From the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, MIFF will screen the moody feature debut from Flora Lau, Bends, featuring Hong Kong star Carina Lau and Chinese heartthrob Chen Kun; Hany Abu-Assad’s Special Jury Prize-winning account of the Israel–Palestine conflict, Omar; Hiner Saleem’s My Sweet Pepper Land; French auteur Clare Denis’ Bastards, and the Winner of the Un Certain Regard Prize, The Missing Picture, where propaganda reels and hundreds of clay figures are cleverly combined in an autobiographical documentary about growing up under the Khmer Rouge.

Also from Un Certain Regard, MIFF will screen Fruitvale Station, inspired by a senseless police shooting in Oakland in 2009, and awarded the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance; winner of the Un Certain Regard Directing Prize, Stranger by the Lake, Alain Guiraudie’s steamy thriller about a picturesque lakeside spot where gay men gather to seek companionship; Nothing Bad Can Happen, a harrowing tale of a vulnerable young Christian man, and Mohammad Rasoulof’s Manuscripts Don’t Burn, a searing film about two low-level government enforcers tasked with preventing a controversial manuscript from being published.

From the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, MIFF will screen writer/director Serge Bozon’s Tip Top, a farcical riff on corruption, race and S&M starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain; Blue Ruin, a FIPRESCI Prize winner at Cannes about a vagrant who puts himself on a path of bloody revenge; Ugly, an action thriller set in Mumbai exploring a long-held grudge between a Bollywood wannabe and a ruthless chief of police; Ari Folman’s follow up to Waltz With Bashir, The Congress; and The Selfish Giant, a reinvention of the eponymous Oscar Wilde fable from UK writer/director Clio Barnard.

On top of that is Alejandro Jodorowsky’s The Dance of Reality; Marcel Ophüls’ Ain’t Misbehavin’; writer-director Sebastián Silva’s Magic Magic, a claustrophobic tale of schizophrenia and sexuality starring Michael Cera and Juno Temple; and the debut from actor-director Thierry de Peretti, Les Apaches, about five teenagers on the island of Corsica who one night break into an unoccupied luxury villa.

Other titles included are the restored and re-edited Weekend of a Champion, part informative racing documentary and part endearing odd-couple buddy movie featuring 1970s’ Formula One champion Jackie Stewart and Roman Polanski; Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout; Paul Wright’s feature debut For Those in Peril; 3x3D, a triptych exploring the evolution of 3D cinema with contributions from Peter Greenaway, Jean-Luc Godard and Edgar Pêra; and David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara as an outlaw couple.

The Festival program will be online and Single Tickets go on sale on 5 July. The Melbourne International Film Festival runs 25 July – 11 August 2013.

I’m So Excited! (Los Amantes Pasajeros!) follows the story of a Mexico-bound flight that runs into trouble when its landing gear malfunctions, and is put in a holding pattern. On board, the flamboyant cabin crew deal with the situation by drugging economy class to sleep and breaking out the tequila and mescaline in business class, where the passengers include a virgin psychic, a dominatrix, a soap star and a corrupt banker.

Almodóvar’s newest effort features cameo appearances by Penélope Cruz (Volver) and Antonio Banderas (The Skin I Live In), alongside other previous Almodóvar collaborators Antonio de la Torre (Volver), Javier Cámara (Talk To Her, Bad Education) and Lola Dueñas (Volver, Talk To Her).

Alongside the announcement of I’m So Excited! (Los Amantes Pasajeros!), MIFF has also already revealed its First Glance and Next Gen programs. Readers won’t have to wait long for more titles, however, with films from Cannes to be announced on 17 June followed by the launch of the full MIFF program on 2 July.

The birth of second-youngest son Zac in 1960 marks the entry point for the audience, with the sweet, sensitive boy noticeably dissimilar to his rough-and-tumble older brothers. As an unassuming child (played by Émile Vallée, the director’s son), he struggles with his overt and inescapable preference for playing with girls’ toys and dressing up on his mother’s clothing, a conflict between his nature and the ideals of his parents’ nurture that lingers beyond the bounds of adolescence.

Indeed, as the engaging Zac grows from a curious child into a headstrong teen (now portrayed by Bus Palladium‘s Marc-André Grondin) with a penchant for glam rock, his inner urges prove at odds with the wishes of his tough, traditional father (Michel Côté, Fathers and Guns). Desperate to meet expectations, to conform to normality and to please his nearest and dearest, he swings between his and others’ desires, with a resolution between the two not easily earned.

