KinoTopia 052 - Static Vision's Obsessions Film Festival
A guide to Static Vision's new fest with the help of Felix Hubble
OBSESSIONS: A Static Vision Film Festival
Screening at Lido from Feb 8 to Feb 11
Words by Andrew Tabacco with help from festival programmer Felix Hubble
Are there too many film festivals? Yes. Are a number of the festivals in the current calendar nothing more than cynical cash grabs profiting off Anglo Australia’s endless fascination with the flirty French, boisterous Italians and brooding Northern Europeans? Probably. Is that the case for all film festivals? No one can really say.
For those who don’t mind travelling East of the Yarra, Eora-cum-Naarm based film collective Static Vision (SV) are hosting their third in-person film festival at Hawthorn’s Lido Cinema, following 2022’s Metamorphosis and 2021’s Dreamscapes festivals. Unrestricted by the bounds of ethnography or the people’s insatiable thirst to be amongst the first in Melbourne to consume every film that played that year’s Cannes that plagues festival programmers, Static Vision offers a somewhat refreshing take on festival curation. Basing their programming on thematic explorations, with this year’s being ‘Obsessions’. Their selections explore this layered concept, with SV’s editorial reasoning skirting from obvious to opaque with every selection. Someone from KT (Andrew Tabacco) sat down with someone from SV (Felix Hubble) to talk all things Obsessions.
Starting with an opening night double of Darren Aronofsky’s debut feature Pi and late career Friedkin film Bug. As explained by Felix (FH) and paraphrased by me, subverting the usual film festival opening night trajectory of watching a film then drinking sponsored booze, SV’s opening night ambition is for the audience to be fully immersed in their selections, assumedly free from the obligatory 45 mins of speeches by sponsors and arts MPs. Obsessions opens with an A24 funded 8K restoration of Darren Aronofsky’s debut film Pi, which SV managed to bring to Australia via Aronofsky himself. A film that lives firmly in the film school canon and possibly one that deserves the overused ‘mind-bending’ label, Pi follows a solitary mathematician who becomes obsessed with finding patterns of the universe, resulting in a super computer, a wall street conspiracy, a mathematical interpretation of the torah and a DnB soundtrack featuring the likes of Aphex Twin and Autechre. As told by FH, Aronofsky had it written into his contract that he would get ownership of the film after 25 years has elapsed, an exceptionally rare occurrence for a first time filmmaker. An astute move from the man who helmed both Mother! and The Whale. Later in the eve, SV will present William Friedkin’s 2006 film Bug, Friedkin’s first collaboration with playwright Tracy Letts, the second spawning KT favourite Killer Joe. Remarkably taking nearly two decades to come to Australia following its Cannes premiere, described by Wikipedia as ‘intense’, a waitress with a tragic past (Ashley Judd) and a military vet/drifter (Michael Shannon), form a relationship, only for a bunch of critters to show up and fuck everything up.
Moving on to Friday, it’s the long-awaited Melbourne premiere screenings of Gregg Araki’s Teen Apocalypse Trilogy. Following the newly (director approved) restorations of two of the films by Strand Releasing, Gregg Araki has once again reclaimed his crown as the preeminent indie-darling and after decades of risking computer viruses to watch his films, his influential trilogy will be screened outside of bedrooms in Australia. Starting with 1993’s Totally F***ed Up, starring Tumblr heart-throb James Duval, TFU is an almost experimental road/drifter style film about a group of LA horny teens who get kicked out of home for being gay. Next up is billed as ‘a heterosexual movie by Gregg Araki’ - the widely influential The Doom Generation. After years of studio interference, the newly uncut version is a better Natural Born Killers. SV close out the night with the final instalment of the trilogy, Nowhere. Described by Araki as “Beverly Hills 90210 on acid”, it follows a group of LA kids who have to overcome the emotional, the sexual, the physical and the supernatural to attend the party of the year.
