The Nightingale Premieres Monday 1st August, 8.30pm
This charming family dramedy is the second ever film collaboration between France and China, and it sees French director Philippe Muyl adapt his 2002 film The Butterfly (Le Papillon) to a Chinese setting. As well as moving countries, The Nightingale also changes around the characters. It’s still a story of a young girl and her grandfather bonding on a journey together, but this time around the grandfather is a pleasant, kind and caring gentleman, and his granddaughter a rude, spoilt brat.
The setup is simple and plays out in a stereotypical manner. Renxing (newcomer Yang Xinyi) is the daughter of two very successful professionals (clearly heading for divorce) living in Beijing. Addicted to her iPad and headphones and often left in the care of the housekeeper, she is mortified to learn she must go with her estranged grandfather on a journey to his village in Yangshuo.
Instead of flying, they travel by train, bus, bike and then foot to Zhu Zhigen’s (Li Baotian) village in the southwestern Chinese province of Guangxi. It’s a journey filled with wonder for Renxing as she discovers the natural world around her and makes friends with locals for what seems like the first time in her life.
The most stunning aspect of this film though is Sun Ming's lush cinematography. Beijing is presented to us as cold and industrial, but when we get into the countryside, the colours are bright and vibrant and the views and villages are stunning. Veteran actor Li Baotian is a delight to watch, and even though the family dynamics unfold in the way you expect, The Nightingale is visually a lovely way to start the week.
Gayby Baby Premieres Thursday 4th August, 8.30pm
Gayby Baby is an Australian documentary that follows the lives of four children raised by same-sex parents. The film is directed by up and coming Australian filmmaker Maya Newell who was inspired by her own upbringing as a gayby, to make the film in collaboration with producer Charlotte Mars. As the Marriage Equality debate began to take off in Australia around 6 years ago, Newell and Mars found there were a lot of people talking on behalf of gabies, but no one listening to them, and it was time to gently present their side of the story.
Newell filmed Matt, Ebony, Gus and Graham for four years and the result is a warm and moving observational film that enables people with no experience of same-sex relationships to see that gaybies are just like other kids. OK, so maybe they’re a bit more thoughtful and switched on than most! The kids are the stars of the show here, and it’s impossible not to get caught up in their stories, and shed a tear or two.
Holding the Man Premieres Saturday 6th August, 8.30pm
Tim Conigrave was an Australian actor, writer and activist who contracted AIDS and tragically died at the young age of 34. His final piece of work was an autobiography called Holding the Man (1995), now regarded as an Aussie classic, that chronicles Conigrave’s 15 year love affair with John Caleo, who he meet at high school in the late 70s.
The book was originally adapted into a multi-award-winning play by Tommy Murphy, who also wrote the screenplay for this film. Directed by Neil Armfield, one of Australia’s most respected theatre and film directors, the film does a wonderful job of presenting us with a beautiful love story, as much as it captures this devastating period of time when so many young lives were cut short by AIDS. Ryan Corr (Tim) and Craig Stott (John) are both excellent and their chemistry is spot on, even if it is hard trying playing a character that spans three decades convincingly. Holding the Man will make you laugh and cry – it truly is a great love story.