Mackay International Film Festival 2021
24th July - Pinnacle Playhouse
30th July- 1st August - BCC Mt Pleasant Cinemas
MIFF ticket prices:
Friday 30th July - Opening Gala (Minari) including supper $22 for everyone
Individual Films: FAM Members $14 – Non-members $17
Seven movie pass: FAM members $95 – Non-members $115
* Tickets available from BCC box office or online through www.eventcinemas.com.au
*FAM member ticket and seven movie pass discounts only available from BCC Mt Pleasant.
mackay_iff_2021_film_festival_program.pdf |
Pre-festival film - optional bus and meal package available**
7:00PM SATURDAY 24TH JULY AT THE PINNACLE PLAYHOUSE
The Furnace - SOLD OUT!!!!
Saturday, 24th July 7pm
The Furnace
Director: Roderick MacKay
2020 | Australia | 116m | MA 15+ | Drama
English
To escape a harsh existence and return home, a young Afghan cameleer reluctantly teams up with a mysterious bushman on the run (David Wenham) with two Crown-marked gold bars. Together, the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police sergeant and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace – the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown. Set in 1897 Western Australia, The Furnace is an unlikely hero’s tale, navigating greed and the search for identity in a new land. The film illuminates the forgotten history of Australia’s ‘Ghan' cameleers, predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan and Persia, who traversed the Nation's vast desert interior, thereby forming unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.
Tickets for this movie will be available at the door on the night at the Pinnacle Playhouse, or by online booking beforehand at https://www.trybooking.com/BSFOI
“An enjoyably absorbing experience.” Variety
“…brutish western is tough as old leather and good as gold.” The Guardian
**Optional package: RETURN COACH TRANSFERS departing 4.30 from Mackay CBD and dinner at the pinnacle pub $44 per person (FAM members) $47 (non-members). (Drinks not included)
Trailer: youtu.be/N8DT_zVzxhk
The Furnace
Director: Roderick MacKay
2020 | Australia | 116m | MA 15+ | Drama
English
To escape a harsh existence and return home, a young Afghan cameleer reluctantly teams up with a mysterious bushman on the run (David Wenham) with two Crown-marked gold bars. Together, the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police sergeant and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace – the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown. Set in 1897 Western Australia, The Furnace is an unlikely hero’s tale, navigating greed and the search for identity in a new land. The film illuminates the forgotten history of Australia’s ‘Ghan' cameleers, predominantly Muslim and Sikh men from India, Afghanistan and Persia, who traversed the Nation's vast desert interior, thereby forming unique bonds with local Aboriginal people.
Tickets for this movie will be available at the door on the night at the Pinnacle Playhouse, or by online booking beforehand at https://www.trybooking.com/BSFOI
“An enjoyably absorbing experience.” Variety
“…brutish western is tough as old leather and good as gold.” The Guardian
**Optional package: RETURN COACH TRANSFERS departing 4.30 from Mackay CBD and dinner at the pinnacle pub $44 per person (FAM members) $47 (non-members). (Drinks not included)
Trailer: youtu.be/N8DT_zVzxhk
Opening Night Gala Event - 7:00pm Friday 3oth July
Minari
Followed by supper
Friday, 30th July 7pm
Minari
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
2020 | USA | 115m | PG | Drama
English and Korean with English subtitles
This standout film by Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung is a beautiful, intergenerational family story set in the rugged mountains of Arkansas, United States in the 1980s. The classic American immigrant story is given new depth and detail through the experiences and challenges of the Korean couple, their American-born children and the newly arrived grandmother—a strong-willed but incredibly loving figure who completely changes the family dynamic (played by Yuon Yuh-jung in her Best Supporting Actress winning role). Alongside this accolade, Minari was shortlisted across several categories at the 2021 Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor.
“….a wonderfully absorbing and moving family drama…The Guardian
…warm, tender and universal.”” VARIETY
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ0gFidlro8
Minari
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
2020 | USA | 115m | PG | Drama
English and Korean with English subtitles
This standout film by Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung is a beautiful, intergenerational family story set in the rugged mountains of Arkansas, United States in the 1980s. The classic American immigrant story is given new depth and detail through the experiences and challenges of the Korean couple, their American-born children and the newly arrived grandmother—a strong-willed but incredibly loving figure who completely changes the family dynamic (played by Yuon Yuh-jung in her Best Supporting Actress winning role). Alongside this accolade, Minari was shortlisted across several categories at the 2021 Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor.
