The Sydney suburb of Marrickville, also known as 'Little Greece' is playing host to the first ever Inner West Film Festival, under the auspices of the Inner West Council.
An exciting new event on Sydney’s cultural calendar, The Inner West Film Fest will roll out for the very first time from March 28th through to April 2nd. In one of Sydney’s most diverse and culturally rich regions, and across venues including the legendary Marrickville Golf Club, Dendy Cinemas Newtown, Palace Norton Street and The Actors Centre Australia in Leichhardt and Gallery 371 in Marrickville.
The festival boasts a diverse, inclusive and utterly fascinating selection of local feature film premieres from Australia and abroad and includes some Greek elements with the screening of the narrative short "Bordello" by award winning Greek Australian filmmaker Kosta Nikas and The Red Shoes: Next Step starring Greek Australian actor Nicholas Andrianakos in the role of Freddy.
Bordello will be playing as part of the screening of A Room Of My Own by acclaimed Georgian director Ioseb “Soso” Bliadze starring Taki Mumladze and Mariam Khundadze at Dendy Cinema Newtown, Saturday 1 April.
“…Bliadze’s superbly performed, remarkably immersive Karlovy Vary competition entry is one such story of tentative, interior emancipation, described in the tiniest arcs of change: the width of a smile, the warmth of an embrace, the directness of a gaze.” writes Jessica Kiang for Variety magazine.
The much anticipated The Red Shoes: Next Step, partly shot in Marrickville, will be having its world premiere at The Inner West Film Festival.
Opening Night
Kicking off the cinematic festivities will be a FREE community screening of the earthy Aussie charmer Sweet As, which will be screening under the stars at Hole 1 of The Marrickville Golf Club, Sweet As bubbles and bristles with youthful energy in its warm, winning tale of troubled sixteen-year-old Murra (Shantae Barnes-Cowan), whose life is turned around when she is forced to knuckle down on a “photo-safari for at-risk kids”, and while on the road trip of her life surprisingly meets a whole new crew of unlikely friends. Bring along a picnic rug, a cushion, and your family and friends for what will be a wonderfully warm community event, as well as a screening of a great new Australian film.
There will also be two very special retro screenings at The Inner West Film Fest. Sergio Leone’s Once Upon A Time In The West is a sprawling, deeply artistic epic 1968 western about the cruel incursion of the nation-building railroad into the heart of America. Featuring a rare villainous turn from Henry Fonda and a masterclass in heroic stoicism from Charles Bronson, Once Upon A Time In The West is nothing short of cinematic perfection, and The Inner West Film Fest will be screening a very special 4K remastered print of this magisterial masterpiece.
A terse, gritty, wholly authentic slice of Inner West life, 1999’s Erskineville Kings is one of the best representations of the local area ever committed to film. Wholly fitting and with much excitement, The Inner West Film Fest will be presenting this tough-minded Aussie favourite from writer/star Marty Denniss and director Alan White in a beautiful 35mm print, marking the film’s first public screening in many years. A searing emotional powerhouse about the explosive rifts that rip a family apart, Erskineville Kings showcases a towering early turn from Hugh Jackman, who is ably supported by Marty Denniss, Joel Edgerton, Leah Vandenberg and a pre-Bad Guys Aaron Blabey.
Armed with a crackling batch of must-see films, The Inner West Film Fest is set to make one of Australia’s most vibrant artistic and cultural hubs even more exciting!
To track further developments and for more exciting reveals about The Inner West Film Festival, head to www.innerwestfilmfest.com.au
For the Dendy Newtown program, head here: https://www.dendy.com.au/events/inner-west-film-fest
For the Palace Norton program, head here: https://www.palacecinemas.com.au/events/inner-west-film-festival/
