This three year, $210,000 commissioning program is the first of its kind in Australia and will support Australian artists and filmmakers working at the nexus of film and art enabling them to make a new, ambitious and experimental screen based work, and to explore new forms and methodologies in their practice.

Based on the unsolved murder of famous Sydney anti-development campaigner Juanita Nielsen in 1975, Zanny Begg’s The Beehive examines themes of gentrification, corruption, sex-work, feminism and non-conformist lifestyles. Created using an algorithm, the film will be randomly compiled from a reservoir of scripted fictions, documentary interviews and choreographed sequences exploring the implications of this infamous cold case and how they can be applied today. Using the tropes of true crime, the work will morph and evolve with each viewing, offering audiences different glimpses and interpretations of the crime.

The Artbank + ACMI Commission partnership further expands ACMI’s vibrant commissioning program, which through a series of vital collaborations – with Artbank, Ian Potter Foundation, City of Melbourne and the Mordant Family – will directly fund Australian artists with $650,000 worth of financial support to create new work over the next three years and then exhibit it to thousands of people at ACMI and beyond.

The Beehive is a free video installation exhibition premiering at ACMI on Tuesday 31 July. The work is of variable duration. More at acmi.net.au/beehive

QUOTES:
Artist Zanny Begg said:
“Juanita walked into The Carousel nightclub in July 1975 and disappeared. This void forms the core of The Beehive, a gap that is filled with a multitude of contemporary actors and activists who all in their own unique way reflect aspects of Juanita. There are twelve people cast as Juanita allowing multiple readings of her story and its significance for Sydney. I am very thankful to ACMI and Artbank for this opportunity to bring such an important story to the screen.”

“Living in Sydney the murder of Juanita Nielsen forms part of the core of our urban landscape, its a story that I thought I knew well. Working on The Beehive for the last year has shown me that there is so much more to the story that I first assumed. Obviously our fascination with this story centres on who killed Juanita, which I hope my film addresses, but for me the most incredible part was to also search out what sort of woman Juanita was. It was amazing to find out the little details, like she spoke Arabic; she loved cats; or that her beehive was a wig. Juanita was a smart, open-minded, courageous and powerful woman whom I hope The Beehive does justice to.”
ACMI Director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick said:

“Zanny Begg’s The Beehive is a shifting and dynamic examination of an unsolved mystery, a cinematic hybrid of historical and contemporary issues. We’re thrilled that the inaugural Artbank + ACMI Commission is such a genre-defying and multi-layered work featuring screen industry icons such as Pamela Rabe and Nicolas Hope. Our commissioning program seeks to support artists working at the juncture of art and technology and The Beehive is a fantastic example.”

Tony Stephens, Director of Artbank said:
“Zanny Begg’s The Beehive is a rousing cinematic feat in which the past and present collide. For the inaugural Artbank + ACMI Commission, it demonstrates how support, when aligned with ambition, can result in significant outcomes. The first of three commissions conceived to support Australian artists and filmmakers working and the nexus of art and film, The Beehive is an incredible accomplishment by Zanny; combining technology, art, politics and pleasure. We are very excited to have it as part of the Artbank collection.”

The Beehive: Who Killed Juanita Neilsen by Zanny Begg
31 July – 4 November 2018
www.acmi.net.au/beehive

Premiering in Australia as part of the 2017 Melbourne Winter Masterpieces program, Wallace & Gromit and Friends: The Magic of Aardman reflects the quirky humour and idiosyncratic charm of the British studio from concept drawings and storyboards to the intricate, handmade puppets and sets that enthral audiences young and old.

“We are delighted to be able to extend our exclusive season of Wallace & Gromit and Friends: The Magic of Aardman,” said ACMI CEO & Director, Katrina Sedgwick. “Now audiences over summer have the chance to enjoy what has brought delight to so many throughout winter.”