In an array of emotions and aesthetics ranging from earnest discovery to bitter resentment, and exuberant hyper-realism to whimsical fantasy sequences, C.R.A.Z.Y. offers a rich, resonant portrait of its incomparable characters. Whilst the central narrative focus lingers on Zac and his spiritual and sexual awakening, his intriguing interactions with his strict father, accepting mother (Danielle Proulx, Monsieur Lazhar) and diverse siblings – including studious Christian (Maxime Tremblay, TV’s Providence), sporty Antoine (Alex Gravel, 3 x rien), rebellious Raymond (Pierre-Luc Brillant, Borderline) and youngest Yvan (Félix-Antoine Despatie, Vice caché) – are instrumental in shaping the textured tapestry of his youthful existence.

Accordingly, this tender, tragic tale of a boy born on Christmas day as he grows from a misfit into a man is an intimate, intricate representation of recognition and respect in all its guises. Canvassing the ability of parents to love their children regardless of their perceived problems or evident differences, the uneasy dynamic of envy and opposition that exists within large families filled with sparring offspring, and the long road to owning one’s own personality and passions, Vallée’s fragrant film contemplates and celebrates its unique perspective on maturation.

Along the way, confrontation is common as a cavalcade of contrasting opinions and ideologies on gender and sexuality come to the fore. Yet, in his smart and spirited script (co-written with TV scribe François Boulay) and evocative, immersive execution, the director probes the proliferation of factors confounding his characters’ actions but never passes judgement on their darkest doubts and deepest follies.

The authentic, ambitious and often amusing handling of disarming, delicate themes aside, C.R.A.Z.Y. also succeeds as a technical marvel, with the efforts of the cast and crew masterful and magnificent. From the precise production design that so completely inhabits its period setting and particular locale that no other option seems plausible, to the stunning symphony of sound and score – the use of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil and of course Patsy Cline’s Crazy included – the film connects on an visual and aural level.

Performances, too, seethe with creativity and control as well as chaos and catharsis, with the largely inexperienced cast nothing short of exceptional. However, there is never any doubt that the suitably bittersweet, slightly surreal effort is anything other than Vallée’s consummate creation, in personal, poignant film that bursts with enlivened energy and arresting entertainment.

The features selection includes plenty of Sydney Film Festival picks like Stoker, Child’s Pose, The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology, and The Crash Reel, but also a number of Australian Premieres, including Giuseppe Tornatore’s new film The Best Offer, James Ponsoldt’s Sundance Film Festival hit The Spectacular Now, and many more. The selection also features Premiere Fund titles Aim High in Creation!, Galore, In Bob We Trust, Patrick, The Turning, and These Final Hours, and the previously announced documentary The Act of Killing.

In the Shorts section, we find Nash Edgerton and Specer Susser’s newest effort The Captain alongside Omar Robert Hamilton’s wonderful mosaic on Palestine, Though I Know the River Is Dry.

The Melbourne International Film Festival takes place between the 25th of July and 11th of August and you can read the full First Glance selection below!

FEATURES
Aim High in Creation | dir. Anna Broinowski | AUS
The Act of Killing | dir. Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn and Anonymous | DEN/NOR/UK
The Best Offer | dir. Giuseppe Tornatore | ITA
Blackfish | dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite | USA
Blancanieves | dir. Pablo Berger | ESP/FRA
Child’s Pose (Pozitia Copilului) | dir. Calin Peter Netzer | ROU
Closed Curtain | dir. Jafar Panahi, Kambuzia Partovi | IRI
The Crash Reel | dir. Lucy Walker | USA
Cutie and the Boxer | dir. Zachary Heinzerling | USA
These Final Hours | dir. Zac Hilditch | AUS
Frances Ha | dir. Noah Baumbach | USA
Galore | dir. Rhys Graham | AUS
Ginger & Rosa | dir. Sally Potter | UK/DEN/CAN/CRO
Gloria | dir. Sebastian Lelio | CHI/ESP
In Bob We Trust | dir. Lynn-Maree Milburn | AUS
Outrage Beyond | dir. Takeshi Kitano | JPN
Passion | dir. Brian de Palma | FRA/GER
Patrick | dir. Mark Hartley | AUS
The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology | dir. Sophie Fiennes | UK/IRE
Prince Avalanche | dir. David Gordon Green | USA
The Spectacular Now | dir. James Ponsoldt | USA
The Spirit of ’45 | dir. Ken Loach | UK
Stoker | dir. Park Chan-wook | UK/USA
The Stone Roses: Made of Stone | dir. Shane Meadows | UK
The Sunnyboy | dir. Kaye Harrison | AUS
Teenage The Turning | dir. Justin Kurzel, Claire McCarthy, Warwick Thornton, Robert Connolly, et al. | AUS
Upstream Color | dir. Shane Carruth | USA
What Maisie Knew | dir. Scott McGehee, David Siegel | USA
You’re Next | dir. Adam Wingard | USA

