sydney underground film festival

SUFF pops up everywhere!

2011-07-16T01:54:00.005+10:00

SUFF staff love to travel - whether it's film making in Canada, film festival hopping in the USA or searching for film makers in Germany... and so on...

This was a quick stickering in Berlin while on a tour (stickering *is* a legal form of street art in Berlin, with provisions) - hopefully we'll get some better ones later on. Our apologies to El Bocho!

Turn your holiday snaps into SUFF competition entries!

2011-06-14T22:25:00.007+10:00

We are absolutely loving these - thanks 'S' for entering the SUFF comp!

Comp tip: Going on a holiday? Taking photos of the SUFF face will help break the ice with strangers!

Latest entry for the 2011 SUFF totally legal competition

2011-06-12T22:06:00.004+10:00

We've got a fabulous competition entry here from new SUFF staffer and multi-talented Rhys Turner (sorry Rhys, no prizes - except for the glory of working with us, of course!). Among other things, Rhys has a comic starring this character (Muskater) which you can find out more about on Rhys' blog. It's another great example of what you could be sending to us... jane at suff.com.au...

New competition entry

2011-06-08T20:08:00.005+10:00

We've just received this entry (called 'don't show my face', by J), with a sticker from last year's festival. Yep, we'll even accept those! Can you do better than stuff on your cat? (And we wonder, who's going to be the first with a SUFF tattoo?)

Send in those entries...

Heads up for Sydney Film Festival 2011!

2011-06-08T18:27:00.004+10:00

As you probably already know by now, Sydney Film Festival starts today and runs until June 19^th.

They are screening an amazing 161 films from 42 countries. CIVIC LIFE, BOXING GYM, MICROPHONE, LETTERS FROM THE BIG MAN and SAMMY’S ADVENTURES: THE SECRET PASSAGE are some of the many films you should not miss. Book tickets here.

The Turin Horse - screening at Sydney Film Festival soon

2011-06-07T21:35:00.004+10:00

Sydney Film Festival is screening the stunning THE TURIN HORSE. This grand work of apocalyptic minimalism from Hungarian director Béla Tarr won a Special Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. One of our recommended films.

Read more on this film and other Push Me To The Edge films here .

Ideas for the totally legal SUFF competition 2011

2011-06-04T20:58:00.004+10:00

We'd like to recieve a whole lot more competition entries for our totally legal SUFF comp than we have been, so if you've been thinking about entering, now's the time!

We will accept drawings, pictures, photos - even macaroni art - as long as it has a recognisable version of the SUFF logo in your image it's good to go. If you like, get a bunch of friends to model the logo for you. Or head on over to Reverse Garbage and create something out of the ordinary. Whatever you do, just enter a photo of your work by sending it to jane (at) suff.com.au.

Here's a fabulous entry from Oba:

What will you send us?

SUFF dines out in style at Summer Hill's Pier 26

2011-06-04T20:43:00.004+10:00

Recently we were lucky enough to have our staff meeting at the glorious Pier 26 restaurant in Summer Hill, Sydney. We literally received mountains of seafood, as you can see in this pic. Since the image pretty much speaks for itself all we have to say is the service was as good as the seafood.

We're glad this place is Summer Hill's secret. Thanks Pier 26 for having SUFF!

The Forgiveness of Blood at Sydney Film Festival 2011

2011-06-01T21:14:00.003+10:00

While you're waiting for SUFF to start... Sydney Film Festival starts in only one week from today! Some films are sold out and many are selling fast, so avoid disappointment and book now. One film not to miss is THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD - The latest drama from Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace). Book tickets here.

The totally legal SUFF competition 2011

2011-05-19T20:00:00.011+10:00

If you've read our newsletter, you'll know we are running a little competition – and anyone can participate! All you need is to know is what the SUFF face logo looks like and apply this logo to wherever your imagination takes you! Then just snap a happy snap and email it to jane [@] suff.com.au.

It could look something like this:

Or... well, we're sure you can do better than us.

You could also stencil the local stray cat*, sticker the back of your boss' car, or perhaps your local tranny performer’s crotch (with her permission of course!) - whatever you heart desires. [Disclaimer: SUFF takes no responsibility for where their image ends up.] As long as the SUFF logo is clearly visible - although obviously the more creative, out there and just plain weird it is, the more we going to like it.

