Anime Festival at The Regent
Boxing day is when the Anime Film Festival at the Regent kicks off.
The Regent have put together a wonderful collection of Anime films to be enjoyed by all the family big and small.
Films include Studio Ghibli masterpieces: My Neighbour Tortoro; where two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalised mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest.
Spirited Away; which tells the story of a young girl, Chihiro, who becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon courage she never knew she had to free her family.
Howl’s Moving Castle; telling the story of Sophie, a shy young woman, who is cursed and trapped within an old body by a spiteful witch. Her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent and insecure young wizard and his companions, who all live together in his legged, walking castle.
And finally Princess Mononoke; which is about Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, cursed by a demonized boar god, who must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest from Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it for profit. For those who have never seen Studio Ghibli films – these aren’t your average cartoons – they have a wonderful sophistication and a sense of adventure. They have all the romance, drama and complex narrative of any non-animated film, and the art is amazing!
For tickets and Boxing Day program info go to the-regent.com.au
Goodbye Anus Horribilus
Say goodbye to shitsville 2020 at the New Year’s Eve event at the Brunswick Picture House, starring the decadent, glorious, and fabulously filthy, Reuben Kaye.
Lockdowns, facemasks, flight cancellations, toilet paper shortages… the list goes on and on and as we look ahead to 2021, we’re putting on our first NYE gala, with the incredible Reuben Kaye behind the proceedings. After all, who doesn’t need a bit of filth, a lot of camp, and an opportunity to get downright dirty?
In 2018 we saw the amazing award-winning cabaret star Reuben Kaye unleashed on Bruns audiences, and it’s safe to say that a mutual love affair ensued.
Bring in 2021 with a true star!
For tickets go to brunswickpicturehouse.com
Mad Hatter’s party!
Can you believe it? It’s been a mad year, so let’s put a lid on it – throw on a hat and come party with Team Tav at the Ocean Shores Tavern.
The fun kicks off at 8pm, after our members draw where someone will win $2,000!
Call the Tav on 6680 3222 for a pick up before 9pm, and a courtesy bus to get you home.
Happy New Year from Team Tav!
People can also purchase their 2021 calendar; in the absence of Girls Night In this year, the boys behind the bar took to the camera to raise funds for the Pink Ribbon Cancer Council initiative. Just $20, all proceeds to charity. Dead set ripper!
Ocean Shores Tavern, 8pm. Call 6680 3222 for courtesy bus bookings.
Saturday 2 Jan–Friday 8 Jan.
Big laughs with Little
Tommy Little is Australia’s premier dickhead. Which is lucky for everyone else as dickhead decisions make for big laughs!
Nothing is off limits at a Tommy Little live show – his real-life antics and setbacks are foolish, funny as hell, and definitely his own fault. He brings his tales to life with effortless charisma, high energy and a cheeky, yet intimate, connection with his audiences.
Tommy Little is one of the most prolific and crowd-pleasing acts of the moment – he added an unprecedented number of shows across Australia in 2019 to keep up with demand, has a national radio show with Carrie Bickmore on the Hit Network with over 1.3 million listeners, is a regular on The Project and has well and truly confirmed his spot as one of the most-watched comedians in the country. His live shows are the perfect chance to really get to know one of the most exciting performers going around right now.
Tommy is at the Brunswick Picture House from Saturday 2 Jan–Friday 8 Jan. For tickets go to brunswickpicturehouse.com
SAE gets creative
Wanting to find out more about what SAE has to offer? This creative media institute offers our local industry aspirants a chance to study with this higher education provider at home or in any of their campuses around the country. They have an upcoming event called SAE Creative Workshops, happening over three days from 20–22 January 2021 at the SAE Byron campus.
This is a great opportunity for students who are creatively inclined to have a little taste of what it is like to study at SAE in the areas of animation, audio, design, film, games and music production.
Tickets can be purchased on the link: https://bit.ly/37rdsad and they are currently offering discounted tickets! The Early Bird price is $50 and sales close on 31 December. The price is for the full three-day program and includes lunch.
Full price ticket sales commence 1 January for $80.
Please note that owing to the tertiary level of the workshop content, this event is open to anyone aged 15 years+ (Year 10 and higher).
Get arty for 2021
Wondering what you might do to keep busy over the New Year break? Well, the BSA (Byron School of Art) are running Summer ‘taster classes’ 1–5 Feb, 2021.
All tasters are $65 each, and only $55 each if you enrol in three or more.
Select from a three hour class with Rene Bolten on drawing and mark making, hand built ceramics with Kat Shapiro, exploring connection to country with Michael Philp, brush making with Helle Jorgensen, Cyanotype printing with Raimond de Weerdt, or observational drawing with Belle Bassin.
To find out more about these taster classes go to byronschoolofart.com
A fistful of fun at Bangalow Film Festival
What a year 2020 has been, and while COVID-19 is starting to look like the Grinch that stole Xmas, perhaps it’s time to reflect on some of the good things this evil little pandemic has brought us. Can’t think of anything? How about the drive-in! Remember when you sat in your car and watched a movie with a speaker in the window! It was one of my finest memories as a teenager, sitting in the back of a reversed in Ute, on a mattress, watching the dusk-till-dawn horror pics whilst trying to guard my virginity. It really did add even more tension to the situation.
The Bangalow Film Fest are bringing back the drive-in! On Thursday 14 January at 8pm, they will be lighting up the gorgeous Bangalow Showground! Experience La Dolce Vita – the Fellini classic. This is an era-defining film. An exquisite tale of celebrity, La Dolce Vita casts an adoring yet critical eye towards 1960’s Rome. Set over seven decadent days we follow Marcello Mastroianni’s philandering journalist as he pursues a happiness that’s always just out of reach! This is one of the most iconic Italian films – make sure you see it on the big screen. And keeping the spirit of the big screen alive, they will also screen the Sergio Leone classic A Fistful of Dollars at the Bangalow A&I Hall. This classic spaghetti western, starring the legendary Clint Eastwood, will be closing the festival on Saturday 23 January at 7pm. It’s accompanied by a new score – composed and played live by the celebrated composer and DJ Chiara Costanza.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story of A Fistful of Dollars, drifter gunman Joe (Clint Eastwood), arrives in the Mexican village of San Miguel at the border of the United States of America, and befriends the owner of the local bar, Silvanito. Joe discovers that the town is dominated by two gangster lords: John Baxter (Wolfgang Lukschy) and the cruel Ramón Rojo (Gian Maria Volontè).
When Joe kills four men in Baxter’s gang, he is hired by Ramón’s brother, Esteban Rojo (Sieghardt Rupp), to join their gang. However, Joe decides to work for both sides, playing one side against the other.
Chiara Costanza
Chiara Costanza is a Melbourne-based music composer, producer and DJ, born and raised in Torino, Italy. Classically trained in piano and later exposed to electronic music after moving to Melbourne in 2004, Chiara has since moved into a well-respected position in the Australian electronic music scene, where she performs under the moniker, Chiara Kickdrum.
Her score for A Fistful of Dollars pays a heartfelt tribute to the music of the legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who passed away last July.
To view the full festival program and to buy tickets go to bangalowfilmfestival.com.au
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