What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 9th June 2022.

The 69th Sydney Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday 8th June and runs through until Sunday 19th June, screening over two hundred films across fifteen screens spread across the city and showcasing the greatest, strangest and most exciting works that the world of cinema has to offer. This year there are twelve films in Official Competition and the Sydney Film Prize is awarded to the most 'audacious, cutting-edge and courageous' film in the Official Competition line-up. The competition is endorsed by FIAPF, the regulating body for international film festivals, and is judged by a jury of filmmakers and industry professionals. The AU$60K cash prize is presented at SFF’s Closing Night ceremony. In addition, a further AU$76K is awarded to other categories that are the Australian Documentary Award, two awards for Australian Short Films, the Australian Animated Short Film, The Craft Award for demonstrated excellence by a craft practitioner in an Australian short film, the Australian First Nations Film Creatives, the Sydney UNESCO City of Film Award and the Sustainable Futures Award. 

Those films in Official Competition are as detailed below :-

* 'Alcarras' - from Spain and Italy and Written and Directed by Carla Simon. Set in Alcarras, Catalonia, the plot consists of a family rural drama concerning the disappearance of agricultural activities, revolving around the intention to install solar panels in an agricultural plot hitherto occupied by a peach orchard, bringing the members of the Sole family to a stand off. Australian Premier. Drama. Winner of the Golden Bear Award at this years Berlin International Film Festival.

* 'Before, Now & Then' - from Indonesia and Written and Directed by Kamila Andini. Set in West Java, Nana (Happy Salma) finds refuge in a second marriage after losing her family to war in the 1940's. Then, she befriends her second husband's mistress, Ino (Laura Basuki), together seeking for the meaning of freedom. Australian Premier. Drama.

* 'Blaze' - from Australia and Co-Written and Directed by Del Kathryn Barton in her feature film debut. After accidentally witnessing a violent crime, a young girl is left catatonic with shock, and struggles to make sense of what she saw, ultimately finding renewal in the inestimable world of her own imagination. Australian Premier. Drama. Starring Simon Baker and Julia Savage.

* 'The Box' - from Mexico and the USA and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Lorenzo Vigas. A Mexican teenager sets out to collect his fathers remains, only to be sucked into the underbelly of the manufacturing industry. Australian Premier. Drama.

* 'Burning Days' - from Turkey and Written and Directed by Emin Alper. Emre (Sealhattin Pasali), a young prosecutor, newly appointed to the small town of Balkaya finds himself being pulled into a political conflict during his first murder investigation. Australian Premier. Drama.

* 'Close' - from Belgium and Co-Written and Directed by Lukas Dhont. Leo and Remi (Eden Dambrine and Gustav de Waele respectively) two thirteen-year-old boys, have their close friendship suddenly thrown into disarray as the prospect of adolescence looms. Australian Premier. Drama. Winner of the Grand Prix at this years Cannes Film Festival.

* 'Fire of Love' - from the USA and Canada and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sara Dosa. Follows the lives and careers of daring French Volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft who ultimately died in a volcanic explosion on Mount Unzen, in Japan, on June 3, 1991. Australian Premier. Documentary.

* 'Godland' - from Denmark and Written and Directed by Hlynur Palmason. In the late 19th Century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, his mission and morality. Australian Premier. Drama. 

* 'The Quiet Girl' - from Ireland, and Written for the screen and Directed by Colm Bairead. Set in rural Ireland in 1981 a quiet, neglected girl is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the Summer. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one. Australian Premier. Drama. 

* 'Utama' - from Bolivia, France and Uruguay and Written and Directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi in his feature film debut. In the Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living the same daily life for years. During an uncommonly long drought, Virginio (Jose Calcina) and his wife Sisa (Luisa Quispe) face a dilemma: resist, or be defeated by the environment and time itself. Australian Premier. Drama. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2022.