If you would like a stencil sent to you, you can also email Jane for this - or better still, make your own! AND you can enter as many times as you like! We will be giving away DVDs, festival passes, stickers, tshirts and more! Entries will be posted right here, and occasionally on facebook and twitter.

Winners will be declared randomly throughout June, July and August 2011.

*Please use edible colouring. Cats are people too.

SUFF turns five! Bring on the festival for 2011!

2011-05-08T20:29:00.005+10:00

Hello there! Yes, SUFF turns 5 this year, and we're celebrating by doing what we do best - holding another great festival (if we do say so ourselves!). We're receiving some fantastic entries again this year, and the good news is it's not too late to enter - the very latest deadline is Friday 24 June 2011. Having said that, we really appreciate receiving films as early as possible so the committee who has the tough job of selecting the films aren't put under *quite* so much pressure! Dedicated as they are, we don't want to be responsible for making them look like this.

We're also about to unveil our new competition here on these pages, and it's something everyone can get involved in - so stay tuned.

Lunopolis - Fantastic Planet Film Fest screening - review

2010-11-03T16:04:00.002+11:00

As was blogged previously, SUFF co-presented the Australian premiere of Lunopolis with Fantastic Planet Film Festival last Monday at the Dendy, Newtown.

Fantastic Planet described Lunopolis as "The X-Files meets The Blair Witch Project", which is the most accurate description you'll find anywhere.

The film follows the story of two documentarians who accidentally uncover proof of a hidden city on the moon, and the secret society determined to keep it hidden (www.lunopolis.com). It touches on many of the hottest of conspiracy topics - aliens, déjà vu, time travel, area 51, immortality, a secret moon base, the explanation of the mysteries surrounding Dec 21, 2012 and more - yet manages to skillfully avoid the pitfalls usually associated with films who tackle these subjects.

As a low budget film, the filmmakers did extraordinarily well - proving once again how substance can win hands down over Hollywood gloss.

Screened with Lunopolis was the captivating short "The Chronoscope" - a mocumentary about a beautiful scientist in the 1930s who invents a machine that can see into the past. Funny and intelligent, if you watched it on tv you'd be forgiven for wondering if it were real!

And while we're speaking of shorts... Fantastic Planet Film Festival continues tonight with short film sessions 2 and 3, which are definitely not to be missed. See you there!

SUFF co-presents LUNOPOLIS with Fantastic Planet

2010-11-01T15:07:00.003+11:00

Quick post to remind you all that our co-present of LUNOPOLIS is TONIGHT (Monday 1 November, 7pm) at Dendy Newtown.

We love the Fantastic Planet Film Festival - not to mention their sister festival A Night of Horror - their programming is always creative and surprising.

Anyway back to Lunopolis! Tonight is the premiere and we're really thrilled to be part of it. We know you'll love the film as much as we do, so see you there!

the SUFF team

PS If you can't make tonight, there's still plenty on during the week.

SUFF screens at Rosnay Organic Farms in Canowindra, Central West NSW

2010-10-20T18:51:00.005+11:00

The rain poured down as we drove through the farm gate. Pulling up close to the house after hours of driving, we looked around uncertainly. We were supposed to be screening here, but hadn't counted on the weather. And where was everyone? Kath dashed to the house to find someone while the rest of us waited in the relative warmth of the car. She came back quickly. No-one there!

With our phones uselessly out of range, we were wondering what to do next when an eerie feeling caused me to looked up. A sillhouette in the doorway of another building! Uncertainly, Kath jumped out again to speak with the stranger, while we contemplated our chances of getting out alive... this was just a little too much like a B-grade horror... *

...and then back to reality when the sillhouette turned out to be the lovely Sam from Rosnay. Yes, we had arrived at Rosnay Organic Farms, one of SUFF's supporting partners. He gave directions to our new screening destination.
Only slightly disappointed that we weren't starring in our own horror flick, we headed to the hall to screen some of the shorts which featured in this year's festival.

While the numbers were lower than expected due to the rain and fears of flash flooding, we can safely say that everyone present had a ball! With dinner cooked and served by Florence and the Rosnay wines flowing freely, there was no chance of anything other than a good time to be had. In contrast to the weather, our hosts and the locals were completely warm and welcoming.

