For the past two weeks the Melbourne International Film Festival has taken over the city and ScreenAnarchy (both myself and prolific reviewer
Kwenton Bellette) have been everywhere, attending as many films and events as our eyes and livers can handle. Kwenton has been jamming in film after film and reporting from the frontlines, while I've been busy at the MIFF 37ºSouth Market and Accelerator and Shorts events, as well as seeing a few films on the side.
We've also been attending events and premieres, with perhaps the biggest and most prestigious of these the centrepiece Gala World Premiere for The Turning that was held on Saturday 3 August. This is a film you'll be hearing a lot about. An adaptation of Tim Winton's best-selling anthology of the same name, The Turning is set in and around the fictional Australian coastal town of Angelus (which is also featured in several other of Winton's books), and tells the story of its central characters over several generations. Rather than choose a traditional feature structure, the 17 short stories of the novel have been adapted into 17 short films forming a loose narrative but an experimental one that uses different actors playing the same roles, and a directing roster of some of the country's most respected and rising directors - some of whom have also worked in disciplines such as theatre and dance.
As we like to bring you new and different types of content at ScreenAnarchy, we have a gallery below of images from the Gala event - focusing specifically on these directors - taken by roving MIFF photographer Jim Lee. While not all of the directors are featured, the gallery gives an idea not just of the talent that project curator Robert Connolly has managed to assemble for The Turning anthology but also the exuberance which with the Gala event was celebrated,
The Turning curator and segment director Robert Connolly and The Turning (novel) author Tim Winton
The Turning segment director (and director of Snowtown) Justin Kurzel and actress Essie Davis
The Turning segment director (and director of Van Diemen's Land) Jonathan auf der Heide with actress Eva Lazzaro
The Turning segment director and actress Mia Wasikowska
The Turning segment director Ashlee Page and actor Harrison Gilbertson
The Turning segment director, cinematographer (and director of Samson & Delilah and the upcoming The Darkside) Warwick Thornton
The Turning segment director Simon Stone (and former resident director at the Belvoir Theatre Company) and actress Emily Barclay
The Turning segment director Stephen Page (top left) with cast. Stephen is also the artistic director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre.
The Turning segment director Tony Ayers (right) with actors Toby Wallace and Brenna Harding. Tony also directed The Home Song Stories and The Slap.
The Turning segment director Anthony Lucas (who directed Academy Award nominated short The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello) with actresses Taylor Ferguson and Libby Tanner