SHORTS
The Captain | dir. Nash Edgerton, Spencer Susser | AUS
I Missed My Mother’s Funeral | dir. Ben Quinn | UK
Keep a Modest Head | dir. Deco Dawson | CAN
Though I Know the River Is Dry | dir. Omar Robert Hamilton | EGY/PLE/UK/QAT
Unicorn Blood | dir. Alberto Vázquez | ESP

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Thoughts?

The Bling Ring is based on the true story of a gang of fame-obsessed juvenile thieves who tracked celebrity targets via social media and stole millions in luxury goods from their homes. The film stars Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Katie Chung, and cameos from real-life ‘Bling Ring’ victim Paris Hilton.

Meanwhile, Aboriginal Heart follows a young city doctor who gets bamboozled by the gentle cunning and stunning art of a group of local Aboriginal women. The cast features Adam Demos, Valerie Bugmy and Erica Dixon.

The two films will screen together on the 13th of June at 9:15pm at Event Cinemas George Street, and again on the 15th of June at 8pm at Dendy Opera Quays.

OFFICIAL COMPETITION
The 2013 competition jury is led by American director Steven Spielberg, alongside actor Daniel Auteuil, actress Vidya Balan, director Naomi Kawase, actress Nicole Kidman, director Ang Lee, director Cristian Mungiu, director Lynne Ramsay, and actor Christoph Waltz.

PALME D’OR
La Vie d’Adele – Chapitre 1 & 2 (Blue is the Warmest Colour) – Abdellatif Kechiche

GRAND PRIX
Inside Llewyn Davis – Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

PRIX DU JURY (JURY PRIZE)
Like Father, Like Son – Hirokazu Kore-eda

PRIX DE LA MISE EN SCENE (BEST DIRECTOR)
Amat Escalante – Heli

PRIX D’INTERPRETATION MASCULINE (BEST ACTOR)
Bruce Dern – Nebraska

PRIX D’INTERPRETATION FEMININE (BEST ACTRESS)
Berenice Bejo – The Past

PRIX DU SCENARIO (BEST SCREENPLAY)
Jia Zhangke – A Touch of Sin

VULCAIN PRIZE FOR AN ARTIST TECHNICIAN
Grigris – Mahamat Saleh-Haroun

PALME D’OR DU COURT METRAGE (BEST SHORT FILM)
Safe – Moon Byoung-gon

SHORT FILM SPECIAL DISTINCTION EX-AEQUO
Hvalfjordur (Whale Valley) – Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson
37°4 S – Adriano Valerio

CAMÉRA D’OR
Ilo Ilo – Anthony Chen

UN CERTAIN REGARD
This year’s five member jury includes Thomas Vinterberg, Enrique Gonzales Macho, Ludivine Sagnier, Ilda Santiago, and Zhang Ziyi.

UN CERTAIN REGARD AWARD (BEST FILM)
The Missing Picture – Rithy Pahn

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Omar – Hany Abu-Assad

BEST DIRECTOR
Alain Guiraudie – Stranger by the Lake

A CERTAIN TALENT PRIZE
La jaula de oro – Diego Quemada-Diaz

AVENIR PRIZE
Fruitvale Station – Ryan Coogler

45^TH DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT (QUINZAINE DES RÉALISATEURS)
Created by the French Directors Guild in 1969, the Directors’ Fortnight is a parallel section distinguished by its focus on independent and eclectic filmmaking.

