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Posted on Monday 7/01/2013 January, 2013 by Francesca Rudkin
Happy New Year! I hope you found some sunshine over the holiday period and managed to put your feet up. I’m feeling pretty good about 2013, but then I don’t make any resolutions until February - there’s nothing worse than being reminded you lack self control and discipline right at the start of the year! I’ll leave that feeling for March.


Happy New Year! I hope you found some sunshine over the holiday period and managed to put your feet up. I’m feeling pretty good about 2013, but then I don’t make any resolutions until February - there’s nothing worse than being reminded you lack self control and discipline right at the start of the year! I’ll leave that feeling for March.

This week we’re back taking a look at a few of the highlights playing on Rialto Channel, starting with Bhopali (Thursday 10th January, 8.30pm).

This documentary will have you shaking your head in both sadness and disbelief - but don’t let that put you off! The film acknowledges the 25th anniversary of the world’s worst industrial disaster, which devastated and contaminated Bhopal in India. The film takes you through the tragic events that killed over 3 and a half thousand people when the Union Carbide Corporation pesticide plant in Bhopal malfunctioned and leaked gas.

Today, it’s estimated that over 100 thousand people have been affected - 25 years later the factory site hasn’t been cleaned up, and the soil and water remains contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals. A high rate of birth defects, respiratory, heart and eye problems still exist, and the people of Bhopal continue to wait for compensation and the right to clean water.

As you’d expect, there is no representation from Union Carbide, or Dow which took over the chemical company so it’s a very one sided view. It is explained that the company came to an agreement with the Indian government and paid US $470 million in compensation, and the Indian government took over responsibility for cleaning up the site. Beyond the financial and political machinations, the heart of this film is a group of people struggling to have their concerns heard.

I knew nothing about The Hunter (Saturday 12th January, 8.30pm) until I sat down and watched it, and I was quite engrossed by this dark and moody Aussie drama. Set in Tasmania, it’s the story of industrial mercenary Martin (Willem Dafoe), who is hired by an aggressive biotech company to hunt for the last Tasmanian Tiger, supposedly still living in the remote Tasmanian wilderness. Martin finds life in Tasmania more complicated that expected as he must content with unfriendly greenies and loggers, and gets caught up helping a family look for their missing father.

There are great performances from all involved, in particular Sam Neill and Frances O’Connor, but it’s the scenes between Dafoe and the young, spirited children he meets that adds a real tenderness to what could have been an overly bleak film.

And finally this week, don’t miss Peter Greenaway and his famously shocking film, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (Sunday 13th January, 8.30pm). With an abundance of nudity, eating, sex and murder, it was hard not to be both amused and shocked by this visually beautiful extravaganza when it was released back in 1988. Thanks to Michael Nyman's distinctive music, a brave cast, and an audacious director, it’s as memorable today as it was back then.

Enjoy.


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Tuesday, 22 January 2013 1:59 pm
What a pleasure to find someone who tihkns through the issues

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