“It is marvellous to see the thousands of clay animations made by our visitors in the exhibition’s activity space. Such inventive characters and scenes have been created, inspired by the models and sets on display at ACMI. With this exhibition our visitors are reminded not only of award-winning film making, but beloved characters and hilarious stories treasured by us all.”

Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren today said: “The exhibition has proven to be a massive hit with locals and tourists alike with thousands of people already pouring through the doors at ACMI – and the fun is set to continue.”

“Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series brings the world’s best art and creativity to our state, supporting jobs and boosting our visitor economy,” he said.

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said; “ACMI’s Wallace and Gromit exhibition is a fantastic family day out behind the scenes of the much-loved animation – I’m thrilled that we’re extending the exhibition for people to enjoy all through the summer school holidays.”

The exhibition, which has been lauded for its feel-good charm, boasts more than 350 objects including: original artworks; over 50 set pieces such as Wallace’s Cracking Contraptions and Gromit’s famous vegetable garden; Shaun the Sheep sets; the flying machine from Chicken Run; the spectacular 5-metre tall ship from The Pirates! Band of Misfits, and exclusive material from the studio’s forthcoming feature film Early Man due for release in 2018.

Thousands of visitors have taken the opportunity to experiment with clay animation in the exhibition’s activity space where they can create their own clay character and short stop motion animation, inspired by the work of Aardman.

During the exhibition’s extended Melbourne season, audiences can expect a diversity of experiences including special events, screenings, interactive workshops and education programs for which ACMI is renowned.

Aardman is one of Britain’s biggest creative exports, producing multi-award-winning feature films, television series, music videos, advertisements and digital entertainment. The studio won three Academy Awards® for Best Animated Short Film – Creature Comforts (1990), The Wrong Trousers (1993), and A Close Shave (1995) – before winning Best Animated Film for Wallace & Gromit’s feature debut, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), which was also awarded the BAFTA for Best British Film.

Popular theatrical releases have included The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012), Arthur Christmas (2011), Flushed Away (2006) and the studio’s highest grossing theatrical release, Chicken Run (2000), all of which feature in the exhibition. One of the studio’s earliest stop motion animation characters, Morph, has been a children’s television favourite in Britain since he first appeared on television in 1977, and remains staple viewing on Australia’s ABC3.

Wallace & Gromit and Friends: The Magic of Aardman follows the success of previous Melbourne Winter Masterpieces at ACMI, including the V&A’s David Bowie is (2015) and the ACMI-curated DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition (2014), soon having its sixth international stop on a tour which has seen almost 900,000 people enjoy the exhibition following its world premiere at ACMI. ACMI remains the only institution to tour its original Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibitions globally, taking with it Melbourne’s reputation as a cultural capital.

Wallace & Gromit and Friends: The Magic of Aardman
ACMI – Melbourne
Extended strictly until 29 January 2018
acmi.net.au

Rosefeldt’s brand-new thirteen-channel work Manifesto questions the role of the artist in society today. Australian actor, Cate Blanchett, performs the manifestos as a series of striking monologues.

The installation draws on the writings of Futurists, Dadaists, Fluxus artists, Situtationists and Dogma 95, and the musings of individual artists, architects, dancers and filmmakers. Passing the philosophies of Claes Oldenburg, Yvonne Rainer, Kazimir Malevich, André Breton, Elaine Sturtevant, Sol LeWitt, Jim Jarmusch, and other influencers through his lens, Rosefeldt has edited and reassembled a collage of artists’ manifestos.

Manifesto has been proudly commissioned by ACMI in partnership with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin and Sprengel Museum, Hannover, and Ruhrtriennale – Festival of the Arts.

Julian Rosefeldt: Manifesto Exhibition
ACMI – Melbourne
9 December – 14 March 2016
www.acmi.net.au

Adult fans should not miss this rare opportunity to see three classic Ghibli titles in glorious original 35mm print, in Japanese with English subtitles. For younger fans, we’re also screening English language versions. Whether you’re a Ghibli fanatic, love the art of anime or are new to the genre, Essential Anime has something for everyone.

