Australian Director Emma Franz‘s poignant documentary Bill Frisell, A Portrait premiered earlier this month at SXSW in Austin, Texas. The film is, as the name suggests, a portrait on the much loved musician Bill Frisell, both in his own words and through interviews with iconic artists like Bonnie Raitt and Paul Simon. I sat down…
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One of the films that made a splash at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas was Robert Mockler‘s directorial debut Like Me. A film that was set around society’s obsession with social media, I sat down with the director to talk about the kickstarter campaign that made the production possible, its…
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Director and Actor Mark Webber premiered his new film Flesh and Blood at SXSW earlier this month; a docu-style film which stars his own family and blurs the line between fact and fiction. I sat down with Mark, his mother Cheri Honkola, brother Guillermo Santos, and actress Madeline Brewer (Orange Is the New Black) to talk…
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Though I am Vietnamese, because I was raised in Australia for all of my life, I never really experienced much of Vietnamese culture. However, there were some films that I had watched that had always stuck with me, and those were the works of Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung. Showing the true beauty in the…
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If Being 17 is any indication, the 2017 Alliance Francaise French Film Festival is off to a great start. Coming-of-age films are a genre that I deeply appreciate. With no need of a strong reliance on plot, seeing the progression of a protagonist through young adulthood can be compelling on a cinematic level. So when…
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Not every property can claim a setting which features a genuinely breathtaking 800-year-old ikeniwa (a pond garden), but Four Seasons Kyoto is far from your typical luxury hotel. Fairly fresh-faced in one of Japan’s most historical cities, having opened in October of last year, this property stands perfectly located in Higashiyama-ku, near plenty of temples…
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TripAdvisor has announced the winners for the Travellers’ Choice Destination awards. This year’s awards honoured 418 destinations in 24 lists across the globe. Sydneysiders will be pleased to know Sydney has taken the number one spot for Australia, with Melbourne following closely behind in second place. World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island took the #3 spot….
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I’m an Australian who’s lived in New York for the last nine months, and two months in I managed to lose my passport and visa. I replaced the passport, but $300 and three arguments you only have with government employees later, I had to replace my visa too. I had to leave the country to…
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I recently returned from Austin, Texas, where I was attending the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Film, Interactive and Music Festival. The visit was my 10th to the city, though given I’ve only ever visited the city to attend festivals and conferences (the other being the iconic Austin City Limits Festival which happens in October),…
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Ready for something new to file under “Bucket List Experiences”? Luxury safari company &Beyond has launched a new 13-day winter expedition to India’s Himalayan region of Ladakh that takes guests on the search for the elusive snow leopard. The trip will take you to the majestic region of Ladakh, situated on the northern border of…
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In his latest collection, Perth author John Kinsella creates a uniquely Australian text that drops the reader seamlessly into the turning points in the lives of men, women, and children. Old Growth offers twenty-seven short stories set in recognisable West Australian landscapes from suburban Perth to dusty bush terrains and empty rural pubs. Kinsella’s language…
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The team behind highly awarded and consistently inventive Potts Point restaurant Gastro Park has announced last service on May 20th of this year. After what has been perhaps the busiest year of new high-profile openings Sydney has seen in quite some time, Gastro Park and chef-owner Grant King have become the latest locally treasured restaurant…
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Gin: one of the most adaptable and customisable spirits in existence, drawing on various botanicals for vastly different flavour profiles. The art of crafting gin has been used to connect different expressions to different times, places and cities, and the latest release in Australia’s ever-growing artisan Gin scene is anchoring it in the most Sydney…
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Wanderlust 108 is the world’s largest yoga and lifestyle event in the world and, in returning for it’s third Australian and New Zealand tour, is set to bring an air of inspiration and exploration to Sydney, Auckland, Brisbane and Melbourne. We cannot wait to dive into the concept of Wanderlust even further when it comes…
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Free Rum cocktails? Free food? The team over at Lobo Plantation, Australia’s current reigning “Rum Bar of the Year”, must be feeling mighty generous. The reason for this is fairly simple: there’s going to be a big overhaul to their cocktail list, so they thought it best to celebrate with a huge, completely free party…
