Willem Dafoe, Olivia Colman, and the Beastie Boys are coming to Lismore this October, on the big screen at least, and the stars of one film will be there in person.
The Byron Bay International Film Festival (BBFF) is bringing seven feature films from its 20th anniversary program to the newly reopened Lismore Cinemas.
And there is a bonus. Director Stephen Dupont and David Field, Geoff Morrell, and Tim Oxley of The Number 4 Band will be in Lismore for the screening of That Half Barbaric Twang, and will take part in a Q&A afterwards.
“BBFF has brought special nights of film to Lismore many times over our 20 years, but this year we wanted to do something more substantial,” said BBFF Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke.
“These seven films offer a taste of our 20th anniversary program, carefully chosen with Lismore and the wider region in mind.”
For Lismore Cinemas, it is a big moment in its first year back.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Byron Bay International Film Festival to Lismore Cinemas in our first year since reopening,” said Lismore Cinemas owner Luke Mackey.
“Bringing seven BBFF films to Lismore gives our community the opportunity to experience outstanding cinema right here at home.”
Leading the line-up is The Fox, the Australian dark comedy that opens the festival. Written and directed by Danger 5 creator Dario Russo, it stars Jai Courtney, Emily Browning, Damon Herriman, and Miranda Otto, with Olivia Colman voicing the Fox and the late Sam Neill as the Magpie.
When rural heir Nick finds out his fiancée is cheating, a talking fox offers an unusual fix. It only gets darker from there.
Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee star in Late Fame, a New York story about a postal worker whose forgotten poetry is suddenly hailed as the work of a lost genius.
Music runs right through the program.
Broken English is an intimate portrait of Marianne Faithfull, featuring Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Courtney Love, Beth Orton, and Suki Waterhouse.
That Half Barbaric Twang follows actors David Field and Geoff Morrell and musician Tim Oxley as The Number 4 Band takes its self-described “badass gospel” country music to remote communities across Australia. Their bigger dream? Playing Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
The Best Summer, from filmmaker Tamra Davis, is built from footage she shot touring Australia and Asia in 1995 and 1996. Lost for nearly 30 years, it goes onstage and backstage with Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini Kill.
Guided by Horses heads to the Kimberley, where Aboriginal Professor Juli Coffin runs an equine program connecting Indigenous teenagers with horses, Country, and culture.
The Cycle of Love, from Oscar-winning director Orlando von Einsiedel, tells the true story of PK Mahanandia, who in 1977 set off from Delhi on a second-hand bicycle to ride to Sweden and find the woman he loved.
“Supporting festivals, filmmakers and diverse storytelling is an important part of what we want Lismore Cinemas to be – a place where our community can come together through film,” Mr Mackey said.
The festival runs from Friday, 16 October to Sunday, 25 October, with screenings across the Northern Rivers. For the full program and tickets, visit bbff.com.au.
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