Boruto: Naruto the Movie M
Following on from Naruto: The Last, Boruto continues the enormously popular series with the adventures of Naruto’s son. With Naruto as the Seventh Hokage, Hidden Leaf Village is planning to host the Chunin Exams to train new shinobi from the village and its surrounds. Among the entrants are Sasuke’s daughter, Sarada, who adores Naruto, Mitsuki, an exceptionally talented yet mysterious shinobi… And Boruto, Naruto’s son who shows great potential, but despises his father.
Hiroyuki Yamashita, 2015, 100 mins, Japan, DCP. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 14 Dec – 19 Dec

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo M
After the ‘Third Impact’, Shinji awakens to find Earth in ruins. Those he once fought valiantly to protect have turned against him, and with Rei Ayanami nowhere to be seen, could his efforts to save her have been in vain – and what friendships can he now rely on? Trapped in a harrowing cycle of death and rebirth, Shinji continues to courageously battle the Angels – even as the world edges towards apocalypse.
Hideaki Anno, 2013, 96 mins, Japan, DCP. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 15 Dec – 19 Dec

Laputa: Castle in the Sky G
Two orphans go on an amazing journey in one of Hayo Miyazaki’s beloved, early films. After an air pirate attack on the flying ship she’s kept prisoner, Sheeta escapes captivity and floats to safety using the power of a mysterious glowing pendant. On the ground she meets Pazu, an engineer’s apprentice, and the pair soon discovers that they’re both searching for the legendary floating castle, Laputa. Vowing to unravel the mystery of the luminous crystal around Sheeta’s neck, they set off on a perilous quest full of secret agents, robots and pirates trying to keep them from the truth – and each other.
Hayao Miyazaki, 1986, 124 mins, Japan, 35mm. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 17 Dec – 19 Dec

Princess Mononoke M
A beautifully realised tale of civilization versus nature, Princess Mononoke is a true epic by Japan’s master animator Hayao Miyazaki. While protecting his village from a rampaging boar-god, the young warrior Ashitaka becomes afflicted with a deadly curse. To find the cure that will save his life, he journeys deep into sacred depths of the Great Forest Spirit’s realm where he meets San (Princess Mononoke), a girl raised by wolves. It’s not long before Ashitaka is caught in the middle of a battle between iron-ore prospecting humans and the forest dwellers. He must summon the spirit-powers and all his courage to stop man and nature from destroying each other.
Hayao Miyazaki, 1997, 134 mins, Japan, 35mm. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 17 Dec – 20 Dec

My Neighbor Totoro G
In Studio Ghibli’s classic My Neighbor Totoro, two young girls, Satsuki and Mei, move into a new home in the country with their father, while their mother recovers from illness in a nearby hospital. To their surprise, the pair soon discover that they share this home with some rather unusual creatures and even stranger neighbours – forest guardians that the girls dub Totoro. When trouble occurs, their new friends will help them rediscover hope.
Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibil), 1988, 86 mins, Japan, 35mm. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 18 Dec – 20 Dec

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection “F” PG
Following the fight with Beers the Destroyer, Goku and Vegeta are in training on Beers’ world, under the guidance of his attendant, Whis. Meanwhile, with the earth at peace once again, Sorbet and Tagoma, two of the surviving members of the Freeza force, discover some of the Dragon Balls, which they use to revive the vanquished Freeza. Once the galactic tyrant is resurrected, he begins plotting his revenge against Goku and the Saiyans. The newly reborn Freeza force advances on Earth, forcing Gohan, Piccolo, Kuririn and company to take on 1000 of their deadly soldiers. Goku and Vegeta challenge Freeza to their destined showdown, but Freeza has powered-up and now the battle of a lifetime is about to begin.
Tadayoshi Yamamuro, 2015, 93 mins, Japan, DCP. Courtesy Madman Entertainment
Dates: 18 Dec – 20 Dec

Essential Anime 2015
ACMI – Melbourne
Monday 14 – Sunday 20 December 2015
acmi.net.au/essential-anime

David Bowie is was created by the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London drawing upon unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive of costumes, objects, album artwork, and memorabilia. The exhibition includes lyric sheets, hundreds of photographs, stage sets, rare videos, filmed live shows, over 50 costumes and interviews with key collaborators.

