The Rosebud collection by Australian photographer Hugh Hamilton has been inspired by Citizen Kane. Image courtesy of Sydney Film Festival.
An exciting mix of events, talks and exhibitions will feature at Town Hall when it’s transformed into a pop-up style Festival Hub for the 2014 Sydney Film Festival (SFF).
For the third year running, Hub programmer Matt Ravier said that the iconic venue would become a unique and central meeting point during the festival, where guests can drink, mingle and socialise.
‘From where I’m standing, the film line-up is an incredible source of inspiration for programming the Hub because we try to organise talks and discussions around the program,’ he said.
‘The Hub is a place where film lovers can meet up for a drink and chat about the films they’re going to see. There is something in there for everyone. Our audience tends to be very diverse.’
Situated close to most of the major festival managed venues, Ravier said that the Hub would operate in tandem to the greater 12-day SFF program and trade late to midnight each evening.
‘The idea of sharing a communal experience and celebrating film as a group entity really needs a central place where people can meet, chat and hang out, particularly within film making and film industry people. The Hub really is the beating heart of the festival in that way,’ he said.
Across the 25 events within the program – of which most are free– are public lectures, parties and exhibitions including photographic works inspired by Citizen Kane in Rosebud, a panel discussion on the role of social impact of documentaries in Can docos change the world?, and iconic furniture displays from The Herman Miller Collection.
‘There’s a lot of in-depth conversations with filmmakers premiering films at the festival, that go a little beyond the Q&A format and allow for our panel moderators and our audience to really drill down and ask them questions about their craft,’ he said.
In a tie-in with SFF 2014’s Altman on Altman Retrospective, son of legendary filmmaker Robert Altman is to present a free public talk, which will step audiences through his father’s filmography.
‘He will chat about each film from the very beginning to his last film Home Companion. That will be a fantastic highlight,’ he said.
The 61st Sydney Film Festival runs from 4 to 15 June in venues across the city.
For more information including ticket sales and the complete event program visit the Sydney Film Festival website.
