In this newsletter we profile two extraordinary films about war- one feature and one documentary, and four BOFA films which will screen simultaneously at the Sustainable Living Festival in Hobart over the BOFA weekend.

Have you picked up your BOFA program yet?

BOFA 2014 programs are available in many venues around the state, at Neil Pitt’s and Hotel Grand Chancellor in Launceston or online at the BOFA web site here.

Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, Return to Homs (Sunday, November 9, 12.30pm, Annexe Theatre) follows the journey of two young men- close friends whose lives have been upended by the conflict in Syria.

This is an extract from a recent interview with Director Talal Derki:

What is Return to Homs about?

Talal Derki: “The movie is about the Syrian citizen who challenged everything and everyone to demand freedom. It portrays the challenges that citizen was going through, the changes [in the revolution], and how the new Syrian citizen will negotiate these changes. It’s a movie about war and the pressure of being in a battlefield.

It’s a movie capturing the actions, reactions, and challenges [of the war] and how Syrians reacted to the situation. We wanted to film the story of our country, a clear story of historical events that took place, to make a movie that answers many questions about the Syrian uprising.”

How did you manage to transform your idea into a movie given the current situation in Syria?

Derki: “The idea of the movie developed while we were documenting what journalists weren’t able to document, knowing that it was getting harder for them to cross into Syria. We spent most of our time documenting and videotaping the events taking place.

Some [of the filmmakers and other social media activists] were documenting with mobile phones, others with small cameras; at some point, everyone was documenting.

When I got to Homs and met Abdul Basset al-Saroot, I was inspired immediately. I knew it: he was the personality that I had been looking for, a courageous 19-year-old man, full of character and charisma. He could bring the people closer to him in a second, and everyone loved him and appreciated his energy- a public “folk hero” is a good way to describe Saroot. Why a public hero? Because in our history as Syrians, we don’t really have this kind of public folk hero. It’s a rare phenomenon.”

With Syria in the news every day, this is a unique opportunity to see the conflict from the point of view of the Syrian community.

The Estonian/Georgian production Tangerines (Saturday, November 8, 4.45pm, Tramsheds Theatre) has been named Best Film at the War on Screen - International Festival of War Cinema in France.
BOFA 2014 will have the Australian Premiere of this wonderful film which has so far won 15 international awards at film festivals around the globe.

It will also be the official Estonian entry in the Best Foreign Film section of this year’s Academy Awards.

Tangerines, directed by Zaza Urushadze, is set in an Estonian village in 1992, during the unfolding civil war between Georgians and Abkhazians. The villagers have fled the war zone- only two old men, Ivo and Markus,  remain as the conflict rages through their village. After the battle, two wounded soldiers are rescued and sheltered by Ivo- the problem is that they are from opposite sides. Ivo declares his house a neutral zone as he nurses the two sworn enemies back to health.

This is an unforgettable film about a man who cannot stand war and who maintains his humanity in chaotic battle conditions as he begins to reconcile hostile neighbours. The similarities  with the conflict between Ukraine and Russia at the moment make this film highly topical and moving.

BOFA goes to Hobart at the Sustainable Living Festival to be held simultaneously with BOFA on the weekend of November 8 & 9. In a partnership made possible by a Dr. Edward Hall Environment Grant from the Hobart City Council, the Hobart event will feature four films from BOFA 2014 which highlight the principles and practice of sustainability:

The Malagasy Way – (BOFA Sunday, November 9, 12.15pm, QVMAG Theatre) A unique portrait of life in Madagascar, where the people have embraced a conservationist lifestyle of recycling and self-reliance in response to the global economic crisis.

Bringing it Home (BOFA Saturday, November 8, 10.00am, QVMAG Theatre) Industrial hemp has the potential to produce thousands of sustainable products but is still not able to be used in the USA....or Tasmania! This film makes the argument for a greener future.

Song from the Forest (BOFA Saturday, November 8, 11.30am, QVMAG Theatre) An American musicologist returns to the US after 25 year in Central Africa, highlighting the stark contrast between the unspoilt rainforest and urban America.

Virunga (BOFA, Saturday, November 8, 10.30am, Tramsheds Theatre) Virunga National Park is the last refuge of the wild mountain gorillas- this dramatic doco shows the clash between conservationists and the superior firepower of greed and corruption.

See Hobart screening times and the detailed Sustainable Living Festival program at www.slt.org.au/festival.

APOLOGY: In the last newsletter we wrote about the mesmerising performance of that fine Australian actor David Gulpilil in Charlie’s Country, but misspelled his name! Sorry, David.

Go to the BOFA web site for ticket prices and multiple entry pass deals.  Be a part of Tasmania’s only major annual film festival.