ARTE CINEMA PRIZE (BEST FEATURE)
Me Myself and Mum – Guillaume Gallienne

LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS PRIZE (BEST EUROPEAN FILM)
The Selfish Giant – Clio Barnard

SACD PRIZE (BEST FRENCH LANGUAGE FILM)
Me Myself and Mum – Guillaume Gallienne
Special Mention: Tip Top – Serge Bozon

ILLY PRIZE (BEST SHORT FILM)
Gambozinos (A Wild Goose Chase) – João Nicolau
Special Mention: Pouco mais de um mês – André Novais Oliveira

52^ND INTERNATIONAL CRITIC’S WEEK (SEMAINE DE LA CRITIQUE)
The International Critic’s Week serves as a showcase for discovering new talent by presenting first and second feature films from directors around the world.

NESPRESSO GRAND PRIZE
Salvo – Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza
Special Mention: Los Dueños (The Owners) – Agustin Toscano, Ezequiel Radusky

FRANCE 4 VISIONARY AWARD
Salvo – Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza

SACD PRIZE
Le Demantelement – Sebastien Pilote

DISCOVERY AWARD (SHORT FILM)
Come and Play – Daria Belova

CANAL+ AWARD (BEST SHORT FILM)
Pleasure – Ninja Thyberg

CINÉFONDATION
The Cinéfondation is dedicated to support the next generation of filmmakers. Three prizes are awarded to the best short and medium length student films in the selection. This year’s five member jury was led by filmmaker Jane Campion, accompanied by director Maji-da Abdi, actress Nicoletta Braschi, actress Nandita Das, and director Semih Kaplanoglu.

FIRST PRIZE
Needle – Anahita Ghazvinizadeh

SECOND PRIZE
En Attendant le Degel (Waiting for the Thaw) – Sarah Hirtt

THIRD PRIZE
In Acvariu (In the Fishbowl) – Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
Pandy (Pandas) – Matus Vizar

INDEPENDENT AWARDS

FIPRESCI IN COMPETITION
La Vie d’Adele – Chapitre 1 & 2 (Blue is the Warmest Colour) – Abdellatif Kechiche

FIPRESCI UN CERTAIN REGARD
Manuscripts Don’t Burn – Mohammad Rasoulof

FIPRESCI DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT
Blue Rain – Jeremy Saulnier

PRIZE OF THE ECUNEMICAL JURY
The Past – Asghar Farhadi

PALM DOG
Baby Boy – Behind the Candelabra

“I’m not sure any more. I guess I try to make a difference. ”

In the film that bears his name, Barton Fink (John Turturro, Do the Right Thing) is marked by uncertainty of purpose, lingering in limbo between the validation he secretly craves and the lucrative living he openly abhors. After success on Broadway, the playwright eschews his firming foundations in the New York theatre scene to try his hand at the motion picture business, reluctantly willing to take a chance but never quite sure of his decision. The Hollywood world that awaits only confirms his hesitance, as studio executives (Michael Lerner, Maniac Cop 2) crow with confidence, producers (Tony Shalhoub, Quick Change) talk fast and furious, and fellow scribes (John Mahoney, The Russia House) placate their creative hindrances with amber liquids. In a run-down hotel off the beaten path, only his larger-than-life neighbour, Charlie Meadows (John Goodman, King Ralph), offers a friendly face; alas, in his adopted home as in his ever-shifting existence, everything is transient.

Writing and helming their fourth feature after Blood Simple, Raising Arizona and Miller’s Crossing, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen prove the opposite of their fragile, fractured protagonist, employing their arsenal of unconventionalities to craft a work of ambition and assurance. As Fink darts and dallies with indecision prolonged by the ephemeral and unknown, the Coens’ proceed with conviction and coherence, confirming their extensive talents and creating cinematic history. Set in the pre-World War II Hollywood of 1941, their film is lovingly pieced together with exquisite period detail, and affectionately cognisant of its inspiration and influences, yet bold in its moulding of homage and originality into a unique form. That the end result earned the praise that its lead character first shrugs off, then boasts and covets, is an apt epilogue; winning an unprecedented three prizes at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival (the Palme d’Or, best director and best actor), Barton Fink is an unusual shining gem amidst a wealth of content with similar concerns.

