Sunday Arts Magazine

6 Feb 2023

Melbourne Women in Film Festival

Arts, Arts Festival, Performing Arts, Sunday Arts Magazine

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The annual Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) is proud to announce the full program for 2023, including Freshly Squeezed Shorts, Next Gen Shorts and Reel Shorts. Through the theme Connections, MWFF will explore creative collaborations and community through a dynamic program for its seventh year from 23 – 27 February 2023 at ACMI.

On Saturday 25 February, MWFF has announced the Australian premiere screening of Patricia Cornelius’ award-winning drama, SHIT, staring Peta Brady, Sarah Ward and Nicci Wilks. SHIT is a psychological drama which unfolds over one long night of incarceration in a bleak holding cell. Caged for hours on end, Billy, Bobby and Sam reveal their stories of a life time of violence, abuse, and institutionalisation. Told with unsentimental, sometimes comical, often gut-wrenching insight. SHIT is directed by Susie Deeand co-produced by Trudy Hellier.

SHIT is adapted from the hit play, which has had eight seasons. Premiering at MTC, SHIT has been performed at Sydney Arts Festival, Darwin Festival, 2019 Biennale Theatre Festival in Venice and Edinburgh Fringe, winning the prestigious Summerhall Arts Lustrum Award. Written by one of Australia’s most celebrated playwrights, Patricia Cornelius, SHIThas been met with extraordinary critical acclaim, winning four Green Room Awards and receiving a Helpmann Awards nomination for director Susie Dee.

Other program highlights include, Reel Shorts (Saturday 25 February, 12:30pm) – presenting a collection of captivating and uplifting documentaries that delve into true stories from Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider Moana. From intimate portraits of artists and sports icons to intercultural and intergenerational connections, these films offer diverse perspectives of the world around us. Some highlights include:More Than Cute (15 mins): A seniors Bollywood dance class in Melbourne city, is the perfect intercultural setting to discover new friendships and to unpack misconceptions about ageing. Through the lens of the traditional costume, stories are uncovered and shared. Simultaneously, underneath all the fun, colour and laughter, a miraculous healing is taking place on many different levels. Directed, produced and written by Joshinder K Chaggar.

Aloha Soul Food (12 mins): Merging personal memoir and photojournalism, Aloha Soul Food nostalgically explores decolonial foodways through the family life stories of six Pacific Island women. A transnational story set in Los Angeles, California, the documentary shares the stories of how working-class women navigate their lives through major historical events that occurred throughout the last century. The film shows how generations can reclaim identity and historical spaces through recipes. Directed and written by Lani Cupchoy.

My Uterus is Trying to Kill Me (20 mins): Due to the invasive nature of the diagnostic process, endometriosis can have profound effects on an individual’s life. This documentary tells stories of various people living with endometriosis and their unique journeys, from diagnosis to coping with a chronic illness daily. By showing people casually and confidently talking about their experiences, this film aims to normalise the discussion around what is currently a taboo topic. Co-directed by Emily Michelle Ellers and co-directed and produced by Hannah Louise Ranger.

Next Gen Shorts (Saturday 25 February, 4pm) showcases the creativity and talent of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand’s next generation of filmmakers. From how to grow prize winning onions to rekindling connections with family, this diverse program of films illustrates that the future of women’s and gender diverse filmmaking looks bright. Some highlights include:

Before We’re Gone (16 mins): Befriending a resilient older woman, an ambitious young girl tries to save the planet from climate crisis, until her brother forces her to choose between saving the world and helping her own struggling family. Directed and written by Taihra Swaine and produced by Alzbeta Rekosh.

Through Fault (15 mins): Set in Melbourne, in 1990, Jo, a young Catholic woman, volunteers as a HIV hotline counsellor expecting to answer calls from the ill-informed public. However, when her first caller is a young man suffering from AIDS-associated dementia, Jo is finally forced to confront the realities of the epidemic she’s been ignoring; all in the span of a single conversation. Directed and written by Emily Brown, co-produced by Frankie Hopkins and Patrick Mantynen.

Freshly Squeezed Shorts (Sunday 26 February, 4pm) showcases the latest and best short films and web series exploring diverse stories of human connection. Expect dystopian futures, hopeful romantics and unlikely friendships. Some highlights include:

Sparkles (13 mins). A 30-something-year-old woman with Down Syndrome leaves her past behind, and runs away from a small country town, heading towards the city. Along her journey, she makes an unlikely friendship with an Outback drag queen, teaching us all not to be afraid to celebrate who we are. Directed by Jacqueline Pelczer, produced by Cody Greenwood, and written, starring, and co-produced by Tina Fielding. (pictured)

MWFF is proudly screening Jub Clerc’s Sweet As on opening night, Thursday 23 February, and screening Kāinga, the third anthology film in the trilogy produced by Kerry Warkia and Kiel McNaughton on closing night, Monday 27 February.

The full MWFF program features screenings, special events, panels, workshops and education programs, whilst showcasing the best Australian, Aotearoa New Zealand and Pasifika women’s and gender diverse stories on screen, taking place at ACMI, the official presenting partner of the festival.

Melbourne Women in Film Festival aims to expand the vision of gender equality and diversity in the Australian screen industries and culture by creating dynamic and inclusive spaces that bring diverse practitioners and audiences together to be moved by compelling, provocative, and entertaining cinema.

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