But the country hospitality didn't end there. After the screening we headed back to the Rosnay farm to the cottage they rent out (from $150 per night for 2 people up to $350 for six in case you're wondering). Totally gorgeous! And as were were to find out the next day, the views were as stunning as the location was peaceful. So much for our horror film scenario.

Canowindra (for some reason pronounced ca-NOWn-dra, took us city folk a while to get that one right!) is a picturesque little town around 45 minutes' drive south-west of Orange. We decided to check out Canowindra's main street and raid the local op shops.

Later we were shown around the vineyard and then invited to have dinner with Sam and his beautiful family in their home, a straw bale house they'd built themselves. Inspirational!

All in all, with the screening, the wines, the location but most of all the company of the locals, this visit was one that we'll remember for a long time.

You can check out our photos here!

*This and the preceding paragraph may not be entirely factual, in the interests of a good story.

THE SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL TO SURFACE IN CENTRAL WEST NSW

2010-09-29T19:42:00.002+10:00

The best of the Sydney Underground Film Festival is heading to the Rosnay Winery, located near Cowra in Central West NSW, to celebrate independent filmmaking and organic wine with the local community.

Members of the public are invited to bring a picnic rug, sit back and relax with quality, independent films under the stars. Guests will also be invited to try Rosnay’s quality organic wines or their world-class olives and figs.

The Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF) showcases unique and entertaining films that challenge the conservative conventions of filmmaking and supports filmmakers who push their filmmaking practice in both form and content.

SUFF’s 2010 festival at the Factory Theatre recently screened 89 films to sell-out crowds over one huge weekend, and the Rosnay event will showcase a number of the award-winning films from the 2010 festival.

SUFF is a natural partnership for Rosnay who are long-time supporters of the arts and have previously sponsored events such as the Peats Ridge Festival as well as events for artists, galleries and musicians.

WHERE: Rosnay Winery - Rivers Road (4 km from the turnoff on the Cowra Road, outside Canowindra)

COST: $15 for films only. $30 for films and dinner. Tickets available at the door.

TIME: 5.30pm for music, drinks and dinner (RSVP only). Films commence from 7.00pm.

RSVP (for dinner): Monday 11 October

ALCOHOL: Cellar Door is licensed: No BYO

BRING: Folding chair, rug, cushions etc For more information contact: Belinda Worsley - Kabuku Public Relations T: 0415 686 014 E: Belinda@kabukupr.com.au

THE SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL TO SURFACE IN CENTRAL WEST NSW

2010-09-29T19:42:00.000+10:00

The best of the Sydney Underground Film Festival is heading to the Rosnay Winery, located near Cowra in Central West NSW, to celebrate independent filmmaking and organic wine with the local community.

Members of the public are invited to bring a picnic rug, sit back and relax with quality, independent films under the stars. Guests will also be invited to try Rosnay’s quality organic wines or their world-class olives and figs.

The Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF) showcases unique and entertaining films that challenge the conservative conventions of filmmaking and supports filmmakers who push their filmmaking practice in both form and content. SUFF’s 2010 festival at the Factory Theatre recently screened 89 films to sell-out crowds over one huge weekend, and the Rosnay event will showcase a number of the award-winning films from the 2010 festival.

SUFF is a natural partnership for Rosnay who are long-time supporters of the arts and have previously sponsored events such as the Peats Ridge Festival as well as events for artists, galleries and musicians.

WHERE: Rosnay Winery - Rivers Road (4 km from the turnoff on the Cowra Road, outside Canowindra)
COST: $15 for films only. $30 for films and dinner. Tickets available at the door.
TIME: 5.30pm for music, drinks and dinner (RSVP only).
Films commence from 7.00pm.
RSVP (for dinner): Monday 11 October
ALCOHOL: Cellar Door is licensed: No BYO
BRING: Folding chair, rug, cushions etc

For more information contact: Belinda Worsley - Kabuku Public Relations
T: 0415 686 014 E: Belinda@kabukupr.com.au

'The Taint' review by Yasmin Vought screens 10 September

2010-09-10T14:44:00.002+10:00

The Taint certainly is one of the most horrendously grotesque films of this year. Banned (or soon to be banned) in pretty much every state and territory that it was released in, it promises to shock, disgust, infuriate and disturb you to the core. The Taint is described as a satirical horror-comedy seeking to expose the misogynistic views of contemporary genre films, by being the most misogynistic film of all time.