“….a wonderfully absorbing and moving family drama…The Guardian
…warm, tender and universal.”” VARIETY
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ0gFidlro8
Saturday 31st July - 2pm
THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS
Saturday, 31st July 2pm
THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS
Director: GREGORY KERSHAW, MICHAEL DWECK
2020 | Italy | 84m |M | Documentary
Italian with English subtitles
Deep in the forests of Piedmont, Italy, a handful of 70+ year olds hunt for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle—which, to date, has resisted all of modern science's efforts at cultivation. They're guided by a secret culture and training passed down through generations, as well as by the noses of their cherished and expertly-trained dogs. However, as it soon becomes clear, these men may just hold something much more valuable than even this prized delicacy: the secret to a rich and meaningful life.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFYhrc0AnVw
THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS
Director: GREGORY KERSHAW, MICHAEL DWECK
2020 | Italy | 84m |M | Documentary
Italian with English subtitles
Deep in the forests of Piedmont, Italy, a handful of 70+ year olds hunt for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle—which, to date, has resisted all of modern science's efforts at cultivation. They're guided by a secret culture and training passed down through generations, as well as by the noses of their cherished and expertly-trained dogs. However, as it soon becomes clear, these men may just hold something much more valuable than even this prized delicacy: the secret to a rich and meaningful life.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFYhrc0AnVw
Saturday 31st July - 4pm
Heroic Losers
Saturday, 31st July 4pm
Heroic Losers
Director: Sebastián Borensztein
2019 | Argentina | 116m | M | Comedy/Drama
Spanish with English subtitles
The year is 2001, and Argentina is hitting the lowest point in its great depression. His glory days far behind him, retired soccer star Fermín (Ricardo Darín), now runs a service station in a sleepy provincial town. Hoping to pull his family and their community out of decline, Fermín convinces friends to invest in the cooperative, but is railroaded by a conniving bank manager into placing their cash into a savings account just as the banks are about to be frozen by the government, rendering their money useless and their plans quashed. Argentina’s submission for the Best International Feature Film at the 2020 Academy Awards®, Heroic Losers is a classic underdog adventure that has won widespread praise from audiences and critics alike.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLGouIpUrXg
Heroic Losers
Director: Sebastián Borensztein
2019 | Argentina | 116m | M | Comedy/Drama
Spanish with English subtitles
The year is 2001, and Argentina is hitting the lowest point in its great depression. His glory days far behind him, retired soccer star Fermín (Ricardo Darín), now runs a service station in a sleepy provincial town. Hoping to pull his family and their community out of decline, Fermín convinces friends to invest in the cooperative, but is railroaded by a conniving bank manager into placing their cash into a savings account just as the banks are about to be frozen by the government, rendering their money useless and their plans quashed. Argentina’s submission for the Best International Feature Film at the 2020 Academy Awards®, Heroic Losers is a classic underdog adventure that has won widespread praise from audiences and critics alike.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLGouIpUrXg
Saturday 31st July - 6:30pm
Cousins
Saturday 31st August 6.30pm
COUSINS
Director: Ainsley Gardiner, Briar Grace Smith
2021 | New Zealand | 98m | M | Drama
English
Cousins is a deeply moving movie which looks at the importance of identity and family. Mata, Missy and Makareta are three Māori Cousins whose lives are separated by circumstances, yet bound together by blood. Orphaned Mata believes she has no whanau (family) and lives out her lonely childhood in fear and bewilderment. Back home on the land, educated Makareta flees an arranged marriage to study law and begin the search for her missing cousin. She leaves behind cheeky yet dutiful Missy, who takes on her role of kaitiaki (guardian) of the land. As the years pass, loss of the family land seems imminent and the women’s promise to bring their stolen cousin home seems more unlikely than ever, until a chance encounter changes everything.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_f1GjcI8-Q
COUSINS
Director: Ainsley Gardiner, Briar Grace Smith
2021 | New Zealand | 98m | M | Drama
English
Cousins is a deeply moving movie which looks at the importance of identity and family. Mata, Missy and Makareta are three Māori Cousins whose lives are separated by circumstances, yet bound together by blood. Orphaned Mata believes she has no whanau (family) and lives out her lonely childhood in fear and bewilderment. Back home on the land, educated Makareta flees an arranged marriage to study law and begin the search for her missing cousin. She leaves behind cheeky yet dutiful Missy, who takes on her role of kaitiaki (guardian) of the land. As the years pass, loss of the family land seems imminent and the women’s promise to bring their stolen cousin home seems more unlikely than ever, until a chance encounter changes everything.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_f1GjcI8-Q
Sunday 1st August - 1:45pm
Sun Children
Sunday, 1st August 1.45pm
SUN CHILDREN
Director: Majid Majidi
2020 | Iran | 99m | PG | Drama
Persian with English subtitles
12-year-old Ali and his three friends work hard to survive and support their families, doing small jobs in a garage and committing petty crimes to make fast money. In a turn of events that seems miraculous, Ali is entrusted to find hidden treasure underground. He recruits his gang, but first, to gain access to the tunnel, the children must enrol at the Sun School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and child laborers, close to where the treasure is located.