Despite appearances, the disparity between the feature’s on- and off-screen realms swiftly decreases, in the Coen brothers’ typical offbeat style. Fink’s struggles may sit in stark contrast to the fortunes of the filmmakers; however symmetry exists in their trajectories – the former sinking despite all attempts to the contrary, the latter using their eccentricities to ascend to increasingly greater heights. As sadness and madness envelope a man trained by the expected, tested by the inexplicable and tricked by the ordinary, the film weaves layer upon layer of themes and throwbacks into a symphony of satire and surrealism. Every anarchic narrative development only enhances its resonance; each incursion of visual and stylistic chaos serves to heighten the complexity; both embody an effort truly concerned with duality and dichotomy.

Indeed, from the instant the audience first glimpses the earnest, nervous Fink waiting in the wings as his play unravels to rapturous applause, to his moment of catharsis 116 minutes later, the character is obvious in his collection of contradictions. He needs yet loathes praise, espouses the worthiness of art and intellectualism yet barely pauses for thought about following the money, is eager to please his new employer yet always acts above the job, and is quick to complain yet won’t back up his protests with the courage of his convictions. All those who surround him possess the same division – from the studio enforcer (Jon Polito, The Freshman) who threatens those below but cowers to those above, to the so-called writing secretary (Judy Davis, High Tide) who boasts the wit and skill in her relationship, but welcomes the comfort of subservience. Fink is overt in his judgement, but oblivious to his own similar stature, with the feature delightfully, delicately and oh-so-darkly exploring – but never resorting to rationalising – the variance.

An array of knowing nods furnish the devilish details, all amassed with speed, skill, flair and finesse. Grounding its central premise in the writing perils and pitfalls of Sunset Boulevard (complete with shades of a murder mystery), its journey of discovery in fellow industry-centric effort Sullivan’s Travels (including the quest to create entertainment that captures the attention of the common man), its ominous Art Deco setting in the labyrinthine twists and turns of The Shining (expressionistic, writer’s block-fuelled flourishes of artistic, untrustworthy frenzy among them), and its mood of psychological malaise in the early offerings of Roman Polanski (as seen in Repulsion, Cul-de-Sac and The Tenant), the film overflows with intertwined allusions. Titles, lines, characters and scenarios all bear resemblance to an assortment of sources – literary, as well as cinematic. Whilst predicated upon the works of others and heightened by such knowledge, Barton Fink still stands alone, surging on its use of the familiar to reveal hidden depths and secrets.

And yet, at the feature’s core sits evident, inherent simplicity: a protagonist with noble but waylaid intentions, filmmakers able to see comedy in absurdist divergences, and performers committed to the idea over their individual standing. It is the combination that drives the film, just as the mixture of muses infuses it with texture, each complementing the other. The feats of the marvellous cast typify the collective ethos, with Turturro at his most desperate and accessible, Goodman gregarious and gifted with eloquent vernacular, and Davis warm and wise in the “been there, seen that way” manner; so too, the intricate aesthetic sheen crafted by Roger Deakins’ (Air America) deliberate cinematography and the Coens’ deft editing (under their shared pseudonym of Roderick Jaynes). Their efforts make a difference, as does the vivid, vibrant final product – and, although not in the way he anticipated, so does Barton Fink.

This is another big pick up for the Sydney Film Festival, and Behind the Candelabra will screen on Tuesday 11 June at 9:45pm at Event Cinemas George Street (EV4) and Friday 14 June at 8:00pm Event Cinemas George Street (EV9).

—

Speaking of Cannes, Fruitvale Station seems to be following in the footsteps of Beasts of the Southern Wild; Ryan Coogler’s work is the first feature at the French festival to receive almost universally positive feedback, continuing on from its double award success at the Sundance Film Festival. With The Weinstein Company distributing the film, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Michael B. Jordan or Melonie Diaz getting an Academy nomination. I also wouldn’t be surprised if this plays at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

—

It seems a Toronto International Film Festival premiere is extremely likely for Michael Dowse’s (Goon, Take Me Home Tonight) newest effort The F Word, the completed production of Elan Mastai’s screenplay which recently featured on the Black List.

The romantic comedy stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan as twentysomethings who feel an instant connection after they meet at a party, despite the fact that Kazan’s character has a boyfriend. The film also stars Rafe Spall, Adam Driver, Megan Park and Amanda Crew.

Dowse is supposedly very keen on premiering where it was shot and considering the prestige of playing TIFF, this would be a big debut for the rom-com. eOne Films International is officially handling the film, which means Hopscotch Films will be providing Australian distribution. While MIFF now seems out of the question, an Adelaide or Brisbane festival screening is very possible.

