Ah, GCFF. It's got to be one of my favourite times of year. I've attended the last three years in a row, and have got to give the programmers mad props for this total celebration of genre cinema. With a focus on horror, world cinema, indie and animation, it always delivers an exciting program of engaging films. Plus, this year you can sort their program by films that pass the Bechdel test. How cool is that?
THURSDAY 9 APRIL
Clouds of Sil Milas has nabbed the opening film role of the festival, and looks to be a moving piece of cinema about an aging actress asked to star in a play that made her famous twenty years ago.It's a little All About Eve and a little Sunset Boulevard and definitely something I'm keen to see.
FRIDAY 10 APRIL
Queensland Emerging Filmmakers Showcase. Get in on the ground floor with up and comers! Represent!
The Women in Film Luncheon also looks terrific. Plus, y'know, Margaret Pomeranz!
Screen Play: Robert Connolly. Total disclaimer here as I work at Queensland Writers Centre, but this'll be an awesome chance to schmooze with other practitioners and enthusiasts at all stages of film careers, plus you'll get to hear from the awesome Robert Connolly.
SATURDAY 11 APRIL
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night has been on my must-see list for about a year so I'm totally stoked to see it finally showing here. It looks like a really interesting take on the vampire mythos.
The Fear of Darkness. Another disclaimer here as my dad is the producer, but this is a compelling and tightly told psychological thriller about two women trying to escape their demons.
SUNDAY 12 APRIL
Mommy's gotten so much hype already on the festival circuit that it's super exciting to see it come to QLD.
Infini. I am always here for a bit of sci-fi horror, so this one's definitely climbing up to the top of my list.
MONDAY 13 APRIL
It Follows. Speaking of horror, this one also looks like a terrific entry into the genre. Taut and compelling, it mixes up old tropes in a pretty special way.
TUESDAY 14 APRIL
The Homesman. I swing on and off westerns, but this looks especially good. Plus, y'know, Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank and Miranda Otto!
FRIDAY 17 APRIL
Song of the Sea is a movie I've been dying to see since I first heard of it. I've seen the early work by the creative team, The Secret of Kells, which is full of divine animation and a wonderfully intimate and tender story. Song of the Sea looks to be very much in the same vein, which pretty much makes it a must watch from me.
SATURDAY 18 APRIL
Fell looks like a searing portrait of a father's quest for vengeance and, if the trailer's anything to go by, chock-full of gorgeous imagery.
SUNDAY 19 APRIL
The Nightingale just looks straight up beautiful.
Ex Machina straight up ticks all my boxes. Robot apocalypse! Morally bankrupt scientists! Intimate wars with wide-reaching implications! A great film to end the festival on.
There's a ton of other films on though, and a few workshops to boot, so if you're in the area, you should definitely be checking out the Gold Coast Film Festival.
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