Music inspires, energises and takes us to other worlds.
It’s exciting to see that a number of BAPFF films this year also feature music offerings from Brisbane or Australian musicians and composers.
The Queensland premiere of Mustang (Turkey, Qatar, France, Germany) features music by Warren Ellis from the Australian rock band The Bad Seeds, while the soundtrack to Australian film Downriver (which will have its Queensland premiere at BAPFF) was delivered by prolific Brisbane artist Lawrence English.
The Australian premiere of River (People’s Republic of China) promises a combination of beautiful music and stunning cinema. Internationally renowned, Brisbane-based Tibetan musician/composer Tenzin Choegyal met Director Sonthar Gyal at the 2011 APSA Ceremony, where Choegyal performed his original compositions during the award presentation. Choegyal went on to contribute a composition to the soundtrack of River and will treat BAPFF audiences to an intimate pre-screening performance on Friday 20 November at Palace Barracks.
Animated short film The Meek (Australia) screens before Mustang and features a kinetic score by The Cat Empire’s Ollie McGill. The story of a lonely girl whose existence is changed forever by the arrival of a huge comet and a smouldering stranger is both tiny and grand.
Rounding out the top five music picks at BAPFF this year is the story of Arab Idol winner Mohammed Assaf, captured on film as The Idol (Palestine, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Netherlands). The Idol is an inspiring story of one man’s journey from the poverty of the Gaza Strip to the top of the Arab pop charts. An uplifting rags-to-riches tale, it tells Assaf’s phenomenal true story with charm, sensitivity, offbeat humour and song.
The Idol’s Australian premiere at The Australian Cinematheque at GOMA kicks off this year’s festival on Thursday 19 November.
For more information and to book:
Mustang
https://brisbaneasiapacificfilmfestival.com/film-archive/mustang/
Downriver
https://brisbaneasiapacificfilmfestival.com/film-archive/downriver/
The River
https://brisbaneasiapacificfilmfestival.com/program/special-events/river/
The Meek
https://brisbaneasiapacificfilmfestival.com/film-archive/the-meek/
The Idol
https://brisbaneasiapacificfilmfestival.com/film-archive/the-idol/