My viewing notes for this film pretty much read as follows; “Penis…. Is that Corey, the social networking party dude? Human faeces… penis… severed penis… pinball music… penis… ahh that’s what ‘taint’ means… smashed heads… sperm explosion…” In light of this quite simplistic method of film analysis, please forgive me if I do not give you the usual run down on how tight the editing was and the details of fancy cinematography techniques, such as the depth of field in the face-mutilation scene. Because let’s face it, that would just be missing the point entirely. This is a trash film, best viewed trashed (responsibly and on SUFF wine of choice ‘Rosnay’ wine, of course!) or at least with your sense of humour intact and your mind firmly planted in the gutter.

Essentially this film is a horror comedy in the style of ‘Cannibal: The Musical’ and in my opinion, inspired by classics such as Dario Argento horror masterpiece, ‘Suspiria’ and countless John Waters trash flicks. The Taint’s film genre also borders on tacky romance at some points, with a few flashback scenes that are presented in a spoof soap opera style. Think ‘Mills and Boone’ meets ‘Passions’, only with mutilation and sexual violence. Ahh zombie love…

Drew Bolduc, the lead Actor and Director of ‘The Taint’ will be doing a Q&A after the SUFF screening of his film this Friday night at The Factory Theatre, Marrickville. His character, Phil O’Ginny, reminds me of a mutant cross between Matt Stone and Napolean Dynamite. Drew also acted in and directed a short film in 2008 called ‘The Godening’, in which a young man loses his religion and becomes a hedonist and an alcoholic. He then has to battle Satan to save his soul from eternal damnation. I must see this film! Until then, I’ll be heading to the Factory Theatre this Friday night to watch ‘The Taint’ with some like minded creeps and weirdos and to hopefully ask Drew what his fascination is with bodily fluids and smashed heads. Catch this film before it’s banned!

El Monstro Del Mar! review by Yasmin Vought screens 10 September

2010-09-10T13:52:00.001+10:00

Described as an Ozploitation genre film, Stuart Simpson’s El Monstro Del Mar is a tale of three foxy rockabilly babes - hired assassins hiding away in a seaside village after a big job. Amazonian goddess Beretta (Nelli Scarlet) appears to be the leader of the pack, and has a dominance and presence on screen that forces you to pay attention - or else she will probably slit your throat and feed you to her two sidekicks! Beretta‘s punk rock attitude (Nelli is the frontwoman of Melbourne band, The Scarlets) is reminiscent of Suburban Mayhem beauty Katrina Skinner (played by Emily Barclay) and is complimented by the more subdued nature of Blondie (Karli Madden)and the sexual allure of the Morticia-meets-Elvira raven haired vixen, Snowball (Kate Watts).

The leading ladies are quite believable in their parts, almost as though they were plucked straight from their crème Cadillac, cruising around the streets of Melbourne, cranking The Cramps on their stereo. After watching El Monstro Del Mar, I want to join their crew and drink whiskey with them and go on a sexy car stealing, killing rampage on the South coast.

However, it’s not all fun and cruising, because just when we think that the girls are indestructible, they get themselves into a bit of trouble in this apparently not so sleepy seaside town by swimming in the forbidden beach. Channelling The Mighty Boosh’s tale of Ol’ Gregg, there is something deadly and frightening that lurks beneath the sea, and it’s not happy about being disturbed. Without spoiling the plot too much, this film quickly becomes a monstrous revenge film that would make Tarantino and the residents of Tromaville equally proud.

The combination of ass-kicking babes reminiscent of Russ-Meyer femme revenge flick, ‘Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill’ together with an amped up killer alt-country, rockabilly soundtrack to boot, make this film well worth your time and your pretty little pennies. If only to witness the sexy black and white opening title, or the frightening death skull dream sequence toward the middle. The cinematography is also quite exquisite and filmed almost entirely with an over saturated and highly contrasted film stock, giving the film a surreal and fantastical atmosphere. I half expected to see some Western clad Mermaids emerging from the waters, but let’s save that for the sequel (fingers crossed).

El Monstro Del Mar is showing this Saturday at the Factory Theatre in Marrickville at 4pm and will be followed by an exclusive Q&A with Writer and Director, Stuart Simpson and the Monstro crew.

Introducing Sydney Underground Film Festival's resident blogger Yasmin Vought

2010-09-07T14:18:00.002+10:00

We're really pleased to welcome our second blogger to the pages of the SUFF blog.