Special displays within the exhibition explore Bowie’s influences as musician, stage performer, writer and actor – and his continuing legacy. At its world premiere in London in March 2013, it was the V&A’s fastest selling exhibition and became one of its most popular shows, drawing over 311,000 visitors and widespread critical acclaim.

ACMI Director & CEO, Tony Sweeney, said the landmark exhibition showcases Bowie as a true innovator in music, fashion and culture, and traces his changing style and reinvention.

“The mystery of David Bowie as an enigma is so lovingly explored in this incredible immersive exhibition you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside the mind of this astonishing cultural and pop icon,” Tony said. “Bowie is a figure whose social and creative influence and significance far exceeds his status as a pre-eminent rock performer and in David Bowie is, his incredible career is showcased in glorious detail.”

The V&A’s curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, from the Museum’s Department of Theatre and Performance, selected more than 300 objects and films for the show. Of the exhibition they said:

“The exhibition looks in-depth at how Bowie’s music and radical individualism has both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design, film and contemporary popular culture over an incredible 50-year career and demonstrates how Bowie has inspired others to challenge convention and pursue freedom of expression.”

Bowie’s first major hit Space Oddity (1969) and the introduction of his first fictionalised stage persona Major Tom, inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, granted him critical and commercial success as an established solo artist. His cinematic influences abound with his elaborate storyboards and set design for the Diamond Dogs tour (1974) – originally envisioned as a musical – inspired by Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis (1927), leading him to take the combination of rock music and theatre to new heights.

Excerpts and props from Bowie’s own work in feature films such as Labyrinth (1986) and Basquiat (1996) are displayed in the exhibition, as do many of his ambitious and ground-breaking music videos. The year 1972 marked the birth of his most famous creation; Ziggy Stardust, a daringly androgynous and otherworldly being. A pivotal performance of Starman on Top of the Pops in a multi-coloured suit signalled a challenge of social conventions, daring fans to shape their own identities.

Bowie’s collaborations with artists and designers in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theatre, art and film are explored throughout the exhibition. On display are more than 50 stage costumes including Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972) designed by Freddie Burretti, Kansai Yamamoto’s flamboyant creations for the Aladdin Sane tour (1973) and the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover (1997).

Bowie’s fruitful experimental period in Berlin between 1977 and 1979 is also explored through a series of pioneering records he produced known as the Berlin Trilogy, including the creation of the stylish Thin White Duke persona identified with the Station to Station album and tour (1976).

More personal items such as never-before-seen storyboards, handwritten set lists and lyrics are also featured in the exhibition as well as some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores and diary entries, revealing the evolution of his creative ideas.

ACMI is the exclusive Australasian venue for David Bowie is. The ACMI season will include a specially curated program of talks and special events, late night programs, film screenings and live performances.

“The sheer grandure brought tears to my eyes” – The Daily Telegraph

“Absolutely incredible… fabulous” – Jean Paul Gaultier

“A simple endorsement of pure stardom” – The Independent

David Bowie is
16 July – 1 November 2015
Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne
www.acmi.net.au/exhibitions/bowie

Showcasing ten Bergman titles hand-picked by Australia’s renowned film critic and broadcaster, the program features some of cinema’s most important and iconic titles, including The Seventh Seal, Persona, Wild Strawberries and Cries and Whispers.

“Ingmar Bergman changed my life,” wrote Stratton in his introduction to the program. “When I saw Smiles of a Summer Night on October 31, 1957, at the Birmingham (UK) Film Society, my concept of cinema altered forever… I found in Bergman’s film aspects of cinema I’d never experienced before – emotion, truth, pain, lust – all presented in the most elegant of wrappings.”

