Australia

Australian & New Zealand Film Festival

Learn more about Australian and New Zealand cinema at the Down Under Festival in Berlin

September 30th, 2022
Emily Ball, News from Berlin
20220930_Australian & New Zealand Film Festival.jpg

From the 21st of October until the 23rd, Berliners are invited to attend the Down Under Berlin film festival, supported by Moviemento Kino, the Australian Embassy Germany and the New Zealand Embassy.

The event has facilitated a hub for film enthusiasts of Australian and New Zealand film since 2011, including films from independent productions to block-busters, student and professional short films, alongside documentaries.

Alongside film screenings, there will be open air nights, previews and questions and answers with filmmakers. Few Australian and New Zealand films have actually made it to European cinemas, which is argued to be because elements of the culture, style and humour become lost on audiences overseas. Thus, the festival seeks to broaden the scope of cinema abroad and introduce a platform for guests to learn more about Australian and New Zealand culture, cinema, and art.

The films on display span various genres, from drama, comedy, thriller, horror, animation, Indigenous and experimental, presented and created in cooperation with New Zealand Film Commission, Screen Australia, the Victoria College of the Arts in Melbourne and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.

Tickets will go on sale shortly before the opening night, and documentaries will include ‘My Name is Gulipil’, describing the story of indigenous Australian actor David Gulipil, as his final work following being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017. With regard to feature films on display, the audience can see the film ‘Savage’, inspired by the true stories of New Zealand’s street gangs across 30 years, punctuated by the three defining moments of the protagonist Danny’s life, growing from a boy into the violence enforcer of a gang.

References:

News from Berlin