Feature - Melbourne Documentary Film Festival: Top 15 Picks
Come one, come all! Readers rejoice for it is time to kill two birds with one stone as we rest our weary heads atop the mountains of education and entertainment. Yes! Of course, I am alluding to the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, back for its seventh year of celebrating documentaries of all genres and niches. If you don’t know what you want to watch yet, please allow me to fill up your whole month with my personal 15 picks for knowledge worth gaining:
a-ha – The Movie
Splashed across the banner of MDFF’s website, a-ha – The Movie, feels like this year’s headline feature. Have you found yourself yearning for more backstories from your favourite artists after watching Elvis, Rocket Man, and Bohemian Rhapsody? Well let’s snap back to reality and take a deep dive into what many today know as a one hit wonder. ‘Take on Me’ simply scratches the surface, see what it takes for a Norwegian band to conquer the world.
Cats of Malta
I bet you’ve seen a cat or two in your life, but have you ever seen them roaming the island of Malta? Well, I’ve been told strays are a dime a dozen over there, and thanks to a caring support network of heartfelt volunteers they are living a better life than me. Soak up the sun, embrace the culture, and remember the cats.
The 44 Scarves of Liza Minnelli
I am not a man of fashion. To be frank with you, I’ve been told I have no place in the discussion point blank. This is why I am desperately trying to catch up before fashion week comes again next year, and why shouldn’t I begin my journey on the shoulders of a legend. Liza Minnelli is a global superstar, but is she known for her scarves? Apparently so in this ultra-niche walkthrough of some of her best neck warmers. Enjoy the unique story-telling of a feature about the most under-appreciated piece in anyone’s wardrobe.
Wastewater: A Tale of Two Cities
Have you thought about infrastructure lately? I am willing to presume it’s something mulled over daily by the majority, but nefarious things can happen when the minority call the shots. Example: under-resourced plumbing brought on by racial discrimination. See how tensions cut deep and how these conflicts can leave lasting welts beneath the surface. Listen to members of the community and their elected officials, who are fighting to secure the equality we expect to see in a country such as our own.
Green is the New Black
In Hearts Wake may not be a band you’re familiar with, despite their 100m+ streams and multiple top-5 albums, but they’ve got a quirk worth paying attention to. After non-stop tours, the band realised they were drowning the world they loved in carbon and waste. Now, join them as they create their next chart-topper, Kaliyuga, sustainably. Through innovation and collaboration, their goal is clear: leave no footprint, and they’re off to a great start with this carbon off-set documentary.
Phosphenes
Get trippy with Phosphenes, the technical term for the colours we see when we close our eyes tightly. Now that you know what to call them, don’t you want to see how they work? Forever illusive and certainly abstract when discussed, now’s your chance to finally nail these things and understand a little more how your body works. Then the best part is, after you’ve wrapped this one up you can go home or to your nearest café and explore the wild world that lies behind those peepers of yours.
Baba
Sometimes a name is all it takes. Baba got me because I am a child who likes two-syllable words, and lucky my immature intuition drew us towards this because now I can tell you that Baba means ‘dad’ in Arabic, and Baba recounts Mohamad Abbas Dirani’s life as a Lebanese-Australian immigrant and sibling of 9. Life gets busy, so take a moment and appreciate how others handle adversity and overcome challenges to reach their potential.
Star Wars Kid: The Rise of the Digital Shadows
Sure, the new Star Wars trilogy didn’t live up to our expectations. Fine, Disney’s recent television adaptations of the source material has been scattershot at best. Alright, things don’t seem to be looking much better with the forever cancelled and greenlit next steps in the franchise. But you know what never disappoints? The funny kid with the glasses who falls over while trying to recreate that Duel of the Fates scene from A Phantom Menace. You might be surprised to know that kid has a name, and now Ghyslain Raza has a story to share as well. Get to know the man behind the myth, and marvel at his wonderful blossoming into adulthood.
Ice Ice Baby – Hip Hop’s 1st Global #1
This one is ridiculous - Did you know Ice Ice Baby was the first #1 hip-hop as a genre was able to claim as its own? Relive the embarrassment of that admission, along with the controversies surrounding it, as we follow Adam Sandler’s favourite cameo, Rob Van Winkle aka Vanilla Ice. How did this happen? Finally, a thorough analysis of the wildest thing since Rome fell.
Invasion of Normandy – Omaha Beach VR
I’ve heard a lot of chatter about World War III lately, an unnerving amount of chatter in fact… Perhaps it’s time we sharpened our edges and joined our boys in the trenches as Normandy takes a historic loss in a story we’ve certainly heard before, but never lived. I hope the army bears witness to my tears as bullets fly and skulls shatter, for I am no military man and my draft-dodge begins now.
The Power of Activism
Like feminism? Hate climate change? Boy, do I have a treat for you. Six determined female activists with fires in their belly take aim at our stubborn state of ignorance as The Power of Activism globe trots between Byron Bay to Antarctica, and Indonesia to Pakistan, in the just pursuit of raising awareness, and have achievements to show for their efforts.
ENOUGH! Lebanon’s Darkest Hour
Again, just like with Baba, I’ve gotta admit I only moseyed my way on up to this one because Darkest Hour is one of my favourite movies of all time and surely with such a punchy title, ENOUGH! Lebanon’s Darkest Hour has got to be at least as good. Well, the good news is that it is. The bad news is that just like my favourite movie, ENOUGH! is also a true story featuring explosions and controversial regimes. Even worse than that, this one doesn’t have a happy ending – yet. Look through the lens of experts with bated breath as unvarnished inequality is displayed for a critical audience.
Who Would You Tell?
I realise this list has been pretty heavy so far, bar Cats of Malta, but unfortunately this is the world we live in, and tragedies are visible on all corners of the Earth. But what about those that lie in secrecy, enshrined by institutions and are reliant on a culture of fear to protect. Who Would You Tell is ready to rip you out of any presumptions you might carry towards the rampant sexual abuse of the Catholic Organisation, and the ease of which one can seek help. Leaving the cats, three brothers travel from Malta to Western Australia in 1960 for a better life. 50 years later these brothers reflect on the agony they lived through upon arrival.
The Tunnel: The Other Side of Darkness
Railing against organisations can be tough, they’re scary and have a whole lot more resources than you. So, when Australian filmmakers set out to revolutionise the movie industry by force, through a unique system of crowdfunding and free release, the industry did not like it one bit. Watch how the band of young auteurs went about this bold feat in this ‘making-of’ documentary, featuring interviews from veteran filmmakers as well as the creators as they reflect on the impact of one of Australia’s most-watched features.
Television Event
Well, like I said, apparently WWIII is right around the corner so we might as well get ready for the wacky television antics, if the prelude we have today isn’t enough already… Although maybe we won’t see many made-for-TV movies like The Day After popping up in this land of streaming and networks. Enter a time capsule and travel to the Cold War as an American commercial television network tries to palette global, universal change. We might live to see it ourselves, so let’s see how our parents’ found art in the propaganda of war.
And that’s it! Well, I mean there’s more – like a lot more to watch at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, but here’s where I think you should start. Certainly in no order of preference, my humble list here simply wishes to guide you towards an enlightened state of fulfillment, as you rest your dairy air and inflate your noodle – er… I mean brain, with limitless knowledge on topics and themes you may have yet to appreciate.
The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival runs online from the 1st to 31st of July, and in cinemas from the 21st to 31st of July. For tickets and more info, click here.