—

At this time, both The Bling Ring and Much Ado About Nothing will be skipping Australian festival premieres, preferring immediate theatrical distribution instead. The Bling Ring is currently slated for a July 25th release – MIFF’s Opening Night – while Much Ado About Nothing has been pushed up to July 11th, with a Special Screening on May 30th at Dendy Newtown.

While many will be excited to see Joss Whedon’s new film in general release earlier than expected, it is believed the new date is due to Whedon himself not being available for an Australian appearance – likely to have been MIFF. Work with Marvel has stepped into high gear again, with the director working on both Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers 2.

—

Despite the disappointing news above, it seems it has left the door open for another big director to make an Australian appearance, with strong talk Edgar Wright might be coming down for the Australian Premiere of The World’s End. Wright was unable to make it to Australia for the release of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and it seems the British director wants to rectify that.

With The World’s End currently scheduled for an October 3rd release, Edgar Wright’s newest feature could be a Gala Screening at MIFF, with the festival yet to announce their Opening and Closing Night titles.

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What are your thoughts?

This is a big year for both festivals. This will be Nashen Moodley’s second festival as director and Michelle Carey’s third, and both have had enough time to settle into their positions. As a consequence, both are accountable for putting a personal stamp on – and increasing the value of – their respective festivals.

The establishment of Sydney’s Official Competition in 2008 has done wonders for the festival, and provides great incentive for international filmmakers and industry professionals to come to the festival. In 2012, Sydney Film Festival was able to boast international directors, producers, and critics, while this year they are able to bring out talents like Calin Peter Netzer and Sarah Polley.

On the flipside, the Melbourne International Film Festival has Industry Programs and a Premiere Fund, with the 37º South Market being Australia’s only film co-financing market in the context of a festival. For sales agents, distributors and producers, this is a godsend – even if some of them prefer talking shop over a drink late at night.

So what are the challenges laying ahead for both festival directors?

For Moodley, the pressure is somewhat alleviated by SFF’s 60 year milestone, which almost always demands a quality retrospective program – and the festival has delivered with a comprehensive and diverse selection of British Noir and Restored films.

And while the program reveal was met with a largely positive response, there was a small group of naysayers with a consistent argument: the lineup was too “beige” and wasn’t an attractive enough prospect for interstate patrons.

In my opinion, this had little to do with the acquired titles, but instead with the lack of curated streams.

Sydney’s program is geographically and thematically diverse, with a number of marketable films and Australian Premieres. Unfortunately for patrons, there are few entry points beyond the Official Competition and the location-based Special Presentations at The State.

“The Box Set” and “Screen: Black” are tragically undersized, and the “Focus on Austria” section is one of convenience rather than real tribute. However, the most consistent offender – and indicative of SFF’s current streams – is Richard Kuiper’s “Freak Me Out” sidebar. The section features just a handful of films, often containing tenuously linked titles. Comrade Kim Goes Flying was initially selected in this year’s “Freak Me Out” sidebar – and this was Kuiper’s explanation:

It is time for Sydney Film Festival to follow in the Melbourne International Film Festival’s footsteps and establish curated streams that actually matter and provide entry points for festival audiences. Richard Kuipers has been a dedicated servant to SFF, but “Freak Me Out” consistently pales in comparison to MIFF’s “Night Shift” category and it is time someone new was given a chance.

It is through these spaces that programmers can not only entertain but also challenge audiences. This is something Thomas Caldwell is doing extremely well in the Next Gen program at MIFF. The section is evolving beyond its initial demographic and now engages a broader spectrum with a series of intelligent and mature films.

For Sydney, a stronger emphasis on thematic or geographical streams will make the entire program more accessible to potential patrons.

Despite this, Moodley and his programming team have negotiated expertly with World Sales teams to bring in a number of titles, including four of the more marketable films in the 2013 Cannes Film Festival’s Official Competition (Borgman, Grigris, Only God Forgives and The Past).

This has been MIFF’s Golden Ticket, with the 2012 festival taking 31 features from the Cannes Film Festival. But Sydney had the Australian Premiere for 8 of those titles in 2012, and it will be a similar number this year.