Yasmin Vought is a Sydney based film critic, writer and entertainment journalist. Her work has been published in websites such as Rotten Tomatoes, IGN, Machete Girl and Carnival Askew, to name a few.

Yasmin's passion for underground cinema and her contempt for the everyday mainstream film goes hand in hand with the feel of the Sydney Underground Film Festival. The films that Yasmin is most looking forward to at this years festival are: 'Bill Hicks: The American Story', 'Biker Fox', and 'Trash Humpers'. Stay tuned for her upcoming pre-festival film rants on the SUFF blog later this week.

Why didn't my film make it into the Sydney Underground Film Festival's program?

2010-09-01T19:44:00.004+10:00

Yes we're about to answer the burning question: 'Why didn't my film make it into the Sydney Underground Film Festival's program?'

We receive many films each year (this year over 800!) and we watch each and every one. The vast majority of these entries are very good films.

Duration and editing

So how do we narrow it down with so many great films? One factor is the length of the film. Not meaning to simplify it too much, but as you can imagine it’s a lot easier to include a short of 3 minutes than a film of 21 minutes in one of our short film sessions. Not that a longer film can’t be really good as we program them often - however, if your film is longer it really needs to be outstanding as the rest of the films in the session will need to be programmed around it. Also, longer films often fall in the trap of being too long unnecessarily. They could be something really unforgettable with some more editing and not just become an example of a filmmaker unable to lose some scenes. Sometimes, you just have to be ruthless and only keep in the scenes that are important to the story, or edit down scenes that are drawn out for no good reason.

The zeitgeist

Another big deciding factor is the theme - themes start to emerge when entries come in and we allow them to organically form, so if you’re in tune with the arty, the challenging, the creative, the marginal and the perverse collective consciousness – this could be a factor of getting in. Our 'Recycled Cinema' or ‘Mothers Milk’ or ‘LSD Factory’ short film sessions are good examples of this.

Is your film doing something different?

We do have an ethos to our festival and though the definition of ‘underground’ is constantly in flux there are some films that are just not underground, no matter how much you stretch the imagination. An example would be an instructional documentary on the production of berries. Now if the documentary had some subversive subtext, like they are grown specially to assassinate the president of the USA or they are franken-berries that are produced by Monsanto and have some crazy genetic mutation – that would qualify for SUFF, otherwise it would probably have a better chance if it is targeted towards a more appropriate festival, like a gardening film festival.

So how does a filmmaker increase their chances of success?

The best thing to do is to study what we've screened at past festivals and see if your film could be a good fit for SUFF. We're not saying don't enter if your totally awesome film goes longer than the average short (it may become one of our features / stand out films within a program) but just keep these points in mind. As with any festival entry, try to look at your film from a festival's point of view and give yourself an honest appraisal of whether you would be able to screen it if you were in their shoes.

Don’t be afraid

We encourage people to not be afraid, and reward cinematic risk, creativity and diversity. We are masters of sniffing out cinematic fear! Let me explain: there are two types of filmmakers in this world. First there are those who do it for the art, love, passion, creativity and experimentation. These people usually want to push and challenge consciousness through cinema and make their cinematic decision from a place of risk and potential gain. The second type are filmmakers who make their films based on what they think people want to see, what they think will get them the next gig, or what is ‘socially appropriate or acceptable’ to investigate as subject matter. Usually these people are afraid that if they do something different, they will hinder their chances of securing an ‘industry’ job of some description – they operate from a place of cinematic fear.

Show your film to someone who hates you.

Yes you heard me right - get people who don’t know you, don’t like you or even hate you to look at your film and give it a critique. That is where you’ll most probably find out what sort of impact your film really has. Let people talk. Don’t interrupt them and don’t tell them what you were intending by this or that. Just listen to their reactions and work out if you had intended to evoke that particular type of reaction with your film.

However, please remember to take feedback with a grain of salt. People might be offended by your film and it could be a good thing. People could be reacting negatively because you hit a nerve – and that’s one of the best things you could do. Assess the feedback based on the demographic of the audience member.

Introducing Sydney Underground Film Festival's resident blogger Tristan Schumacher

2010-08-30T22:03:00.001+10:00

Tristan Schumacher is a Sydney based filmmaker and film critic. His short film work has featured at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace and Dendy Opera Quays, and last year he co-founded the Skinny Pictures production company.

