Features A-K
The 2008 Dungog Film Festival features are kindly sponsored by Showtime.
All features screen at the historic James Theatre, 6 Brown Street Dungog
| ALL MY FRIENDS ARE LEAVING BRISBANE | Fri 11am | |
 | An energetic romantic comedy set in Australia’s “biggest small town”. Anthea is 25, single and hates her job – and all her friends are leaving Brisbane. Starring a talented Aussie cast including Charlotte Gregg and Matt Zeremes, the film will send every romantic’s heart a flutter. “...frisky thesping, quirky scripting... confident control of tone and pacing.” Variety The film will be presented by the director and cast. Dir: Louise Alston | Prod: Jade van der Lei and Louise Alston | Scr: Stephen Vagg | Cast: Gyton Grantley, Ryan Johnson, Charlotte Gregg, Matt Zeremes | 2007, 76 min, rated M | |
| BITTER & TWISTED Australian Premiere | Sun 6:30pm | |
 | This elegy to unrealized dreams contemplates the dark currents flowing beneath suburban placidity. Bitter & Twisted was the suprise hit of Tribecca Film Festival and is now the buzz of the Australian film industry. The film will be presented by the director, executive producer and cast. Scr / Dir: Christopher Weekes | Prod: Bridget Callow | EP: Michael Favelle | Cast: Noni Hazlehurst, Steve Rogers, Leenna Walshman, Matt Newton and Gary Sweet | 2008, 85 min | |
| THE BLACK BALLOON | Sat 1pm | |
 | Thomas Mollison is about to turn sixteen and is struggling to come to terms with life, love and his family. The Black Balloon is funny, confronting and ultimately a heart-warming tale about fitting in, discovering love and learning to accept your family. The film will be presented by the director and producer. Scr / Dir: Elissa Down | Prod: Tristram Miall | Cast: Rhys Wakefield, Gemma Ward, Erik Thomson and Toni Collette | 2008, 97 min, rated M | |
| BLACK WATER NSW Premiere | Sat 5pm | |
 | Three survivors of a capsized boat are stranded in a crocodile infested swamp. “It’s a tension-filled thriller, made more effective by the realism of its characters... I had my feet up under my chin watching it.” Margaret Pomeranz | |
| CACTUS | Fri 3pm | |
 | Cactus inhabits a world where the line between victim and villain is easily blurred. John Kelly is an ordinary man stuck between a rock and a much harder place. He needs cash. Fast. So he accepts a job to kidnap and deliver professional gambler Eli Jones to his keepers in the outback: no questions asked. After the screening there will be a Q&A with the director. | |
| THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS Classic | Fri 1pm | |
 | Arthur Waldo (Terry Camilleri) finds himself stranded in the quiet NSW country town of Paris after a car accident that killed his brother. The mayor takes Arthur under his wing but Arthur senses that things are not right. This Australian classic, made on a shoestring, was Peter Weir’s second film. The film will be presented by Jim McElroy. Scr / Dir: Peter Weir | Prod: Hal McElroy, Jim McElroy | Cast: Terry Camilleri, John Meillon, Kevin Miles, Chris Haywood | 1974, 91 min, rated M | |
| GLOBAL HAYWIRE | Fri 5pm | |
 | Written, directed and animated by Oscar-winning filmmaker and cartoonist Bruce Petty, Global Haywire is a wholly original documentary fable, threading live action and animation with stunning dynamism and originality to tell a tale of how East and West has reached the present crisis point. Winning two AFI Awards, Global Haywire is a crowning achievement in Petty’s illustrious career. The film will be followed by a Q&A with Bruce Petty. Scr / Dir: Bruce Petty | 2007, 85 min, rated M | |
| HEY HEY IT'S ESTHER BLUEBURGER | Sat 11am | |
 | If you’ve ever felt that undying adolescent urge to just “fit in”, this is a film for you. Goofy, defiant and anything but typical, Esther Blueburger is a thirteen-year-old oddball on a mission to find herself. Featuring Toni Collette, this is a film that humorously embraces the gap between breaking the mould and fitting in. The film will be presented by the director and producer. Scr / Dir: Cathy Randall | Producer: Miriam Stein | Cast: Danielle Catanzariti, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Toni Collette | 2007, 99 min, rated M | |
| HONEYMOON IN KABUL World Premiere | Sun 11am | |
 | Honeymoon in Kabul follows the journey of clown doctor Jean Paul Bell and midwife Maggie Haertsch as they spend their honeymoon delivering medical aid and humour to the children of Kabul. In the process they find that delivering aid to Afghanistan can be as delicate and complex as any second marriage. After the screening there will be a Q & A with the director and producer. Dir: Ian Hamilton | Prod: Anna Kelly & Ian Hamilton | 2008, 80 min |