CinefestOz goes live and online

The extent of the most glamorous and upmarket local event of the year, CinefestOZ, was unveiled this week, announcing a live and online line-up created specifically for the extraordinary year.

The full program includes 18 features and four packed short-film sets, the Cinesnaps schools program, IndigifestOZ and a two-day Industry Program.

For those not willing to sit in a crowd of people, the festival also presents Grounded, a series of free Australian films available to watch at home for the first time.

Orana Cinemas Busselton will formally launch the event on August 26 with a screening of WA film RAMS, directed by Jeremy Sims.

Bookending the event on August 29 will be the long-awaited WA film Dirt Music based on the critically acclaimed novel by iconic Australian writer Tim Winton and directed by Gregor Jordan.

The middle part of the event will give audiences the chance to watch a host of feature films includingDisclosureand Moon Rock for Monday.

Moon Rock for Monday is an emotive story of a terminally ill young girl, brought up by her academic single father, who hits the road for Uluru believing a “moon rock” will heal her. She soon meets Tyler, a fugitive.

The festival will showcase a family-friendly genre including the young adult/drama Swimming for Gold, as well as a selection of stellar documentaries such as Brock: Over the top.

Brock: Over the top is a feature-length documentary which chronicles the life of Australia’s greatest racing car driver, Peter Brock, peeling away the surface to reveal the profoundly human story behind the legend.

CinefestOZ chief executive Malinda Nixon said this year had been a challenging one for the film industry.

“We do not take for granted the fact that we have been able to forge ahead with our festival this year,” she said.

2020 introduces the CinefestOZ short film Awards for excellence in Australian filmmaking.

The short film showcase features sets which screen from August 25 and conclude with an awards celebration held at the Margaret River HEART on August 29. Visit www.cinefestoz.com/festival- program/.