Tristan’s cinematic ramblings can be found in UTS vertigo, Filmink magazine and on the official Sydney Film Festival blog, and he is delighted to be working creatively with the Sydney Underground Film Festival in a position that allows him to access quality independent cinema and then harp on about it!

South of the Border (Oliver Stone) review for Sydney Underground Festival by Tristian Schumacher

2010-08-29T12:52:00.005+10:00

By Tristan Schumacher

As the 9^th of September draws nearer, the growing sense of anticipation among Sydney cineastes is palpable. The SUFF is a rare opportunity for us to sink our teeth into a program of current and unique independent films and right now, less than two weeks away from festival opening night, it’s all any self respecting film buff is talking about.

“As an underground film festival we promote critical thinking and discussion,” SUFF director Stefan Popescu enthusiastically explains, “and sometimes this does mean addressing controversial topics…” Indeed, what better way to kick off a jam-packed 3 days of fresh films than with the doco being dubbed the most controversial cinematic offering of the year? Yep, SUFF have lived up to their word and reputation and announced that the festival is to open with an Australian premiere screening of Oliver Stone’s polarising documentary, South of the Border.

It isn’t difficult to imagine why South of the Border, which made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, is already making waves around the world. Three-time Oscar® winner, Stone, is no stranger story telling, so give him a camera and almost unprecedented access to presidents of Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Cuba, and Paraguay, and you can guarantee the controversial filmmaker will provoke, inspire, and entertain.

The film cleverly combines right wing news footage and academic political analysis with Stone’s interviews with the South American presidents in something of an exposé of the role of US foreign policy and mainstream monopolized media in creating false perceptions of South American politics. Stone’s theory is that the US are out for oil and money, and are happy to stir up an atmosphere of fear to keep the public on side. A bold claim, but would we really expect anything less from the always controversial Oliver Stone?

As Stone takes his audience through South America, he imparts the message that, while the mainstream media would have us believe that South American nations are often ruled by ruthless, power-hungry and violent dictators, most are in fact lead by democratically elected heads of state. These are the leaders the people want – and they are improving quality of life. During one of the up close and personal interview with Hugo Chavez in the film, the Venezuelan president assures Stone that he is the man elected by the citizens of Venezuala to lead their country and no scare campaign is going to make him stand down.

Perhaps feeding the strong opposition of some to Stone’s documentary, is his absolute faith and respect in all the leaders he deals with. There are plenty of handshakes, compliments, pats on the back and almost a sense of hero worship. While the filmmaker points the finger at major news networks Fox and CNN for editing stories to provide a one sided view of international politics, his own depiction of South America is far from impartial. That said, this may be why the film is so important; if anything, South of the Border is a valuable antidote to the profusion of right wing American perspectives in the media. He gives us an insight into the characters of the South American world leaders – the people behind the news stories.

Of course, being the experienced director he is, Stone manages to inject a cool, dry irony into the picture so I can assure you that South of the Border is far from depressing fare. Rather than create a sense of dispair, Stone’s intension seems to be to animate the public. He wants to make us shrewd, active and investigative when consuming media and I think that’s a message SUFF audiences will really respond to.

Screening alongside South of the Border on Thursday Sept 9 will be Canadian filmmaker Kellie Ann Benz’s comedic short, Awkward, as well as the latest offering from American new media artist Natalie Bookchin entitled Laid Off. And if a stimulating, exciting and fun night at the cinema isn’t enough of a clincher for some, all ticket holders will also enjoy complimentary food and beverages! Yes! Don’t get me wrong, it’s all about the films, but – FREE FOOD!!! Opening night for SUFF is set to be a hot ticket, so if you haven’t booked yet you should probably get a wriggle on. Head here to check out the entire feature film program and here to book. See you there!

- Tristan Schumacher

Interviews with Sydney Film Festival Staff #2 - Katherine Berger

2010-08-29T12:37:00.007+10:00

When did you start SUFF, and why? Stefan and I came up with idea to start a film festival in mid 2006 but the first festival was in September 2007. We started it because we felt there was a need for a more alternative/‘underground’ film fest in Sydney as we felt we didn’t really have somewhere to enter our type of films that we were making (not that we wanted to screen our own material – we would never do that – it just highlighted to us that there was a need for it). There was some good galleries and some underground spaces that you could potentially show your work at but no real film festival environment celebrating alternate,experimental, art films.

