Alena Lodkina | Australia 2017, 85m | 9:00pm, Thursday 19 July
Neorealism gave film history a new model of cinematic narrative, and it’s bracing to see young filmmakers continuing to see what that model can yield–or rather, refreshing it for new times and places.
– David Bordwell
Milena travels to the remote opal-mining town of Lightning Ridge to see her estranged, ill father. Lost and alone, she falls into his bewildering world, where men escape society and share ideals of freedom. Stuck in time, father and daughter try to mend their fractured bond, but their connection is fragile, like the strange, colourful gems he digs up from the earth. A startling debut from Melbourne-based filmmaker Lodkina, who draws on her long engagement with Lightning Ridge (including her earlier documentary The Land of Black Opals, 2016) to produce a precise humanist piece.
Preceded by Fitting (Avila 14m 2018)
With directors Alena Lodkina (Strange Colours) and Emily Avila (Fitting) in attendance.
Courtesy of Alena Lodkina
English Language
Unrated 15+