Audiences are constantly drawn to titles from Cannes, and this year’s lineup is widely considered one of the best in recent memory. This includes the Cannes Market, which features Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s REAL, Paul Schrader’s The Canyons (written by Bret Easton Ellis and starring Lindsay Lohan), Satoshi Miki’s Ore Ore, Kim Chapiron’s Smart Ass, and plenty more. So there is little reason for MIFF to give up their collection of Cannes acquisitions.

But for Michelle Carey and the Melbourne-based festival, the emphasis they can place on Cannes is weakened by Sydney’s movement to acquiring that festival’s major titles. If Sydney continues in this direction, MIFF will be forced to look beyond Cannes.

This looks to be part of Michelle Carey’s big challenge: to add further value to the Melbourne International Film Festival, which is already one of the world’s longest festivals – and boasts an incredibly large program.

For this writer, there are two options that come to mind.

The first is to change the way audiences attend festivals and to question the way we look at film.

MIFF is already starting to introduce this, with last year’s festival including speed dating sessions, a trivia night, and a couple of party events. But the academic and the industry are often removed from the regular festival patron, and their viewpoints are shared mainly through special events and small masterclasses.

A possible way to introduce an academic – or film criticism – viewpoint is through the establishment of a festival magazine. Already successful at festivals like EIFF, the magazine would feature articles on current trends and issues in film, dissections of preview lineup titles, an examination of the festival and its history, and more. There are a number of highly regarded critics in Melbourne alone who have compiled reports for FIPRESCI on international festivals and their programs, so the writers are here. It’s something just waiting to happen.

Another step is to take a page out of Sydney’s playbook, and start partnering films with food, drink and sporting events where appropriate – extending the festival beyond its usual locations and incorporating more of the City of Melbourne.

And the final element of this first option relates to the Festival Lounge at The Forum. Everybody loves the space. It is welcoming, close to the cinemas, and the prices are surprisingly acceptable. Nevertheless, MIFF must find a new space for its talks and industry events – or at least make these free events ticketed.

The mix between serious conversation on stage and patrons socialising in booths does not work and ruins the experience for both sides. It might have to be a space at ACMI; it might have to be a space at Melbourne Central; it might have to be panels after screenings, but the last two years have shown that the Festival Lounge in The Forum does not work for talks and industry events.

The second option for MIFF to add value to its festival – and this relates to Sydney as well – is to increase international interest.

The Melbourne International Film Festival is well-situated in the annual festival calendar, both from a domestic and international viewpoint. With Adelaide moving from February to mid-Spring, MIFF’s only direct “competitor” on the Australian calendar is the Sydney Film Festival.

Internationally, the festival is perfectly placed between Cannes and Venice/Toronto, and while it cannot compete with those for World Premieres of European art house titles and American/British Oscar-bait, it is a position well-suited for Market debuts and independent productions.

Even more so, MIFF’s timing is exceptionally suited to the rest of the Asian festival calendar, with the Hong Kong International Film Festival slotted in March/April alongside the proposed Malaysian International Film Festival, while the Busan International Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival take place annually in October.

Much like Australia’s domestic festivals partnered together to screen Blackfellas productions in their lineups last year, MIFF has the potential for programming partnerships with four international film festivals. While Melbourne is a long way off competing with Toronto and Venice for premieres, the festival has an opportunity to become bigger – and more involved – in the Asian market.

If MIFF is to take advantage of this opportunity, then they have to be able to compete with Sydney in regards to the pampering of international guests and critics. To highlight its importance, the 2012 Busan International Festival had 11,519 participants: 2,357 were accredited press members, 1,098 Market participants, and 806 were additional international patrons.

SFF has a clear monetary advantage over Melbourne in this respect, but the coordination and treatment of those brought in is incredible – flights, accommodation, food, wardrobe, makeup, conference rooms and itinerary are all taken care of by Sydney.

To have the money necessary to reach the standard set by Sydney, MIFF would require a lot of extra funding, and it would be incredibly important for the festival to present itself as a major tourism opportunity – moving beyond a domestic profile into the international market.

The extra funding could be well used on a new sponsorship coordinator and guest liaison, dedicated primarily to potential airline and hotel partnerships – creating flight and accommodation packages for travelling patrons, while also organising conference room spaces for critics to watch screeners and conduct interviews with international guests.

It is also time for MIFF to embrace an Official Competition with a major prize at stake. While awards are crude and somewhat reductive, they provide filmmakers an incentive to submit their works to the festival, and there is always interest in a festival’s jury. The fact MIFF already has other awards – including Best Australian Feature and Audience Awards – means this would not be out-of-place.

