The Thousands

It’s no Cannes, but now that’s over Erskineville hosts its version (actually Newtown’s version) of the much-hyped film event. Now in its third year, Newtown Flicks incorporates eight screening sessions of short Australian films arranged into categories loosely based on genre or themes.

I must confess that whenever something like this comes up, the lefty academic in me jumps on its free-trade soapbox and starts an internal rant about the import of fostering a strong national film industry. It forms a seamless case which starts with a point about generating employment in the creative industries, and concludes with connections to lofty ideals like "exploring identities" and "allowing Australia to reflect unique cultures back into the society which manifested them."**Now I’m not sure how much some of the films on Newtown Flicks’ program distinctly reflect Australian culture. Stuart White’s A FILM ABOUT NOTHING sounds more like a reflection of SEINFELD to me. But Australian screen legend Barry Otto pops up in LA MEME NUIT, and titles like EIGHT LETTER WORD and ASCENSION appear to have the quirky character that Australian films have become renowned for. Plus there’s two sessions of documentaries which canvas issues ranging from female boxing to bingo.

In the name of supporting an alternative to the circus of reality TV and game show programming, this one’s worth a shot.