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With last years inaugural event a runaway success, the well-connected team behind Hashtag Burgers are itching to bring Burgapalooza 2017 and stretching it to much bigger scale. Whereas last year’s burger-focused festival was rooted in Manning Bar, this year brings the two-day eat-a-thon to Marrickville’s leafy Fraser Park (after nonsensical complaints from Newtown locals) with…
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One of Double Bay’s most endearing venues, Mrs Sippy, has teamed up with Veuve Cliquot for “The Brunch at Mrs Sippy” to give a little refresh to their regular schedule. Brunch has long been a preferred pastime for Sydneysiders and now Head Chef Andreanne Pelletier will be serving a new menu with a bottomless Veuve…
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The UK has long been associated with producing beloved singer songwriters with the ability to touch new generations of music fans right round the globe. Now more than ever, the rise of social media and music sharing platforms have connected young fan bases with recording artists in the infancy of their careers and in the…
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Adelaide outfit The Coconut Kids recently made their American debut at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas. I sat down with Julian and Ash from the group while in Austin to talk about what took them to the iconic event, the experiences they’ve had over there and what’s coming next for…
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Ya girl Lorde is back! It’s been a little over two years since we fell in love with her breakthrough debut Pure Heroine and in the mean time, Lorde’s been busy starting her 20’s. Melodrama will be released on June 16th via Universal Music Australia and is already shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated…
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It was around this time last year that Jhené Aiko came to our shores to tour her debut studio album Souled Out. After a decade gaining the real world experience the unchosen path of teen stardom would have denied her, Souled Out has been cast as Aiko’s musical renaissance. Since the album’s release in 2014, Aiko…
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Canadian four-piece The Franklin Electric have been moving and shaking in the folk scene since 2012, entering and winning a Nashville songwriting competition with over 8000 other bands from around the world. Flavoured with alternative pop, their debut LP This Is How I Let You Down layers perceptive lyrics with string-based harmonies, emotive piano chords and their self-proclaimed secret weapon, the…
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Blizzard Entertainment are revisiting their 1998 megahit RTS StarCraft, and its expansion StarCraft: Brood War, releasing a new high-definition version dubbed StarCraft: Remastered. The announcement was made by Blizzard president Mike Morhaime in Seoul, South Korea this afternoon at the I <3 StarCraft fan event. Hit the jump to see it in all its glory.
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Just released on Netflix, the biopic The Most Hated Woman in America is the true story of iconic Atheist activist Madalyn Murray O’Hair, starring a brilliant Melissa Leo in the title role. The film had is world premiere earlier this month at SXSW and while there, I sat down with the film’s director Tommy O’Haver…
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A dark, moving yet warming adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s classic novel Une vie is eloquently created in to a period arthouse picture by director Stéphane Brizé (The Measure of a Man), as a young woman comes to grasp the turmoil that unfolds around her in 19th-century France. The aesthetic of the film is created perfectly by…
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CARMEN. Big block letters spell out the opera in fierce red against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour, an outline of a bull back to back with the lettering. Nothing takes away from the thrill of gazing upon the stage at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour each year and seeing the cityscape stretch behind, but this…
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There is nothing quite like seeing a contemporary ballet reflect the world in which we live in. For such a traditional dance form where discipline is paramount in the execution of movement, to see such fluidity and freedom amidst the dancers is refreshing and forward-thinking. The Australian Ballet‘s Artistic Director David McAllister says this triple…
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I officially have a new hobby – seeing any National Theatre Live film that comes to Australia. This is a genius concept that has been going on for a number of years but this particular viewing was my first time. Imagine being able to see the best of British theatre at the cinemas?! Genius I tell…
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This will be the best night out at the theatre you will ever experience. But be warned; no one is safe. If you’re not into audience participation then this show probably isn’t for you but I’m telling you now if you miss this show you will be sorry. Fresh from sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival…
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This past weekend was the beginning of a new weekly series at Darlinghurst favourite Darlo Country Club. The St-Germain Brunch Club will help transform the venue into an old-world Paris vibe with live music, a curated menu and, of course, bespoke Elderflower infused cocktails from now until September. Guests are transported to a 1920s Parisian…
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