Commenting on Essential Bergman, ACMI Director & CEO Katrina Sedgwick said: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Sydney Film Festival and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. It’s wonderful to have David Stratton’s exceptional eye curating this program of films from one of the world’s greatest auteurs, and to be able to support the tour of stunning 35mm prints that will travel around the country through this partnership.”

Essential Bergman: Selected by David Stratton features:
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
The Virgin Spring (1959)
The Silence (1963)
Persona (1966)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Saraband (2003)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Wild Strawberries (19570
The Face (1958)

The recently retired co-host of ABC TV’s long-running At the Movies will discuss the seminal works of Bergman in a special event, Stratton on Bergman at ACMI on Thursday 18 June 2015. Stratton will survey the Swedish filmmaker’s catalogue of films and examine the impact of one of cinema’s most influential creators.

ACMI will also offer aspiring young filmmakers the chance to spend a remarkable hour with Stratton discussing the art of film criticism. Reviewing Bergman: Masterclass with David Stratton is presented as part of Intermix, ACMI’s program for young people aged 15 – 25 proudly supported by Naomi Milgrom AO.

Essential Bergman: Selected by David Stratton
Thursday 11 June – Sunday 28 June 2015
Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne
www.acmi.net.au/essential-bergman

The Australian premiere of Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013) is a revealing portrait of award-winning showbiz legend and star of 30 Rock , Elaine Stritch screening from 2 April to 26 April 2015. For over six decades, her name has been synonymous with Broadway, television, film, cabaret  and more recently as Jack Donaghy’s fast-talking, acid-tongued mother, Colleen on the hit TV series 30 Rock.

Making her Broadway debut in 1946, Elaine Stritch starred in countless landmark productions including William Inge’s 1995 play, Bus Stop, which earned her the first of five Tony® nominations. Crossing the Atlantic, she also performed in the West End and in prime time television and sitcom films. A triple Emmy Award® winner, Stritch was inducted into the American Theatre of Hall of Fame in 1995.

Director, Chiemi Karasawa offers audiences a candid insight into the life of an uncompromising, bold talent as she prepares for, and performs her show, At Home at the Carlyle. The one-woman cabaret takes audiences across the US and features interviews with 30 Rock co-stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, alongside Broadway and Hollywood legends, Nathan Lane, John Tuturro, and the late James Gandolfini. Triumphant and brave, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Meis a tribute to the tenacity and courage that comes with a life led on the stage and in the spotlight.

For the first time ever, ACMI is also collaborating with MICF to present the cream of the crop in contemporary Australian shorts. In another festival first, this year ACMI’s cavernous subterranean space will be transformed into a comedy hub for MICF (25 March to 19 April 2015). Gallery 1 will play host to some of the Festival’s most popular live performances. See acmi.net.au/micf for more information.

Comedy Films at the ACMI
Thursday 2 April – Sunday 26 April 2015
Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne
acmi.net.au/micf

Visitors will discover what Australians saw when they went to the cinema during the First World War as ACMI’s Gallery 2 is transformed into a picture palace showing fascinating shorts, advertisements, newsreels, propaganda and feature films produced locally and internationally during the War. The exhibition features a screening room and ‘foyer’ area complete with ticket box and ‘ghostly’ cinema worker responding by phone to ticket and film inquiries. The foyer will also contain images of the stars of the day and revealing information about “Lost films” – Australian films made during the War era that no longer survive.

A 63-minute screening program of war and non-war related material incorporates an assortment of film excerpts shown in Australia between 1914 and 1918, each introduced by inter-titles. Music and audio atmosphere tracks have been carefully composed and selected to transport audiences to the cinema-going experience of the early 20thcentury.