* 'Return to Seoul' - from France, Belgium and Germany and Written and Directed by Davy Chou. A twenty-five-year-old French woman returns to Korea, the country she was born in before being adopted by a French couple, for the very first time. She decides to track down her biological parents, but her journey takes on a surprising turn. Australian Premier. Drama.

* 'You Won't Be Alone' - from Australia and the USA and Written and Directed by Goran Stolevski in his feature film debut. In an isolated mountain village in 19th Century Macedonia, a young girl is kidnapped and then transformed into a witch with the ability to shape shift on her 16th birthday by an ancient spirit. Starring Noomi Rapace. Australian Premier. Drama, horror. 

For the full update on all the Sydney Film Festival information, the other programme strands, and the events taking place over the twelve days, you can visit the official website at : https://www.sff.org.au/

This week to tease you out to your local Odeon on a chilly Winter evening, we have three new movies, kicking off with a highly anticipated Sci-Fi actioner that sees the future of mankind hanging in the balance as humans and dinosaurs coexist following the destruction of Isla Nublar four years previously. Next we have a biographical drama offering about a legendary 20th Century war poet who's life-long quest for personal salvation through his experiences with family, war, his writing, and destructive relationships goes unresolved, never realising it can only come from within. And we close out the week with an Iranian film about a man who gets embroiled in a series of unfortunate events that risk his reputation and relationships when he gets arrested for delaying the repayment of a debt.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'JURASSIC WORLD : DOMINION' (Rated M) - is an American Sci-Fi action film Directed and Co-Written for the screen and based on a story developed by Colin Tervorrow. It is the sequel to 2018's 'Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom', the sixth instalment in the 'Jurassic Park' franchise, the final film in the Jurassic World trilogy, and the conclusion to the storyline started in the original 'Jurassic Park' trilogy released in 1993, 1997 and 2001. This film saw its World Premier in Mexico City on 23rd May and goes on worldwide release from this week onward. The film cost US$165M to produce and early reaction to the film has been positive. 

Set some four years after Isla Nublar had been destroyed, dinosaurs now live, and hunt, alongside humans the world over. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history's most fearsome creatures. Also starring an ensemble cast that sees Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from the first three 'Jurassic Park' films, together with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard from the latter three instalments, with DeWanda Wise, BD Wong, Omar Sy and Scott Haze. 

'BENEDICTION' (Rated M) - this biographical drama film is Written and Directed by Terence Davies whose previous film making credits include 'Distant Voices, Still Lives' in 1988, 'The House of Mirth' in 2000, 'The Deep Blue Sea' in 2011 and 'A Quiet Passion' in 2016. This film saw its World Premier screening at last years Toronto International Film Festival in September before going on general release in the UK towards the end of May and in the US last week. Here then, decorated for bravery during WWI, British soldier Siegfried Sassoon (Jack Lowden with Pater Capaldi playing the older Sassoon) returns from service and becomes a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war for which he was sent to a psychiatric clinic. Adored by the aristocracy and the stars of London's literary and stage world, Sassoon's experiences inspire him to write poetry about the horrors of battle, while having affairs with several men while being closeted, and developing a crisis in faith when he converted to Catholicism. Also starring Simon Russell Beale, Jeremy Irvine, Gemma Jones, Calam Lynch, Geraldine James and Anton Lester.

'A HERO' (Rated PG) -  is an Iranian drama film Written and Directed by Asghar Farhadi whose prior Directorial credits take in the likes of his debut feature film 'Dancing in the Dust' in 2003, 'A Separation' in 2011, 'The Salesman' in 2016 and 'Everybody Knows' in 2018. The film saw its World Premier screening at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival where it was in competition for the Palme d'Or, ultimately taking out the Grand Prix. Rahim (Amir Jadidi) is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave period, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum outstanding, but things don't go as quite as planned. The film has garnered universal critical acclaim and has so far collected twelve award wins and another thirty-seven nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit.

With three new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-