor
requested that Howson take over the helm. The film stars Guy
Pearce (in a tour-de-force performance that was astonishingly
snubbed by the AFIs), legendary British actor Steven Berkoff,
Claudia Karvan, John Savage and Wendy Matthews. Look for
cameo from MUFF festival Director Richard Wolstencroft!
CRIME TIME (1992) 90 minutes
This was Boulevard’s tenth film and the first not scripted by Howson.
Bruce Venables wrote the screenplay based on his original idea
(although Marc Gracie and Howson contributed much uncredited
input into story and structure). It’s a cop/buddy movie, comedy/drama,
with some very interesting plot twists. Directed by Marc Gracie (his
second feature for Boulevard), with a stylish and commercial eye, it
remains one of Boulevard’s most accessible movies.
Starring Marcus Graham and Bruce Venables as the two cops who
uncover corruption in their Police Force and follow it all the way to
the top. It is layered with subplots that all come to a satisfying and
exciting climax. Graham and Venables are extremely likable
together and if this film had received its rightful release one can
imagine a successful continuing franchise for these characters.
“Crime Time” was never released due to the fall of Boulevard and
remains in a lab somewhere. No one has bothered to complete it or
release it due to a minefield of legal spider webs. So, here for the
first and probably last time, MUFF unveils the rough cut of what
would’ve been an interesting Aussie gem of a picture.
Sunday 9 July 9pm | Glitch
See also Howson’s new short film Remebering Nigel
on Closing Night. (see still below and text on Closing Night p.)
Great Directors
Little Seen Films
Dumbland
This Sporting Life
Following on from the success of our Famous directors, early films focus of MUFF 6, we bring you
Famous Directors, Little Seen Films. Yes, some big names with some films you probably have not
seen but should. It’s amazing to think some of these feature films and shorts are quite unknown to
many, so be sure to make a bee-line to this great retrospective at MUFF777. Check these titles out,
knaben und madchen!
SHORTS FROM LYNCH
AND VON TRIER
DUMBLAND
Dir: David Lynch / 40 mins/ 2002 to 2005
A classic selection of animated shorts from
the genius David Lynch. He was learning
flash animation and made these films as he
went. Familiar Lynch themes appear like
domestic abuse, cowboys, white picket
fences with the additional new Lynchian
motif... flatulence. Yes, to be seen to be
believed.
Von Trier’s NOCTURNE (1980) and
IMAGES OF A RELIEF(1982)
Two early Von Trier shorts the latter of
which features a German WW2 soldier
who ascends to heaven after being
wrongly accused and executed for a crime
he didn’t commit. In Von Trier’s world God
is obviously a Nazi and when you think
about God is really into power, ordering
people around(especially in the old
testament bible) and omnipresence and
stuff...hmmm maybe Von Trier is right?
THE GLADIATORS
Dir: Peter Watkins / 91 mins/ Sweden
A brilliant little seen film from the most
underrated true genius director of late 20th
Century cinema, Peter Watkins. This is a
war games movie set around an old Steel
Mill in Sweden where future armies battle
it out for live cameras in the Peace games.
Only trouble is, the Peace games are very
violent and people get killed for real.
Sound familiar? They call that Iraq on our
TV these days don’t they?
THIS SPORTING LIFE
Dir: Lindsay Anderson /
130 mins / England
The MUFF love affair with Lindsay
Anderson continues as we play one of his
most important works. Starring Richard
Harris and the first great Dr Who William
Hartnell, this film is a harrowing tale of a
sports star, brilliant on the field but a
complete knob off. He fucks his life up
while climbing to the top of his game. This
film is one of the most devastating films
about a human relationship I have seen.
Incredibly powerful. Anderson is a god. Roy
and HG This Sporting Life... this film is Not.
See this fucking classic if you have missed
it...pronto, you won’t regret it.