What got you interested in underground film? I’m not one of those folks that seriously got into films when I was like ten or anything. I think at that age I would have been watching some crud on the TV and I know for certain when Encino Man came out I knew it word for word! However, as I got a little older and my grunge music stage turned into punk music stage I got exposed to films like Bad Boy Bubby, Everynight Everynight, Blue Murder (stronger themed Aussie films) and then Stanley Kubrick films like A Clockwork Orange and Scarface and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s The City Of Lost Children and Lynch’s Eraserhead and then the list just grew from there... and I realised there was a whole world of amazing films out there aside from the often Hollywood drivel. Then the more abstract films fascination actually came from hearing about the Sydney UBU filmmakers while I was doing a small film course at UBS Film School (now grown to become Sydney Film School) and then by the time I enrolled in art school at Sydney College of the Arts I had already discovered an interest and love of experimental art films.

What have been some pitfalls that you've learned from in running a festival like this? Running a festival on no money is hard and especially without a proper office but volunteers (and in my case family too!) and supportive businesses and friends makes it much more pleasant! I just don’t want to go grey before my time! Every year I say I’m not doing it again without a proper office and some more funding... However, here I am again..... Next year I am not doing it without a proper office!!

What have been your highlights? Highlights have included starting off in 2007 very smoothly and receiving comments on the success and professionalism of the festival and how its run, Tin Can Man on opening night 2007, having an ex Iraqi war veteran speaking also in 2007 (APEC was on during the festival weekend), The Miscreants (world premiere) by George Gittoes in 2008 – the fact they gave us the premiere was incredible!, lots of amazing shorts films over the years, Kamahl singing “My Way” at the festival last year and the fact that we are still here (when we were worried we would be a one year pony and in lots of debt!)

Anything else? Anyone with a spare office to donate?

Interviews with Sydney Underground Film Festival staff #1 - Stefan Popescu

2010-08-23T12:57:00.005+10:00

We'll be putting a few mini interviews forward here so you can get to know us a little better over the coming weeks.

First off the rank is one of the festival Directors, Stefan Popescu:

When did you start SUFF, and why? 2007 - mainly because there was no forum for alternate film in Sydney. All the cool cinemas were dying out, the major festivals were busy securing future years' funding by being super safe and commercial, and frankly we couldn't get our fix of cinema culture beyond the usual McMovies that were being pushed. So we got off our butts and started the Sydney Underground Film Festival, knowing that there was a community that would respond and support us.

What got you interested in underground film? Watching horror films at the age of 7. At seven years of age I learnt that moving image = fiction, and what you see on screen is very different from reality. So, for me cinema is a safe forum to explore, celebrate difference, experience strange things and venture to the outer crevices of your psyche - and I think alternative and underground cinema does this.

What have been some pitfalls that you've learned from in running a festival like this? Don't tell your friends that you program the festival, because when you don't select their film you'll find out that they are not really your friend after all.

What have been your highlights? Aiding a culture of cinematic difference to exist and being part on an international community of wonderful filmmakers and cinephiles! Filmmakers are beautiful, generous and fun creatures! And the more disturbing their films are the nicer the filmmakers are.

Update on where SUFF is at...

2010-08-16T12:01:00.001+10:00

We started delivering programs last weekend around our favourite haunts in Newtown, Glebe, Marrickville, Dulwich Hill, Petersham, Leichhardt, Paddington and Balmain. If you would like to see programs in your local cafe let us know! We plan to re-visit some of these areas and also branch out further, hopefully as far as North Sydney.

If you don't find one near you (or if you prefer it online) you can view the entire program as a flip book.

We've also checked out our main venue, Marrickville's The Factory Theatre, planning important things like where the food and wine will be served at the opening night party!

This week we'll be meeting up with all our lovely volunteers and delegating those necessary tasks to make the event run smoothly. So many things to think of and get done - we really appreciate all the volunteers pitching in, they're indispensable!

this week's controversial film: Autism: Made in the USA

2010-08-10T15:30:00.000+10:00

This Thursday we'll be screening Autism: Made in the USA. This is a highly controversial film, as discovered by one of our staff members in a discussion on it today. She said:

"It's not about not vaccinating at all, it's about questioning the vaccines themselves, their ingredients, how many we give to children (when they are so young and under-developed to handle them all) and do they really need to contain a mercury product and is this mercury product (thermisol) a cause of autism?

