SXSW Sydney Screen Festival

Bottoms rises to the top with an uproarious nature: SXSW Sydney Screen Festival Review

There was something darkly, deliciously special about the way writer/director Emma Seligman and actress Rachel Sennott announced themselves with 2020’s Shiva Baby.  A claustrophobic black comedy that indulged in a spiralling, horrific temperament, their collaboration set a certain precedent for the boundary-pushing, topical humour that’s furthered in Bottoms, a wild, oft-violent, sexually liberated high-school comedy…

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Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles is a heartwarming documentary about Australia’s unlikeliest icons: SXSW Sydney Screen Festival Review

From the humblest of beginnings, where Australia’s ABC network weren’t sure on investing in their talent, to multi-million selling music artists that sold out Madison Square Garden and can count the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, John Travolta, and Sarah Jessica Parker as fans, The Wiggles defied the expectations of many to form a global brand…

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Pandemic “comedy” New Strains is a nightmarish chore to experience: SXSW Sydney Screen Festival Review

Whilst it’s always best to go into films with zero expectations, plot synopses and narrative outlines at least provide an idea of what audiences can expect from a storytelling perspective – however loose the product itself wants to determine as such.  For New Strains, there was the idea of this being sold as a romantic…

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Milli Vanilli is a poignant and tragic cautionary tale about one of pop’s most infamous downfalls: SXSW Sydney Screen Festival Review

The act of (or is it the art of) lip-syncing is one that practically goes part and parcel within the realms of pop music.  Some artists do so because their studio vocals can’t possibly be emulated live.  Others rely on such due to demanding dance routines.  And then there are those that, well, can’t sing…

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The People’s Joker boldly reimagines DC lore through a queer, gender deconstructed lens: SXSW Sydney Screen Festival Review

Hopefully a film that won’t just become infamous for its lack of being seen – after it previewed one single screening at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival it was withdrawn due to “rights issues” – The People’s Joker is a bold, bonkers debut feature from Vera Drew that reimagines the mythology of a slew…

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The Royal Hotel is a slow-burn thriller ripe with human horror: SXSW Sydney Screen Festival Review

Inspired by Hotel Coolgardie, Pete Gleeson’s shock 2016 documentary about two female Finnish backpackers and their work experience at a predominantly male-frequented pub, The Royal Hotel similarly shines a light on the the disturbing, toxic nature that can spawn from a small, isolated town that exploits Australia’s “drinking culture” mentality. An ironic title that will…

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SXSW Sydney 2023 Screen Festival announces world premiere of Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles as public wristbands go on sale

Screen creatives of all stripes will gather for the inaugural SXSW Sydney Screen Festival this October (15th – 21st) as a collection of compelling and next generation screen content from across the Asia-Pacific region is highlighted at the renowned festival. Following the announcement of the first wave of premiere titles (you can read about them…

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