Saturday’s program offers the return of two SV favourites, a mix of both feature and mid-length experimental cinema, two Japanese offerings and an evening of cyberpunk adjacent selections. The day starts with the curiously titled 2022 film Aftersun by Catalan director Lluís Galter. Galter’s Afterun swaps Paul Mescal for a depressed Spanish seasonal worker and the daughter character with three curious Catalan teens who suspect the worker (who dresses in a cartoon bear for his job) is a suspect in a decades old missing child case. Resulting in a dream-like mystery/coming of age experimentation. Following the Victorian premiere of the other Aftersun, SV offers a double of two mid-length experimental films, a genre of film that is almost impossible to program for many festivals due to their length. Opening the double is Mamántula, set in Spain, the 48 minute ride follows detectives investigating a case of ‘man-tarantula’ who literally sucks out of the essence of its local queer community. Following the detective drama is a Thai director Tulapop Saenjaroen experimental mish-mash of doc, fic and essay film in Mangosteen. In short, it’s a dreamy, sometimes humorous, sometimes educational film about a man who returns to his hometown to work in his sister’s fruit processing farm but ends up bailing on the business to write a novel.
Following these experimentations are two Japanese films. Starting with Junta Yamaguchi’s 2023 film River, the spiritual sequel to Kyoto based theatre group turned filmmaker collective Europe Kikaku and Makato Ueda’s time-loop film, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes. Another playful exploration of the time-loop genre, this time, the workers at a hundred-year-old ryokan are stuck in a two minute time-loop. Following River is the new film by SV stalwart, Daisuke Miyazaki. With SV often the first in the world to screen the independent Japanese director’s films, including being the sole reason for the Australian film community's adoration for his film Tourism, they offer Melbourne audiences another chance to see his new film #MITO. A cinematic critique on social media influencers but better, the film follows social media idol Mito whose fame turns against her when her likeness is stolen online and used for the wrong reasons.
Long term fans of SV’s filmic offerings, will also recognise the return of SV regular Amanda Kramer (Please Baby Please, Give me Pity!). Whose new essay film So Unreal, explores the ‘state of modern life’ told through films from 1981 to 2001 and how they influence today. With the help of narration from Debbie Harry, AKA Blondie, you’ll be considering tech-futures, AI and your own life in this film. Screening with this film is the mostly panned techno cult classic Hackers, which FH assures KT readers is a masterpiece and a secret screening of a direct to video anime (those savvy with Letterboxd will be able to work it out).
Moving onto the Lord’s Day, we begin with three rep titles, starting with the celebrated queer artist and filmmaker William E. Jones’s essay film Finished. An essay film formed out of a mild obsession for a model in a phone sex commercial, William E. Jones’ film is contemplation and reflection on desire. Following Finished is a co-presentation with the Melbourne CTEQ, the premiere of the newly restored version of Guy Maddin’s 1990 film Archangel. Shot in part to look like an early cinema talkie, Archangel is part comedy, part melodrama set in the Russian arctic, and as SV puts it, “it’s literally a film like no other”. Rounding out the rep titles is Sara Driver’s Sleepwalk. Shot by partner Jim Jarmusch and stills for the film taken by friend Nan Goldin, Driver’s debut feature is a fantasy No Wave oddity and a classic of American independent cinema.
The penultimate film to screen at Obsessions is the controversial 2022 film by Japanese revolutionary director Masao Adachi. A pioneer of the Japanese New Wave before quitting directing to join the Japanese Red Army in the 70s. After 28 years in Lebanon lending assistance to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, extradition back to Japan, brief jail time and two films in two decades since, he returned to filmmaking again in the 2020s with Revolution+1. A dramatisation of life of Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe’s assassin, which premiered in Japan on the day of Abe’s funeral. Anyone familiar with the case or interested in homemade guns should check it out.
Closing out the festival is Sean Price Williams’ 2023 road movie The Sweet East. Everything about this film embodies SV’s overall theme, from the longtime Safdie cinematographer turned director Sean Price Williams (Good Time, Funny Pages), critic turned podcast guest turned screenwriter Nick Pinkerton and the stacked cast which includes Talia Ryder, Simon Rex, Ayo Edebiri and St. Kevin’s alumnus Jacob Elordi. One of the few genuinely exciting new films out of Cannes, Sean Price Williams and Pinkerton’s indie road movie is just whacky enough to end the weekend on a high.
