Feb 13, 2019
Join Director Gabrielle Brady for an introduction & discussion prior to our Special Screening of this Tribeca Film Festival Best Documentary award winner. The tiny Indian Ocean Territory of Christmas Island has been a centre for migrating populations for millennia – first, the distinctive Christmas Island red crabs; then phosphate miners from Malaya in the 19th century; and most recently, people seeking asylum in Australia. It is here, at the nexus of the three, that first-time feature documentarian Gabrielle Brady locates her extraordinary essay, an expansion of her award-winning 2017 short The Island. As trauma therapist Poh Lin gently coaxes detainees to tell their stories, the island’s willing residents perform “hungry ghost” rituals for spirits whose lack of proper burial has doomed them to wander its jungles for eternity; meanwhile, the crabs march across the land in their millions, in an endless cycle that repeats every year. Poetic and hypnotic, Island of the Hungry Ghosts presents a unique and moving meditation on politics, people and primeval nature. Tickets available...
Jan 22, 2019
GREEN BOOK 7th February M United States 120mins Dr Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation. CAPHARNAUM 14th February TBC Lebanon 118mins After being jailed for committing a violent crime, Zain, a mistreated 12-year-old boy, sues his parents for giving him life. Zain’s large family live hand to mouth in a squalid apartment in Lebanon. The kids work instead of going to school. When Zain’s 11 year old sister is sold into marriage, he flees the family home in search of a better life. He is taken in and lovingly cared for by an illegal Ethiopian worker, Rahil, who lives in a shanty house with her baby. But when Rahil disappears, Zain is suddenly left to fend for himself and her baby, resorting to increasingly desperate measures to survive. ARCTIC 28th February M Iceland 97mins A nail-biting tale of heroism set against a stunning glacial backdrop. A man stranded in the Arctic is finally about to receive his long-awaited rescue. However, after a tragic accident, his opportunity is lost. He must then decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown for potential salvation. Mads Mikkelsen (Rogue One, Casino Royale, The Hunt) gives a physical, career-best performance in this gripping survival thriller. ISLAND OF THE...
Nov 26, 2018
NORMANDY NUDE 6th December M France 104mins The charming town of Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe, Normandy, is in crisis. Dairy and livestock prices have plummeted due to a flood of imports, and farmers are threatened with foreclosure. Mayor Georges Balbuzard (the irrepressible François Cluzet, beloved from The Intouchables and The Country Doctor) does his best to fight and raise awareness of their plight, but the situation isn’t deemed newsworthy for national media. Things seem hopeless… until the day famous American photographer Newman (Toby Jones) passes through the village, inadvertently discovering the perfect backdrop for his next shoot. Balbuzard sees a rare opportunity, and sets about convincing the townsfolk – the farmers, the butcher, the pharmacist, some 200 in all – to participate. But, there’s a catch… Disney’s THE NUTCRACKER & THE FOUR REALMS 13th December PG United States 95mins Young Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key, but it soon disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. In that world, she meets a soldier named Phillip, a group of mice and the regents who preside over three realms. Clara and Phillip must now enter a fourth realm to retrieve the key and restore harmony to the unstable land. A great film for the whole family, starring Mackenzie Foy, Keira Kinightley & Morgan Freeman. THE CHILDREN ACT 20th December M United Kingdom 105mins Emma Thompson gives a magnificent performance as Fiona Maye; a High Court judge who specialises in family law. Overly dedicated to her work, her marriage to husband Jack suffers, and when he tells her that he...
Nov 7, 2018
JOURNEY’S END 15th November M United Kingdom 105mins March, 1918. C-company arrives to take its turn in the front-line trenches in northern France led by the war-weary Captain Stanhope (Sam Claflin). A German offensive is imminent, and the officers (Paul Bettany, Stephen Graham Tom Sturridge) and their cook (Toby Jones) distract themselves in their dugout with talk of food and their past lives. Stanhope, meanwhile, soaks his fear in whisky, unable to deal with his dread of the inevitable. A young new officer, Raleigh (Asa Butterfield), has just arrived, fresh out of training and abuzz with the excitement of his first real posting – not least because he is to serve under Stanhope, his former school house monitor and the object of his sister’s affections. Each man is trapped, the days ticking by, the tension rising and the attack drawing ever closer… STRANGE COLOURS 22nd November MA Australia 85mins A story of family and estrangement set amid the alien landscape of Australia’s opal mines. Melina is making the 18-hour bus journey to be with her estranged, ailing father. He’s one of the lost, lonely men who hunt for black opals, deep in the Australian outback. She’s not entirely sure why she’s there, or why she stays, but as Melina is drawn ever further into the community, she discovers that there’s more to these men than she first assumed – and perhaps even more to herself. Join us for a Special Director + Cast Q&A session ahead of the National Release on Wed 21st November – Tickets available HERE BEAUTIFUL BOY 27th November MA United States 115mins Beautiful Boy is...
Sep 6, 2018
Each year, the Melbourne International Film Festival presents the MIFF Travelling Showcase, which hits the road from September to November with a series of weekend programs across regional Victoria. This year The Pivotonian Cinema will host the event for the first time, with screenings at GPAC on October 12th & 13th, and all-day sessions at Pivot Cinema on October 14th. Screenings in 2018 will feature the MIFF Premiere Fund-supported films Acute Misfortune, The Eulogy, Undertow and The Coming Back Out Ball Movie, as well as the Nick Hornby’s book adaption of Juliet, Naked, starring Rose Byrne, Chris O’Dowd and Ethan Hawke. MIFF Travelling Showcase screenings will be held in Geelong at GPAC and The Pivotonian Cinema. 12th Oct. GPAC – UNDERTOW 13th Oct. GPAC – THE EULOGY 14th Oct. PIVOT CINEMA – JULIET, NAKED 14th Oct. PIVOT CINEMA – ACUTE MISFORTUNE 14th Oct. PIVOT CINEMA – COMING BACK OUT BALL MOVIE...
