Dungog Festival Reveals 2014 Film Program

The Hunter Valley’s Dungog Festival has revealed its inaugural feature film program, which joins the event this year and is led by Aussie comedy The Infinite Man, set to open proceedings on Friday, August 29.

The annual celebration of music, arts, (now) film and community recently unveiled a stellar music line-up headed by the legendary Tim Rogers and meteorically insurgent outfit The Paper Kites, so it should come as no surprise that Dungog Festival has paid equal care and attention to cultivating a breathtaking array of cinematic treats for all those who pass through its welcoming gates.

Event opener The Infinite Man, which saw its premiere go down at the renowned South By Southwest festival and conference, is the debut feature-length effort from Hugh Sullivan, and follows the story of high-strung scientist Dale (Josh McConville), who goes to the extreme lengths of inventing time travel in an effort to re-live a disastrous anniversary weekend with girlfriend Lisa (Hannah Marshall) after the big day was hijacked by her ex, Terry (former Heartbreak Kid Alex Dimitriades).

There’s an incredible selection of films backing up that enticing-enough prospect, though, with the three-day-long program canvassing works from Australia and abroad, spanning genres and styles, to the point that if there’s not a film here you want to see, maybe you just don’t like movies.

Predominantly housed out of the James Theatre – the oldest surviving purpose-built cinema on the Aussie mainland – the Dungog Festival film program also features the family-friendly Maya The Bee Movie, featuring the voices of Aussie screen legends such as Richard Roxburgh, Jacki Weaver and Noah Taylor; The Young And Prodigious T.S. Spivet, from the mind of Amelie director Jeanne Pierre Jeunet; local production Fell, from Kasimir Burgess and starring Matt Nable and Daniel Henshall; Kiwi entry Fantail, written by and starring Sophie Henderson; and fellow NZ output What We Do In The Shadows, a mockumentary-style look at life in a vampire-inhabited share house starring, and co-directed by, Flight Of The Conchords’ Jemaine Clement.

Complementing the fiction side of things is the festival’s impressive spread of documentaries, which resoundingly circle the fields of music and art, from Mike Myers’ profile of legendary producer Shep Gordon, Supermensch, to Nick Cave’s docu-feature 20,000 Days On Earth and John Olsen portrait-doco King Sun.

Upper Hunter politician George Souris said of the film program: “The NSW Government, through our tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, is proud to support the Dungog Festival.

“The three-day program of Australian and international films, cultural events, food and wine will be a huge drawcard for visitors to the Festival, which is expected to attract close to 3,000 visitors and bring an estimated $1 million in visitor expenditure to the local economy this year.”

The Dungog Festival’s film program announcement will be complemented next week with the revelation of more than 30 short films, all of which will be up for the community-donated “The Gog” award, worth $1000.

The Dungog Festival runs from August 28-31, 2014. See the Dungog Festival’s website for more information.

full list of feature films

THE INFINITE MAN

MAYA THE BEE MOVIE

FANTAIL

FELL

20,000 DAYS ON EARTH

THE YOUNG AND PRODIGIOUS T.S. SPIVET

TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT

LATE NIGHT SCREENINGS

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

JOHN DOE: VIGILANTE

DOCUMENTARIES

THE KING SUN: JOHN OLSEN, A PORTRAIT AT 85

WATERMARK

BURT’S BUZZ