With a festival line-up (that also includes a bunch of shorts I didn’t have time to mention) that you won’t be able to see anywhere else - there is something for everyone at Static Vision’s Obsessions Festival. If you have time, check out one, some, a bunch or all of the films over the weekend.
Obsessions: A Static Vision Festival is screening at the Lido from tonight Feb 8 to Sunday Feb 11. Program can be found here, the schedule can be found here and tickets can be found here.
Further Reading: Read how members of the Red Army Faction of the Japan Communist League hijacked a plane with katanas and tried to fly it to Cuba here.
WEEKLY FILM LISTINGS
February 8 - February 14
Focus on Jia Zhangke
The Hedonists
Jia Zhangke, 2016
Screening Thursday 8 Feb
Still Life
Jia Zhangke, 2006
Screening Thursday 8 Feb
A Touch of Sin
Jia Zhangke, 2013
Friday 9 Feb
Ash is the Purest White
Jia Zhangke, 2018
Sunday 11 Feb
Pickpocket
Jia Zhangke, 1997
Screening Tue 13 Feb
Matinees
Japanese Story
Sue Brooks, 2003
Screening 9-11 Feb
Artificial Eye
Watermark
Jennifer Baichwal & Edward Burtynsky, 2013
Screening Sat 10 Feb
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Peter Weir, 1975
Screening Wednesday 14 Feb
No screening this week
The Last of the Mohicans (Theatrical Cut)
Michael Mann, 1992
Screening Thur 8 Feb
Dune Part I
Denis Villeneuve, 2021
Screening Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Barry Lyndon
Stanley Kubrick, 1975
Screening Saturday 10 Feb
Come and See
Elem Klimov, 1985
Screening Sunday 11 Feb
Under the Skin
Jonthan Glazer, 2013
+
Birth
Jonathan Glazer, 2004
Screening Monday 12 Feb
10 Things I Hate About You
Gil Junger, 1999
Screening Wed 14 February
Reality Bites
Ben Stiller, 1994
Screening Wed 14 February
BBBC CINEMA (GALLERYGALLERY BRUNSWICK)
Returning in April!
No screening this week
CHINATOWN CINEMA
The Goldfinger
Felix Chong, 2023
Screening Daily excl Fri 26
Table For Six II
Sunny Chan, 2022
Screening Sun - Tue
The Movie Emperor
Ning Hao, 2023
Screening Sat - Tue
Pegasus II
Han Han, 2024
Screening Sat - Tue
CINÉ-CLUB (Carlton)
No screening this week
No screening this week
Previewing
In season
Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Robert Connolly, 2023
Weekend previews
Dune Part I
Denis Villeneuve, 2021
Screening daily
May December
Todd Haynes, 2023
Screening Daily
Riceboy Sleeps
Anthony Shim, 2024
Screening Daily
The Colour Purple
Blitz Bazawule, 2023
Screening Daily
Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet, 2023
Screening Daily
Priscilla
Sofia Coppola, 2023
Screening Daily
The Iron Claw
Sean Durkin, 2023
Screening Daily
All of Us Strangers
Andrew Haigh, 2023
Screening Daily
Ferrari
Michael Mann, 2023
Screening Daily
The Holdovers
Alexander Payne, 2023
Screening Daily
Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet, 2023
Previewing Tues 16 Jan
Dream Scenario
Kristoffer Borgli, 2023
Screening Daily
Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi, 2023
Screening Daily
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023
Screening Daily
Coup de Chance
Woody Allen, 2023
Screening Daily
One Life
James Hawes, 2023
Screening Daily
Two Tickets to Greece
Marc Fitoussi, 2022
Screening Daily
Wonka
Paul Knight, 2023
Screening Daily
Beyond Utopia
Madeleine Gavin, 2023
Screening Daily
Maestro
Bradley Cooper, 2023
Screening Thu / Tue
The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki, 2023
Screening Daily
Dicks: The Musical
Larry Charles, 2023
Screening Daily
Napoleon
Ridley Scott, 2023
Screening Daily
Saltburn
Emerald Fennell, 2023
Screening Daily
Godzilla Minus One
Takashi Yamazaki, 2023
Screening Daily
Bottoms
Emma Seligman, 2023
