The eighth annual Possible Worlds Film Festival has revealed its 2013 program showcasing the best new cinema from Canada and the United States, and focusing exclusively on independent films.
Presented by Cosmos Tours and non-profit The Festivalists, the festival bring 20 new feature films – ten Canadian and ten American – to Dendy Opera Quays and Dendy Newtown from 8th to 18th August. Selected titles will also screen at ARC Cinema (Canberra) from 21st to 23rd August 2013.
In Sydney, the Festival will open with Sarah Polley’s acclaimed documentary STORIES WE TELL and close ten days later with Sydney premiere of Joe Swanberg’s DRINKING BUDDIES, starring Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick, Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston.
A strong thematic strand within the program this year is the female point of view, with ten titles featuring a woman in the lead and charting female perspectives on identity, desire, sexuality, success and family, such as black and white gems FRANCES HA by Noah Baumbach and YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG (Australian premiere) by Zach Weintraub. Four of these films, MOLLY MAXWELL (Australian premiere), STORIES WE TELL, A TEACHER (International premiere) and IT FELT LIKE LOVE (Sydney premiere) are directed by women.
Special guest Steve Ostrow will present the Sydney premiere of CONTINENTAL, a new documentary by Malcolm Ingram. Ostrow was the founder of the Continental, a controversial gay bathhouse that transcended sexual identity and acted as a beacon to the hip, beautiful and infamous in 1960s and 70s New York City.
Other documentaries screening at the Festival include THE END OF TIME by master documentarian Peter Mettler; the Australian premieres of NORTHERN LIGHT, which charts the daily lives of families in recession-ravaged Michigan; LUNARCY!, a portrait of eccentrics and visionaries obsessed with the Moon; THE FRUIT HUNTERS, which follows foodies in search of rare fruit around the globe; and REWIND THIS!, a love letter to the VHS tape which will be paired in a double feature with a 40th anniversary screening of sci-fi western WESTWORLD.
From Quebec, audiences will enjoy the French-language dramas DIEGO STAR and ALL THAT YOU POSSESS, both screening for the first time in Australia.
THE WAIT, starring Chloe Sevigny and Jena Malone, will have its international premiere. The Festival will be a chance for audiences to discover new independent films such as Sean Garrity’s hilarious MY AWKWARD SEXUAL ADVENTURE, Zach Clark’s raunchy Christmas movie WHITE REINDEER, Jason Buxton’s coming-of-age drama BLACKBIRD and Adam Leon’s NYC caper GIMME THE LOOT.
Many screenings will include a complimentary welcome drink on arrival. Special guests will be announced shortly. For more information, visit http://www.possibleworlds.net.au.
WHAT: 8th Possible Worlds: Festival of American and Canadian Cinema, presented by COSMOS
WHEN: August 8 -18 (Sydney) and August 21 – 23 (Canberra)
WHERE: Dendy Circular Quay, Dendy Newtown and Arc Cinema
SYDNEY TICKETS: Adult $16, Concession $13 – Bookings: http://www.pwff.eventbrite.com.au
CANBERRA TICKETS: Adult $11, Concession/Student $9 – Bookings: 02 6248 2000
Possible Worlds is presented by Cosmos Tours and run by The Festivalists with the support of the Consulate General of Canada in Sydney and the High Commission of Canada in Australia. Major partners include International Experience Canada. Supporting partners include City of Sydney, Dendy Cinemas, GoGet CarShare, World Movies and Wild Turkey American Honey
.