SEASON OF THE WITCH
Dir: George Romero / 104 mins /
1970 / USA
A great rare early feature from zombie king
George Romero. The film concerns the
sexual fantasies and occult dabblings of a
young Pittsburgh female and plays out as
she gets deeper and deeper into these
decadent worlds. Film features many
fantastic dream sequences that are very
surreal and trippy. Great filmmaking and
disturbing set pieces gives this
psychological thriller the edge.
Reminiscent of Belle De Jour and
Repulsion but in Romero’s distinctive 70’s
style! Be sure to catch up with this rare
one, also known as Jacks Wife and
released briefly as Hungry Wives.
Monday 10 July 9pm | Glitch
www.muff.com.au
Sexy Muff
Programming and Notes
by Nik Vuko
Pornography: The Secret History
PORNOGRAPHY: THE SECRET HISTORY OF CIVILISATION (2006)
GREAT DIRECTORS OF EROTIC CINEMA
From the Directors of Inside Deep Throat, MUFF brings you an
insightful and amusing 3 part documentary showing mans age
old fascination with portraying sexuality in all forms of media;
sculpture, painting, photographs, film, video and digital. See
what archaeologists dug up in the ruins of Pompeii and did
not want polite society to be aware of. See how the pious
Christians amused themselves with the printing press. See
how Hollywood turned 8mm stag films into cinematic epics.
In whichever form of media erotica appears censorship soon
follows, see how the people who forged the modern European
and US film porn industry beat the censorship lobby into
submission.
MUFF showcases the works of some legendary erotic directors
from the Golden years of Hollywood, when real men had
moustaches and women were not silicone enhanced, collagen
injected Barbie dolls.
SESSION 1:
THE ROAD TO RUIN
The discovery of explicit artifacts in the ruins of Pompeii
created a dilemma for polite society in the 18th century. The
solution was a secret museum for gentlemen only.
THE SACRED AND PROFANE – The printing press
democratized access to pornography, but also sparked a frenzy
to censor sexually explicit material. The censorship battle
had begun.
Sunday 9 July 5pm | Pop Shop Gallery
SESION 2:
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOXY – The invention of moving
pictures revolutionized pornography and dramatically expanded
its reach. From Stag films to peepshow booths to mainstream
porn features, pornography leapt into the mainstream.
THE MECHANICAL EYE
Photography’s universal appeal and facility for realism led
to the creation of the porn magazine and a new breed of
businessman: the porn dealer.
SESSION 3:
SEX LIVES ON VIDEOTAPE
The advent of video led to the demise of adult cinemas but
allowed consumers to become producers as they stepped
behind the camera and started recording their own sex lives in
the privacy of their own homes.
PORNOTOPIA
In its digital incarnation on the internet, pornography appears
to have triumphed and sidestepped all attempts to control
it. But can it ever really deliver or do its promised fantasies,
remain as elusive as ever?
Monday 10 July 7pm | Pop Shop Gallery
HENRY PARIS (RADLEY METZGER) DOUBLE FEATURE
Well known for his European style softcore erotic films
that have been recently released on DVD here in Australia;
Lickerish Quartet, Score, Camille 2000, Therese and Isabelle,
Radley Metzger, under the pseudonym Henry Paris has made
what are considered some of the best adult films to come out
during Hollywoods Golden Years of erotica. His films are why
they are called the Golden Years, because they could easily
have been mistaken for mainstream films of the time.
Monday 10 July 9pm | Pop Shop Gallery
NAKED CAME THE STRANGER - (1975) 72 MINS
This Henry Paris-Radley Metzger film has an unusual origin
as a famous literary hoax. 25 editors and journalists at the
New York daily newspaper “Newsday” conspired to write the
worst novel of all time, then see how far they could drive it up
the bestseller lists. To ensure lack of quality, they wrote it by
committee. The resulting novel “Naked Came the Stranger”
(1969), was an incomprehensible hodgepodge about the sexual
adventures of husband-and-wife radio talk show hosts. The
authors sent out an attractive woman claiming to be the author
to hustle their book on the talk show circuit. After the book
became a top-10 bestseller, the conspirators admitted that
they were the authors. Five years later, Metzger bought the
rights to the book and made this very odd and sometimes funny
film which included one of Darby Lloyd Rains’ most memorable
weird scenes, masturbating in a stairwell while listening with
comical disbelief (through an apartment door) to the innane
sexual baby-talk her husband’s mistress gushes during sex.