Dedicated to “the 152m children forced into child labour” and featuring non-professional actors from the streets of Tehran, this is an energetic and heartfelt story, at times verging on tragedy, but in the end, a real treasure of a film.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-DWyHEz1B0
Sunday 1st August - 4pm
Golden Voices
Sunday 1st August 4pm
GOLDEN VOICES
Director: Evgeny Ruman
2019| Israel | 88m | M | Comedy
Hebrew & Russian with English subtitles
Victor and Raya Frenkel were the golden voices of Soviet film dubbing for decades. All the western movies that reached Soviet screens were dubbed by them. In 1990, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Frenkels, like many other Soviet Jews, decide emigrate to Israel. However, when they arrive, they find there is no need for their talents as dubbing artists and they have to find more creative ways to use their talent. And so begins an amusing, heartfelt and very unexpected chapter of their life.
Witty, funny, sad and true, Golden Voices superbly portrays the difficulty of mid-life changes, and the pain of cultural displacement.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-mRqkHvAG4
GOLDEN VOICES
Director: Evgeny Ruman
2019| Israel | 88m | M | Comedy
Hebrew & Russian with English subtitles
Victor and Raya Frenkel were the golden voices of Soviet film dubbing for decades. All the western movies that reached Soviet screens were dubbed by them. In 1990, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Frenkels, like many other Soviet Jews, decide emigrate to Israel. However, when they arrive, they find there is no need for their talents as dubbing artists and they have to find more creative ways to use their talent. And so begins an amusing, heartfelt and very unexpected chapter of their life.
Witty, funny, sad and true, Golden Voices superbly portrays the difficulty of mid-life changes, and the pain of cultural displacement.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-mRqkHvAG4
SUNDAY 1ST AUGUST - 6PM
Another Round
Sunday 1st August 6pm
ANOTHER ROUND
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
2020 | Denmark | 117m | M
Over a night of drinks, four high school teachers make a pact to sustain a certain level of alcohol in their systems at all times. It's an experiment driven by the characters' love for booze-filled fun as well as mid-life crises. The results—at first—are surprisingly positive, with Martin (played by the ever-engaging Mads Mikkelson) especially gaining new admiration from his students almost overnight, but inevitably, the drinking's positive results cannot be sustained. Another Round was Best Foreign Film and shortlisted for Best Director at the 2021 Academy Awards.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=40X5EX6Us7c
ANOTHER ROUND
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
2020 | Denmark | 117m | M
Over a night of drinks, four high school teachers make a pact to sustain a certain level of alcohol in their systems at all times. It's an experiment driven by the characters' love for booze-filled fun as well as mid-life crises. The results—at first—are surprisingly positive, with Martin (played by the ever-engaging Mads Mikkelson) especially gaining new admiration from his students almost overnight, but inevitably, the drinking's positive results cannot be sustained. Another Round was Best Foreign Film and shortlisted for Best Director at the 2021 Academy Awards.
Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=40X5EX6Us7c
Thanks to our sponsors
All films except The Furnace will be shown at the Birch Carroll and Coyle Mt Pleasant cinemas.
Contact Details:
[email protected]
Proudly brought to you by Film & Arts Mackay
Contact Details:
[email protected]
Proudly brought to you by Film & Arts Mackay