These are ambitious tasks and will certainly take time to implement. They will take even more time to achieve positive results. But these steps can help Melbourne and Sydney add value beyond their current domestic positions.

In George Sluizer’s The Vanishing (Spoorloos – literally translated as Traceless or Without a Trace), the act that prolongs their intermission is evident from the title, leaving the means, motivation and machinations of the event as the feature’s primary puzzle. Adapting Tim Krabbé’s novella The Golden Egg, the Dutch filmmaker is precise in his prolonging of the mystery, reworking the material with the author to heighten the suspense without resorting to the standard thriller tricks of emotional and narrative manipulation. Although structure is toyed with to striking effect, it is the search for a rationale and resolution that drives the film. The ever-present questions of how and why remain for the feature’s duration, queries the writer/director takes his torturous time to answer.

Instead, Sluizer casts the audience in the guise of his protagonist in his sixth feature in three decades, sending both on a parallel quest for answers. When Saskia fails to return from buying beverages, Rex is fraught with anxiety, unable to let go of his need to know what happened. His efforts are intercut with the curious domesticity of mild-mannered chemistry professor Raymond Lemorne (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, The Passion of Beatrice), a happily married French family man with a holiday house that monopolises his attention. Clouded in an unsettling air despite his embodiment of ordinariness, Raymond’s time away from home uncovers his unsavoury intentions.

For much of the film’s intense and absorbing 107 minutes, details are teased in a piecemeal fashion, as all the relevant information is metered out in measured doses. Yet every red herring, slight aside, oblique reference and overt revelation adds to the mystique as much as the understanding, in a masterful show of developing tension. Intrigue seethes amidst palpable unease, with knowledge becoming the ultimate currency in an escalating game of cat and mouse. Sluizer’s efforts prove economical, intellectual and effective as they spiral towards a discomforting finale, unnerving in the cultivation of psychological horror both on and off the screen.

A steely aesthetic sheen and compositional definition matches the exact handling of the satisfying story, epitomised by cinematographer Toni Kuhn (Red Desert Penitentiary) and editors Sluizer and Lin Friedman (Tadzio) demonstrating their deft in augmenting the director’s vision. In retaining the emphasis on information, images are crafted not only with style, but substance; close framing throws focus on facial expressions, in-car perspectives call attention to space and proximity, an act of photography ensures that even the smallest detail doesn’t escape notice, and a particularly stunning point-of-view shot taken through sunglasses exemplifies the wrong-doer’s perspective.

Performances, too, match the enigmatic mood, with the bulk of the film playing out as a two-hander between the adversarial Bervoets and Donnadieu. Every aspect of their characters and corresponding portrayals sit in opposition, but together they possess a symbiotic energy, feeding upon and fuelling their counterparts. European Film Awards best supporting actress winner ter Steege makes the most of her secondary but pivotal part, affording the film with its source of empathy. In a minor role, Gwen Eckhaus (The Johnsons) also proves an emotive motivator, albeit at the mercy of the lead characters.

Accordingly, the film immerses in its dissection of power and passion, juxtaposed at the extremes of love, hate, good and evil. With the missing Saskia at the centre, Rex and Raymond dance around in a series of near misses that culminate in a chilling confrontation, their leanings in the positive and negative directions apparent, but the commonality of their need, desire and fixation nothing short of uncanny – albeit distressing. The frenetic former perfects the grieving partner seeking closure; however his continued fascination is not without its ventures into unhinged territory. The methodical latter redefines the model of the antagonist, his mundanity and menace combining for a portrait of detached malevolence at its most plausible and disturbing.

Of course, The Vanishing retains its place in cinematic history not only for its impressive stature but for its existence as one of the few films to inspire a remake by its director. Five years after the feature released in his homeland, Sluizer helmed the Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock vehicle of the same name in Hollywood, joining the likes of Alfred Hitchcock (The Man Who Knew Too Much), Werner Herzog (Little Dieter Needs to Fly / Rescue Dawn) and Michael Haneke (Funny Games) among the limited ranks of filmmakers that have refashioned their previous efforts. The 1993 offering’s failure is infamous; however it cannot overshadow the success of the 1988 original. A clinical, compelling and convincing evocation of obsession, The Vanishing turns the standard into the sinister with smarts, style and an ominously simmering undercurrent.