FilmFest Australia — A–Z of films

Australia undercuts its cinematic insecurities with heart, soul and imagination.

Fearlessly reaches outside the box.

A lean and moody road-trip thriller, which though a little uneven, is nevertheless a deft piece of filmmaking.

The Cars That Ate Paris is no ordinary horror film.

When the moment of violence arrives, abruptly, at the half-way point, it does so in flurry of handheld camerawork, striking sound design and stark symbolism.

Much of the story is smoke and mirrors in terms of fact, but this is pitched more at romance fans than Houdini addicts.

Dwyer has taken this cinematically uncharted landscape and, like the convict runners of old, transported to it all manner of unsavoury foreign elements.

If you’re sick of Hollywood teen movies that can’t see past the end of their next tube of lip gloss, this Aussie alternative is well worth checking out.

While The Horseman will have viewers squirming in their seats, its take on the workings of vengeance is remarkably responsible.

Tom Murray takes us on a journey, not just into this most sacred of ceremonies but also into the heart of a community.

Anderson’s use of the documentary framework is an inspired choice, since it lends what we’re seeing an air of reality that helps build the tension to jangling point.

A creepy one-off.

A refreshing examination of the collective male psyche through pure drama.

If you're a fan of B-movies - of nudity, gore, monsters, car chases, kung fu action and ultra-low-budget fun - then Not Quite Hollywood is a treat you can't afford to miss.

Each of the youngsters in the film is shown with a great degree of careful balance.

It has all the cringe-making laughs one might expect from a comedy of celebrity, but Rats And Cats also achieves a surprising subtlety.

This is not, like so many films with Iraq as plot element, about the military’s inhumanity to others, but its careless disregard for the wellbeing of its own.

As a two hander, the film eases gently towards acceptance, even affection, until a melodramatic ending blows it to smithereens.