One in three Australian men between the ages of 18 and 45 enlisted to fight, so people on the home front felt deeply connected to seeing images of the War. On any given Saturday night in Melbourne 100 years ago, 65,000 people were attending the cinema. Tickets were cheap and programs varied – from Australian and international features, to short comedies, drama serials, ‘scenics’ (or travelogues), ‘industrials’ (documentaries about manufacturing) and ‘war pictures’, which were newsreel and information films about the activities of troops and the progress of the War.

When the War began, Australian filmmakers rushed to align themselves with the government, creating dramas specifically aimed at increasing recruitment, such as Alfred Rolfe’s The Hero of the Dardanelles (1915), which tells the story of Gallipoli and features the iconic Anzac Cove landing scene shot at Sydney’s Tamarama Beach. As the years passed and more lives were lost, war-weary audiences grew sceptical of cinema propaganda and a new genre of home-grown comedies emerged.

For Russell Briggs, ACMI’s Head of Exhibitions & Collections, War Pictures offers a glimpse into how Australians lived a century ago, using the popular films of the day as its focal point.

“We wanted to commemorate the Centenary of the First World War by recreating the ambience of everyday life during wartime. With their friends and family fighting half a world away, people back home had a personal stake in seeing depictions of the War on screen, but they were also looking to Hollywood and the young Australian movie business for entertainment and escape. War Pictures takes you to a cinema palace during these turbulent years and gives you a real taste of what it was like to live in Australia during the Great War,” said Briggs.

The exhibition has been produced with the generous support of NFSA. Michael Loebenstein, NFSA’s CEO said: “The moving image is a very powerful medium – it is humanity’s audiovisual memory. As we approach the Anzac Centenary, we hope that this footage will help audiences understand what life was like in Australia during the First World War. They illustrate the hardships and struggles, but also the news and entertainment that helped people keep up their spirits. We’re excited to showcase these materials in partnership with ACMI.” said Loebenstein.

War Pictures: Australians at the Cinema 1914-1918 Exhibition
10 March 2015 – 26 July 2015
Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne
www.acmi.net.au/war-pictures

Spanning more than three decades, the filmmaking partnership between Zhang Yimou and Gong Li has produced some of mainland China’s most striking imagery and arresting tales. Commenting on the season, ACMI Senior Film Programmer, Kristy Matheson said ACMI was delighted to honour one of cinema’s most dynamic duos.

“Yimou first cast an unknown drama student, Gong Li in his directorial debut, Red Sorghum (1987). From there, a rich artistic collaboration ensued, including Raise the Red Lantern (1991) and The Curse of the Golden Flower (2006). For their latest film, Coming Home (2014), the pair returns for one of the year’s most anticipated releases.”

A stirring drama about a family torn apart by the Cultural Revolution, Coming Home (Gui lai) (2014) was adapted for the screen by Zou Jingzhi (The Grandmaster and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles). The lives of an aspiring ballet dancer Dandan (Zhang Huiwen) and her school teacher mother Feng Wanyu (Gong Li) are upended when they learn that the family patriarch, Lu Yanshi (Chen Daoming) has escaped the government re-education camp.

Born in 1951, Yimou experienced the revolution first hand. Like many children of educated parents, his life changed when he was sent to the country to work in agricultural and industrial jobs. For his latest film, Yimou explores this monumental aspect of national culture through the eyes of everyday citizens.

In Coming Home, Yimou elicits another fine performance from Gong Li whose portrayal of a woman who has lost everything is extremely moving. “A lot of this film is very much about Gong Li and Yimou,” said Producer Zhang Zhao.  “Coming back together as actress and film director, they are such a legendary couple of the Chinese screen. It’s a great thing.” According to Variety Magazine, “filmmaking doesn’t get more traditional or timeless than Chinese master Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home.”

Epic Intimacy: The Cinema of Zhang Yimou & Gong Li charts the range and depth of Yimou and Li’s filmmaking partnership from 1987 to today. With the exception of the latest film, Coming Home, the entirety of the season will be presented on 35mm film with a number of local and imported prints including Raise the Red Lantern, which will be coming to ACMI from the Academy Film Archive.

