MWFF FRIDAY: THE PERSONAL AS UNIVERSAL
By Chloe Wong
Coming off the back of a smashing opening night party, Friday kicked off the first full day of programming at the 2020 Melbourne Women in Film Festival.
Susan Bye of ACMI presenting to students
The day started with the school screening of Emu Runner (Imogen Thomas, 2018) at Lido Cinema, attended by VCE Media Studies students. After the film, Susan Bye, Education Programmer at ACMI, then led a workshop which highlighted the importance of collaboration and the authenticity of working with community. The workshop also touched on various cinematic and storytelling techniques used in the film, which I think is a classic example of a personal story with universal themes. It’s been on my movie list for a while and have heard much about it, so I’m glad I had the opportunity to watch it today.
Professor Lisa French speaking to the audience at the Kaleide Theatre
Later in the evening was An Exercise in Discipline: Jane Campion Retrospective at RMIT’s Kaleide Theatre. The screening was aptly opened by Professor Lisa French, Dean of Media and Communication at RMIT, who completed her PhD on Jane Campion herself. Describing Campion as “one of the most significant and most prominent filmmakers in the world,” Professor French provided wonderful commentary and context on the short films in the programme, shedding much light on the themes and female-centric perspectives permeating the films. I really enjoyed them all. There was a wicked sense of humour in all of them, even in the more serious shorts, which I really appreciated.
Walk A Mile producer Sarah Anne Dudley introducing her film
Immediately after that, it was off to Kino Cinemas for Births, Deaths, and Marriages (2019), a comedy feature from New Zealand director Bea Joblin. The screening was preceded by Kiwi short Walk A Mile, for which producer Sarah Anne Dudley was present to speak about the film’s development. Again, it was another fascinating insight into the creation of a personal story that speaks to universal themes.
Overall, an exhilarating day for this introvert. I’m looking forward to what the rest of the weekend has in store.