The 11th Recontres Internationals of Antipodean Cinema has wrapped up for the year in St Tropez, France. The president, Bernard Bories, met with me earlier in Gambetta, Paris.
The first time Bories saw an Australian film it was the 1970s. The film was Picnic at Hanging Rock. Following that, he lapped up Jimmie Blacksmith, My Brilliang Career, The Getting of Wisdom, Mad Max… “Each time I found wonders but found it a shame that they didn’t always get to be shared with the French public,” he said. It was the motivation for the now annual Recontres Internationals of Antipodean Cinema, a free festival open to all that offers a week of new and classic antipodean films with guest directors, actors and writers.
Bories believes Australian films are “a combination of the best of both American and European film elements. In France we do well the alchemy, social, political, hard subject films but… they can be boring. America do well the punchy, dynamic films… but they can lack substance. Australian films succeed to mix both elements-duality and passion.
For details on the recent festival, whose head of jury was Anthony LaPaglia, visit their site.
