Best of Antipodes

Big draw this year: Balibo starring Anthony La Paglia

Bernard Borie started the Cinéma des Antipodes film festival 12 years ago after seeing Picnic at Hanging Rock. "It was incredible and sparked in me a curiosity for Australian film. I discovered there were many great movies and no dedicated festival in Europe for them. I decided to organise one myself and now it's my passion," he told the RT.
Top accolade each year is for the best feature, with six films usually short-listed for the prize. Last year it was won by Samson and Delilah, which is showing again this year.

For 2010 Australian actress Miranda Otto, better known for her role as Eowyn in Lord of the Rings chairs the jury. Her latest film South Solidarity will be screened at the festival, and has the feel of one of those classic British independent costume dramas.

Audience numbers are on an upward spiral, which is no surprise given the quality and variety of films on offer: from the lighthearted hit musical comedy Brand Nue Dae starring Geoffrey Rush, about an aboriginal boy escaping from a Catholic boarding school, to  Home by Christmas, Gaylene Preston's biopic recounting her father's war experiences, and his return to family life.

Possibly the most gripping film is the Australian action thriller Balibo, which follows the real-life story of the disappearance of five journalists in East Timor in 1975. Anthony La Paglia, who chaired last year's jury, stars as Roger East, a journalist who arrives in East Timor in search of answers to what happened to his compatriots.
Also worth seeing is the art house movie The tree (L'arbre), directed by French director Julie Bertucelli, a French/ Australian co-production.

Eight screenings are specifically for children and the award for best short film is chosen by 150 local kids.
There is always a Q&A session with the director, producer or actor after each screening, and most films are in VO with French subtitles.

TD

Cinéma des Antipodes
11th to 17th October
www.festivalantipodes.org