Sold out sessions and special guests at Bangalow Film Festival

WHETHER drawn to documentaries exploring the art of whistling and the impacts of plastic pollution, or classics such as Bad Boy Bubby, film lovers have found plenty to enjoy at this year’s Bangalow Film Festival.

Festival director Christian Pazzaglia said attendance at the event, held at the Bangalow A&I Hall, had been strong, with both the opening night screening of the documentary Whistle and the special event Jack Johnson: SURFILMMUSIC selling out.

Whistle, which follows an eccentric group of international virtuoso whistlers who descend on Hollywood to compete in the Masters of Musical Whistling, proved so popular that an additional screening has been scheduled for 11am on Saturday 20 June.

“People seem to be really appreciative and lots of films have been well-received,” Pazzaglia said.

“Almost every film for the first three days had a filmmaker attend, which is really amazing.”

Among the special guests were director Rolf de Heer and actor Nicholas Cope, who participated in a Q&A session following Saturday night’s screening of Bad Boy Bubby.

“It was quite special having Rolf there,” Pazzaglia said. “This has been three years in the making.

“The Q&A on the night was one of the best I have ever been part of. The audience was so engaged. Some people had been holding those questions for a very long time. Half of the audience had seen the film before and the other half hadn’t, so it was really interesting to see it through their eyes.”

 

This year also marks the introduction of Australia’s first competitive award dedicated exclusively to nature documentary filmmaking. The Green Frame Nature Documentary Award showcases films focused on conservation, wildlife, climate change and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

Five films are competing for both a Jury Prize and an Audience Award, with the winners to be announced before the closing-night screening on Sunday.

The festival’s final weekend program includes Whispers in the Woods, a nature documentary by acclaimed French filmmaker Vincent Munier.

Sunday night’s closing film, Gaucho Gaucho, offers a portrait of the lives of cowboys and cowgirls in La Pampa, Argentina.

“We have a very big party to go with it including prizes for the best-dressed cowboys and cowgirls courtesy of Pony Rider,” Pazzaglia said. Pazzaglia said he was pleased with the decision to move the festival from March to June, allowing it to coincide with the Sydney Film Festival, after previous editions were disrupted by floods and cyclones.

While Gaucho Gaucho is expected to sell out, Pazzaglia said tickets remain available for other weekend screenings, including at the door.