The 2024 program for CineFestOz – the upcoming annual film festival in the South West region of Western Australia – features more than 80 films, including many Western-Australian premieres.
Expect a mix of genres, from drama, comedy and horror to documentaries. This year, there is a particular focus on celebrating Indigenous culture, and supporting up-and-coming talent through the Cinesnaps program. There is also an Industry Program for screen industry workers.
Here are our top Australian picks of the 2024 program:
Ten must-see films of CineFestOZ 2024:
Audrey
Married couple Ronnie and Cormack have, with their teenage daughters Audrey and Norah, long-since lapsed into some unusual habits. High-energy mum Ronnie has dreamed of becoming an actress forever but now mostly lives that dream through Audrey, who couldn’t care less. Meanwhile affable dad Cormack can’t stop pursuing his libido – as discreetly as he can … which is, not very discreetly.
Ellis Park
CinefestOZ 2021 Film Prize winner, director Justin Kurzel (Nitram) returns with a hugely satisfying portrait of one of Australia’s greatest living treasures, musician Warren Ellis. Kurzel’s film moves between Ballarat, where Ellis revisits his hometown and spends time with his beloved parents, Paris, where we witness the electricity of a new creation, and Sumatra, the site of another passion. In the wildlife sanctuary of Ellis Park, Sumatra, a beautiful friendship has led to the saving of endangered primates.
Memoir of a Snail
Oscar-winner Adam Elliot, one of Australia’s filmmaking treasures, returns with his second feature. Memoir of a Snail concerns Grace Pudel (voiced by Sarah Snook), a reclusive woman who has been let down in life. Hiding away from the world, Grace tries to content herself with romance novels, hoarding of ornamental snails, and guinea pigs. With Grace in Canberra and her beloved long-lost twin brother in Perth, life seems as constrained and slow as that of her beloved snails. But life always throws up surprises, and just as things have slowed to a crawl, extraordinary octogenarian Pinky (Jacki Weaver) enters.
Left Write Hook
Two very different expressive arts – writing and boxing – are known to transform lives. But what if writing and boxing were combined? On the outskirts of Melbourne there exists a one-of-a-kind program for survivors of complex trauma. One line, one jab at a time, these eight participants are coming to know just what it means to work through their grief. Journeys of recovery, transformation and friendship are laid out on the page and in the ring, in this documentary from director Shannon Owen.
Future Council
Damon Gameau’s (That Sugar Film) latest documentary sees him travel through several European countries with a motley crew of eight schoolkids, all of whom have their sights set on changing the world. Their quest is to meet representatives of corporations and put a question to them plainly: ‘why can’t you stop polluting our earth?’ This fresh, lively documentary sees School of Rock meet An Inconvenient Truth.
He Ain’t Heavy
Made in WA, He Ain’t Heavy follows 30-year-old Jade (Leila George) who has sacrificed the better part of her life to rescue her little brother Max (Sam Corlett) from drug addiction. In desperation, unbeknownst to their ever-forgiving mother Bev (Greta Scacchi), Jade locks him inside the vacant rural home left by their grandparents in an attempt to ‘get him clean’. But when Bev arrives, a shocking discovery leads them all to re-evaluate their own lives.
In Vitro
Some time in the not-too-distant future, rural Australia teeters on the brink of some disturbing developments: The land can no longer sustain animals, and on their isolated New South Wales cattle farm Jack (Ashley Zukerman, Succession) and his wife Layla (Talia Zucker) are experimenting with biotechnology. Layla also yearns for their son to return from boarding school, while Jack becomes increasingly immersed in his work, desperate to bolster the family’s income by cloning their livestock. What could possibly go wrong?
Like My Brother
Four talented Tiwi Island Indigenous girls dream of AFLW stardom, and with the support of their community, face the social and physical obstacles standing in their way. Filmed over 6 years, the documentary explores the different worlds that the girls must traverse from the remote Tiwi Islands to mainland Australia as they are selected by an elite club for their talent and unique style of play. Navigating the competitive world of professional football while dealing with the weight of cultural expectations, distance and financial barriers, the girls encounter triumphs and disappointments before defining success on their own terms to become an inspiration for the next generation of their community.
Queens of Concrete
This coming-of-age feature documentary, shot over seven years, follows three young female skateboarders in their quest to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. From humble beginnings in rural Australia to the international stage, Queens of Concrete is a tale of resilience, triumph, and self-discovery.
Strange Creatures
Two estranged brothers are forced back into each other’s lives when they’re tasked with scattering the ashes of their recently deceased mother in the country town where she grew up. A road movie, a tale of best frenemies, and a distinctively witty debut feature from writer-director Henry Boffin.
CineFestOZ runs from 31 August to 8 September.