By not questioning vaccinations (which I'm sure you can agree is a HUGE money spinner for pharmaceutical companies) we just don't know the damage they could be potentially causing. Thankfully mercury is being phased out and that is due to people questioning it (even though I just had 3 rounds of Gardisal and then looked up the ingredients to find a range of stuff including Thermisol!!)

But there is still not enough investigation into vaccines and we just take whatever we are told to by doctors. I had NO IDEA all this was going on. Isn't our job to question - particularly pharmaceutical companies?

Unfortunately you do get people on the opposite side taking a no-vaccine approach (which I don't agree with) because they are scared (you would be too if you look at the ingredients found in vaccines!). So if there was more investigation into vaccines and as you'll see in the film, a campaign to "green our vaccines" then we can hopefully come to a successful and healthy conclusion. Anyway that's just my thoughts...."

We'd love to have you come to the Sydney screening and discuss your thoughts after seeing the movie. The screening is to be held at the Mu Meson Archives.

Address: Cnr Parramatta Rd & Trafalgar St Annandale - behind the King Furniture building up the steel staircase
Date: Thursday 12 August 2010
Time: 7:30pm for 8 start (sharp)
Price: $10 at the door - includes glass of wine

Tickets to SUFF main events can be purchased here.

SUFF 2010 program now online, including the Australian premiere of Oliver Stone's South of the Border

2010-08-03T15:56:00.000+10:00

We're pleased as punch to now have the 2010 program up online! Check it out here! Or visit our feature film page for info and trailers on all our feature films. If you just want to buy tickets visit The Factory.

Opening night features the Australian premiere of South of the Border, by Oliver Stone. Oliver Stone dishes up the world’s most controversial film of 2010. Stone goes on a docu-journey where he meets South American leaders including Chávez, Morales and Castro, and discusses US government coup attempts, CIA involvement, economic assassins, mass media control and IMF mafia standover techniques to acquire oil.

We'll also be showing two shorts: Awkward and Laid Off, as well as... well, we'll be keeping one thing back as a surprise!

With all this along with free food and drink, and ending the night with our resident DJ Nick Wishart (Toydeath), it's going to be nothing short of fabulous.

See you there!

Sydney Underground Film Festival's hard at work!

2010-07-29T15:21:00.000+10:00

While we've sadly neglected this blog (we promise we'll change!) we have been working hard on all other aspects of the Sydney Underground Film Festival 2010. Our re-vamped website debuts today, to coincide with an early press release of this year's program. Exciting stuff! The program will be available for all to see on our site next week. Visit us! www.suff.com.au

We have a vibrant bunch of talented team members this year and we'll also be getting each of them to write a bit about what they're doing and generally introduce themselves.

We'll also put up reviews on some of the amazing films we're showing this year - the program is chock-full of great films (if we do say so ourselves!) so you won't want to miss a thing.

See you soon - we promise!

Revisit our trailer from 2007! Blast from the bloody past!

2010-05-29T01:53:00.000+10:00

Relive the trashy trailer from our very first festival in 2007:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctVtCXiVLCM

The Factory Theatre - home of the underground

2010-05-29T01:39:00.001+10:00

The Factory Theatre has been named as the main venue for the 2010 festival from the 9th - 11th September 2010 and Sydney College of the Arts will host the Sunday afternoon sessions in their new theatre on campus.

Welcome to the first post!

2010-05-29T01:37:00.000+10:00

Helllooooo out there! Welcome to our blog!

The 2010 festival is only 3 months away (9-12 September 2010) and we thank you for your interest in our festival! Your grassroots support is always welcome so please spread the SUFF love and keep in touch with us in the following ways...

Via the website (www.suff.com.au), blog (you are on it!), FB (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sydney-Underground-Film-Festival/13013644783) and twitter (http://twitter.com/sufilmfest).

Also please be aware FILMMAKERS - final entries are due in June so get entering via WITHOUTABOX (https://www.withoutabox.com/login/5828) or contact us for an entry form (you can enter via PAYPAL, direct deposit or Australia Post money order). Entries close June 11 or if you really need an extension - plead your case to kath@suff.com.au :)

Much love from SUFF

info@suff.com.au