Films in the season include:
Yimou’s Tang dynasty epic, The Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia) (2006) is a film of dazzling beauty and scale that boasts an all-star cast including Chow Yun-Fat, Jay Chou and Ye Liu. Gong Li’s portrayal of Empress Phoenix sits at the epicentre of the film. Bold, fearsome and enchanting, she was awarded Best Actress at the 2007 Hong Kong Film Awards.

In Shanghai Triad (Yao o yao, yao dao wai po qiao) (1995), Gong Li stars as a brassy nightclub singer in Yimou’s 1930s screen adaption of Li Xiao’s popular novel, Gang Law. All the glamour and excess of 1930s Shanghai bursts onto the screen in this intricately staged and sumptuously photographed film that was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 1996 Academy Awards® and won the Technical Grand Prize at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.

Based on Yu Hua’s novel of the same name, To Live (Huo zhe) (1994) tells the story of a noble family who lose their fortune and are swept away by the social-political change that surged through China, firstly with the Civil War and then the Cultural Revolution. Yimou’s epic family drama that spans four decades earned him numerous international accolades including Best Foreign Language Film at BAFTA, the Grand Jury Prize and Best Actor at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.

Gong Li shines in The Story of Qiu Ju (Qiu Ju da guan si) (1992) as Qiu Ju, a woman of irresistible force in her quest for justice. Winner of Best Film and Best Actress at the 1992 Venice Film Festival, The Story of Qiu Ju marked a significant departure for Yimou who set the action in contemporary China and cast a spotlight on a peasant lead, rather than a noble hero. The film foregoes the director’s overt visual beauty and strips Gong Li of her signature glamour; though it is still imbued with a vitality and comedic charm that demonstrates both Yimou’s and Li’s versatility.
Set in the 1920s, Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua) (1991) is Yimou’s sumptuous drama about the life of a young concubine. Winner of numerous international awards including the 1991 Venice Film Festival Silver Lion for Best Director and the 1992 New York Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Raise the Red Lanternmarked Yimou’s second Academy Award® nomination.

Ju Dou (1990) sees the beautiful title character, Ju Dou (Gong Li) married off to Yang Jin-shan (Li Wei), a cruel and tyrannical owner of a rural silk-dying factory.  Selected for the Official Competition at the 1990s Cannes Film Festival, Ju Dou was also the first mainland Chinese film to be nominated for an Academy Award®.

Based on the novel by Novel laureate Mo Yan, Red Sorghum (Hong gao liang) (1987) is set in the northern province of Shandong in the late 1920s. It opens with Little Nine (Gong Li) being transported across the arid plains to greet a wealthy wine-maker to whom she been bequeathed in exchange for a mule. Winner of the Golden Bear at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival, Yimou’s debut film showcased the full force of his talents as a cinematic craftsman and immediately solidified his place, and that of his muse, in world cinema.

Epic Intimacy: The Cinema of Zhang Yimou & Gong Li
Friday 6 March 2015 – Sunday 15 March 2015
Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne
acmi.net.au/epic-intimacy

Opening the season is the Australian premiere of And Then There is Naples (E poi c’è Napoli) (2014), in which director Gianluca Migliarotti travels to the epicentre of men’s tailoring. Bespoke Neapolitan trouser maker Salvatore Ambrosi guides audiences through the ancient city of style where he encounters local designers and commentators who offer rare insights into the art of tailoring. Other traditional crafts are explored, which lead to a captivating exchange with a 120-year old Portolano glove maker and a couple of even older luggage and shirt makers.

To complement the first screening of And Then There is Naples, ACMI Film Programmer, James Nolen will host Sartorial Saturday, a two-hour guided walking tour of Melbourne that uncovers the many exquisite products featured in the documentary. A short film by Noel Smyth, titled POP (4 mins) accompanies each screening of And Then There is Naples. POP is a finalist in the VAMFF Film 2015 competition and showcases the latest Melbourne-made menswear collection from Article by Courtney Holm.

