Film Fest Australia

There is a great range of films from Down Under to see this September. Now showing at the Picturehouse Cinemas in Clapham and Hackney, make the effort to catch them while you can because Australian films no longer seem to have a long season in the UK. FFA 2012 will open with the European premiere of Not Suitable for Children, starring Ryan Kwanten (True Blood, Home & Away).

http://www.filmfestaustralia.org.uk/

Why not revisit some of those all time Aussie classics. My favourite is The Year My Voice Broke .

Awarded Best Film of 1987 by the AFI, this gem still sparkles like the classic it is. Set in 1960s small-town Australia, and filmed in NSW’s rolling Southern Tablelands, this is so much more than a coming-of-age film. Universal themes of male and female identity, and the challenges life throws your way, see Danny (Noah Taylor), Trevor (Ben Mendelsohn) and the enchanting Freya (Loene Carmen) struggle to shape their world and find a sense of belonging. Vulnerable and set-apart, each responds differently to the small town hypocrisy and repression surrounding them. Inspired acting and a wonderfully haunting music score ensure director John Duigan never dips into sentimentality despite such a strong emotional core. In a precursor to how their careers would develop, it’s a treat to see Mendlesohn and Taylor play these early roles.

What the Royals were doing this time last year.

BBC failed to capture pomp of the occasions

Around this same time last year, the BBC were critcised for their poor coverage of the Jubilee. Is there now too much coverage of the Royal Baby

BBC coverage had lots of complaints

    It's agreed by many that the BBC Jubilee coverage was woeful. But then you could say that about many BBC productions these days. Does the problem arise from having too many children running departments? When older, wiser and more experienced staff are dumped in favour of youth, whether that be presenters or other less visible employees, mistakes inevitably arise.

     What makes BBC staff think their audience want youthful looks over intelligent comment. Do they think their audience is as shallow as they obviously are themselves? Don't fall for that old baloney that they are trying to capture the youth market either. That just doesn't make sense. Who do they think pays for the TV licence in households. Certainly not the kiddy winks.

Thank goodness for the likes of Claire Baldwin, who can string a sentence together and offer information instead of inanities like those offered up in the Jubilee commentary.

When a new Director General is appointed, let us hope that experience gets a guernsey, rather than someone who is good at self promotion and who wants to employ a lot of youngsters who will look up to them.

Perhaps that's why older staff are moved along. They can see through the pomp and are not so easily impressed.



Kate, that's the wrong royal price you're smiling at