“William and Gillian have the most popular talk-show around,
maybe because they talk about sex. But when William starts
giving intimate sex advice in his spare time, his lovely wife
decides to give him a dose of his own medicine.” Starring
Darbi Lloyd Rains, Levi Richaards, Mary Stuart, Alan Marlow,
Christine Hutton, Helen Madigan
PRIVATE AFTERNOONS OF PAMELA MANN – (1974) 75 MINS
Pamela Mann pretends to be a bored housewife seeking
sexual adventures with available men in this feature film.
She is followed by a private detective, hired by her husband,
who films her every encounter. What the detective and her
afternoon liaisons do not know is that she and her husband
view these films each evening with great pleasure, as part
China Cat
Blonde Fire
of their sexual foreplay. Henry Paris does it right! This
lavishly produced video has the look and sophistication of a
mainstream Hollywood production. In fact, it was the first
adult film to show that porn could have Hollywood quality.
Everything works! The delightful humor. The professional
musical score that enhances the action and enriches the
film. An eye-popping creamy collection of some of the most
beautiful sex scenes ever put on celluloid.
PO BOX TINTO (1995)
Tinto Brass has received thousands of unsolicited letters,
photos, and videos from female fans over the years, all
recounting their most intimate sexual fantasies. In P.O. BOX
TINTO BRASS, he reveals many of these exciting and explicit
tales of desire on film, giving the viewer plenty of beautiful
girls in sensual situations. Highly erotic.
BOB CHINN DOUBLE FEATURE
TINTO BRASS DOUBLE FEATURE
Tinto Brass is the acknowledged king of European erotica.
He adores the female ass in the same way that Russ
Meyer adores the female breast. He is one of the rare film
makers that has turned pornography into erotica. A brilliant
cinematographer, he has become renowned for his devotion
to feminine sexuality and the female body, Il Maestro as he is
known in his native Italy, is revered by thousands of beautiful
young women who long to appear in one of his films. He is
one of the worlds best erotic film makers.
CHEEKY (2000)
Starring the beautiful Russian model, Yuliya Mayarchuk, this
film is full of highly-charged eroticism and sensuality. Yuliya, as
Carla, looks positively sexy in sheer skirts and revealing tops,
in which she is dressed for maybe only fifteen minutes of the
entire film. The rest of the time she is pulling her panties off
in public, teasing men with glimpses of her cooch, driving her
lesbian real estate agent wild with lust, and generally creating
an erotic frenzy wherever she goes. She has come to London
in search of an apartment for herself and her lover, Matteo, a
jealous type who suspects that perhaps Carla hasn’t been as
faithful as he imagined. D’uh!
See the real Dirk Diggler (John Holmes) in the films that made
him a household name and that inspired PT Anderson to create
the film Boogie Nights! Also see the porn film goddess Seka,
from last years MUFF doco, Desperately Seeking Seka, when
she was in her prime.
Wednesday 12 July 9pm | Pop Shop Gallery
THE CHINA CAT
A spoof of Charlies Angels and the Maltese Falcon. Follows
the adventures of private dick, Johnny Wadd. Assigned a
case by speaker phone, a sexy squad of female detectives
go undercover trying to get their hands on a priceless jade
statuette Wadd possesses. Some of the scenes in this film
were re-enacted in Boogie Nights.
BLONDE FIRE
John Holmes reprises his role as Johnny Wadd. This episode in
the classic erotic thriller series finds him in exotic South Africa
to retrieve a priceless diamond known as the Blonde Fire. Seka
makes her totally astonishing blue film debut as an accomplice
Wadd acquires in his quest to bring home the diamond. Not
knowing who to trust, the man with the 13 inch gun shows an
array of sexy women, including an uninhibited belly dancer that
a diamond is not the hardest substance on earth.
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