In its Australian premiere, Fashion in the 1990s (La mode des années 90) (2014) pays tribute to the decade of stark fashion contrasts, from Helmut Lang’s revolutionary minimalism to Walter Van Beirendonck’s colourful techno tribes. Director, Loïc Prigent (Signé Chanel and Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton) delves deep inside the historical world of fashion, this time casting a spotlight on the 1990s – an era when designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, Thierry Mugler and Christian Lacroix embraced excess.

Audiences are given extraordinary access to archival footage as Prigent beautifully illuminates a decade marked by important social change and fearless fashion. Fashion in the 1990s screens alongside Crystals and the Postman are a Girl’s Best Friend (3 mins), a short film from accomplished fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth. Featuring the label Sister by Sibling and Swarovski crystals, the film is a finalist in the VAMFF Film 2015 competition.

Loïc Prigent’s new documentary, The Balmain Style (La Ligne Balmain) (2014) seamlessly interweaves historical footage of founder, Pierre Balmain with the modern day vision of designer, Olivier Rousteing as he lifts the Autumn/Winter 2014 collection from the pages onto the runway. At only 28 years of age, Rousteing has injected a revitalised energy into the hallowed fashion house of Balmain. Established after the Second World War by Pierre Balmain, the label has been worn by fashion icons such as Katherine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Rihanna.

Premiering in Australia, The Balmain Style illuminates how within only a few seasons, Rousteing has cemented his place in the new guard of fashion designers, re-energising the celebrated fashion houses of Paris. Accompanying the documentary is Julian Lucas’s and Jarred Osborn’s short film and finalist in the VAMFF Film 2015 competition, Aaizel(2 mins). Produced by prolific fashion filmmaker Hannah Bellil and starring models Adhiel Tuba and Nichola Jayne,Aaizel showcases the sculptural designs of Minhee Jo in her second womenswear collection.

Premiering in Australia, Pop Models (Les Mannequins, corps de la mode) (2014) is a documentary from director Olivier Nicklaus (Fashion Pack). It chronicles the transformation of the fashion model from the liberation of Paris after the Second World War, to the rise of the supermodel, through to the 21st century, when a boy from Broadmeadows stole the show.

Fascinating interviews with industry veterans, magazine editors, photographers and the models themselves capture the evolution of the model. Twiggy, Marisa Berenson, Jerry Hall, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz, Cara Delevigne and Melbourne’s own Andreja Pejic are just some of the names that reign supreme. Pop Models screens with Cover Girl (4 mins), a short film by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, one of the international finalists in the VAMFF Film 2015 competition. Cover Girl follows Lena Dunham (of Girls fame) as she prepares for her first Vogue cover shoot.

Wrapping up the season is Mademoiselle Agnès and her partner in crime, Loïc Prigent as they round up the latest from the catwalk in the Australian premiere of Dressed up for Summer 2015 (Habillé(e)s pour printemps-été 2015)(2014). From the season’s major parades by Dior and Chanel, to the farewell marathon Miss France-inspired Ready to Wear runway show by Jean Paul Gaultier, these two have it all covered. Moschino’s creative director, Jeremy Scott offers his five cardinal rules of politeness during fashion week, whilst across the pond, 26 year-old Thomas Tait shares the hottest trends from British stalwart, Burberry. Mademoiselle Agnès also takes a look back at 30 years of fashion in her own unique way.

Dressed up for Summer 2015 screens with Palladian (3 mins), a finalist in VAMFF Film 2015 competition stunningly shot by Peter Ryle at Melbourne’s Abbotsford Convent. In filming the diaphanous womenswear of Melbourne label Kuwaii, director Tim White draws inspiration from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.

Fashion on Film
Saturday 21 February – Sunday 8 March 2015
acmi.net.au/fashion-on-film-2015