After kicking off on February 20, the Glasgow Film Festival is now in full swing, and includes a handful of Australian films, including Mystery Road, Tracks, The Last Impresario, and the UK premiere of Wolf Creek 2.
Following a screening of Kim Mordaunt’s excellent The Rocket (a Cambodian-set tale of displacement and childhood resilience released in UK cinemas on March 14) in the Glasgow Youth Film Festival strand, Australia’s involvement in the festival proper begins tonight, Sunday February 23, with the Scottish premiere of Ivan Sen’s excellent slow-burn thriller Mystery Road. With an ensemble cast that includes Hugo Weaving, Ryan Kwanten, Bruce Spence and Jack Thompson, the film stars Aaron Pedersen as an Aboriginal cop who returns to his hometown, only to be thrown immediately into a murder investigation. The positive reception afforded the film during the London Film Festival last year no doubt helped it secure UK distribution with Axiom, and it will have a limited UK release in April. [EDIT: As of 24/02, the film no longer appears on the FDA release schedule, meaning UK release details are still TBC.] [Book]
Also in Glasgow this week are two more films featured in last year’s London Film Festival line-up, both screening at Cineworld Renfrew Street. Gracie Otto’s documentary profile of notorious London theatre and film bon vivant Michael White, The Last Impresario, plays on Thursday (27/02) and Friday (28/02) [book]. Based on the true story of Robyn Davidson’s 1977 solo camel trek across the Australian outback, John Curran’s mesmerising Tracks, starring Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver, plays the same two dates, ahead of a UK-wide release on April 25. [Book]
The Film4 FrightFest strand has become a popular staple of the Glasgow Film Festival in recent years, and often features an Oz horror or two. This year is no exception, as the fest-within-a-fest plays host to the UK premiere of the highly anticipated Wolf Creek 2. Nine years on from Greg McLean’s original, the maniacal Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) returns to terrify the outback all over again, with two screenings, one as part of the all-inclusive FrightFest pass, and a one-off encore screening on March 2. And if you can’t make it to Glasgow – never fear! – something tells me it won’t be long before Mick brings his reign of terror to a cinema near you. [Book]
The Glasgow Film Festival runs until March 2 at venues across central Glasgow. For more information on upcoming festival screenings, theatrical and home releases and one-off events, keep an eye on our Aussie Film Calendar.
The Far Paradise 