Screening Daily
Dream Scenario
Kristoffer Borgli, 2023
Screening Daily
The Old Oak
Ken Loach, 2023
Screening Dily
Uproar
Hamish Bennett, Paul Middleditch, 2023
Screening Daily
Sick of Myself
Kristoffer Borgli, 2022
Screening Daily
Past Lives
Celine Song, 2023
Limited
Barbie
Greta Gerwig, 2023
Limited
Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan, 2023
Limited
DOGMILK DEGUSTATIONS: @ Miscellania
Season 3 has started, details of next session to follow
FOMO CINEMAS BRUNSWICK EAST
Death In Brunswick
John Ruane, 1990
Screening Sunday 11 Feb
Argylle
Matthew Vaughn, 2024
Screening Daily
The Colour Purple
Blitz Bazawule, 2023
Screening Daily
Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Robert Connolly, 2023
Screening Daily
Priscilla
Sofia Coppola, 2023
Screening Daily
The Iron Claw
Sean Durkin, 2023
Screening Daily
Ferrari
Michael Mann, 2023
Screening Daily
The Holdovers
Alexander Payne, 2023
Screening Daily
Mean Girls
Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr., 2024
Screening Daily
Dream Scenario
Kristoffer Borgli, 2023
Screening Daily
Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi, 2023
Screening Daily
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023
Screening Daily
Anyone but You
Will Gluck, 2023
Screening Daily
Wonka
Paul Knight, 2023
Screening Daily
The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki, 2023
Screening Daily
Closed for the semester
GAY24 (Bar Flippy’s)
No screening this week
HITLIST (9 Gertrude St, Fitzroy)
No screening this week
Multiple Maniacs
John Waters, 1970
+
Mondo Trasho
John Waters, 1969
Screening Friday 9 Feb
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Blake Edwards, 1961
Screening Saturday 10 Feb
Tiger Stripes
Amanda Nell Eu, 2023
Screening Saturday 10 Feb
Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Robert Connolly, 2023
Screening Daily
Dune Part I
Denis Villeneuve, 2021
Screening daily
May December
Todd Haynes, 2023
Screening Daily
Riceboy Sleeps
Anthony Shim, 2024
Screening Daily
Argylle
Matthew Vaughn, 2024
Screening Daily
Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet, 2023
Screening Daily
The Colour Purple
Blitz Bazawule, 2023
Screening Daily
Priscilla
Sofia Coppola, 2023
Screening Daily
The Iron Claw
Sean Durkin, 2023
Screening Daily
All of Us Strangers
Andrew Haigh, 2023
Screening Daily
Ferrari
Michael Mann, 2023
Screening Daily
The Holdovers
Alexander Payne, 2023
Screening Daily
Mean Girls
Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr., 2024
Screening Daily
Dream Scenario
Kristoffer Borgli, 2023
Screening Daily
Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi, 2023
Screening Daily
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023
Screening Daily
Anyone but You
Will Gluck, 2023
Screening Daily
Wonka
Paul Knight, 2023
Screening Daily
The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki, 2023
Screening Daily
Saltburn
Emerald Fennell, 2023
Screening Daily
Bottoms
Emma Seligman, 2023
Screening Daily
Trolls Band Together
Walt Dohrn, 2023
Limited Screenings
Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese, 2023
Limited Screenings
OVA CLUB
No screening this week
THE MELBOURNE CINÉMATHÈQUE (ACMI)
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Jacques Demy, 1964
+
One Sings, The Other Doesn't
Agnès Varda, 1977
Screening Wed 14 Feb from 7pm
TOP OF THE HEAP (Tramway Hotel)
No screening this week
No screening this week
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY: SCREENING IDEAS
No screening this week
PALACE BALWYN / BRIGHTON / COMO / KINO / PENTRIDGE / MOONEE PONDS / WESTGARTH
Fallen Leaves
Aki Kaurismäki, 2023
Screening from Wed 14 Feb (Valentine’s Day)
Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Robert Connolly, 2023
Screening Daily
Dune Part I
Denis Villeneuve, 2021
Screening daily
May December
Todd Haynes, 2023
Screening Daily
Riceboy Sleeps
Anthony Shim, 2024
Screening Daily
Argylle
Matthew Vaughn, 2024
Screening Daily
Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet, 2023
Screening Daily
The Colour Purple
Blitz Bazawule, 2023
Screening Daily
Priscilla
Sofia Coppola, 2023
Screening Daily
The Iron Claw
Sean Durkin, 2023
Screening Daily
All of Us Strangers
Andrew Haigh, 2023
Screening Daily
Ferrari
Michael Mann, 2023
Screening Daily
The Holdovers
Alexander Payne, 2023
Screening Daily
Mean Girls
Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr., 2024
Screening Daily
Dream Scenario
Kristoffer Borgli, 2023
Screening Daily
Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi, 2023
Screening Daily
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023
Screening Daily
Coup de Chance
Woody Allen, 2023
Screening Daily
One Life
James Hawes, 2023
Screening Daily
Two Tickets to Greece
Marc Fitoussi, 2022
Screening Daily
Anyone But You
Will Gluck, 2023
Screening Daily
Wonka
Paul Knight, 2023
Screening Daily
Maestro
Bradley Cooper, 2023
Screening Daily
The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki, 2023
Screening Daily
Napoleon
Ridley Scott, 2023
Screening Daily
Saltburn
Emerald Fennell, 2023
Screening Daily
Bottoms
Emma Seligman, 2023
Screening Daily
The Old Oak
Ken Loach, 2023
Screening Dily
The Eight Mountains
Felix Van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch, 2023
Screening Daily
Obsessions Festival coming to Lido Cinemas in early Feb 8-11
Program Here
Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Robert Connolly, 2023
Screening Daily
Dune Part I
Denis Villeneuve, 2021
Screening daily
Bob Marley: One Love
Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2024
Screening from Valentine’s Day
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
Ariane Louis-Seize, 2023
Screening from Valentine’s Day
May December
Todd Haynes, 2023
Screening Daily
Riceboy Sleeps
Anthony Shim, 2024
Screening Daily
Argylle
Matthew Vaughn, 2024
Screening Daily
Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet, 2023
Screening Daily
The Colour Purple
Blitz Bazawule, 2023
Screening Daily
Priscilla
Sofia Coppola, 2023
Screening Daily
The Iron Claw
Sean Durkin, 2023
Screening Daily
All of Us Strangers
Andrew Haigh, 2023
Screening Daily
Ferrari
Michael Mann, 2023
Screening Daily
The Holdovers
Alexander Payne, 2023
Screening Daily
Mean Girls
Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr., 2024
Screening Daily
Dream Scenario
Kristoffer Borgli, 2023
Screening Daily
Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi, 2023
Screening Daily
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023
Screening Daily
One Life
James Hawes, 2023
Screening Daily
Anyone But You
Will Gluck, 2023
Screening Daily
Two Tickets to Greece
Marc Fitoussi, 2022
Screening Daily
Wonka
Paul Knight, 2023
Screening Daily
The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki, 2023
Screening Daily
Melbourne Short Film Festival
Screening Thursday 8 Feb 5:30pm
Program and Tix here
Anatomy of a Fall
Justine Triet, 2023
Screening Fri, Sat, Sun and Wed
All of Us Strangers
Andrew Haigh, 2023
Screening Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon and Wed
Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023
Screening Fri and Sun
The Iron Claw
Sean Durkin, 2023
Screening Sat
UNKNOWN PLEASURES (Bill Mousoulis + Chris Luscri)
Nick Ostrovskis Flashback + Q and A
Screening Tuesday 13 February 8:20pm
Tix available here