Raw, real, remarkable: International film returns to BREC this winter
From quirky documentaries to soul-stirring drama, the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre has your winter plans sorted as the BREC International Film Festival returns this winter.
The three-week festival will showcase 13 films over 12 days, spanning 16 countries around the world.
This year’s selection includes Spielberg produced Oscar winner, Hamnet, and multiple award winners from the prestigious Sundance and Cannes film festivals.
For those looking for something unique, the lineup also includes German satire Peacock, French-Japanese animation Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Iraqi drama The President’s Cake, from director Hasan Hadi making his feature film debut with local actors who have never appeared on screen before.
The festival launches on 16 July with North Macedonian documentary, The Tale of Silyan, which sees a local folktale come to life when a lonely farmer nurses an injured white stork back to health.
Romantics will find plenty to relate to in Italian Rom-Com, Somebody to Love, as an awkward first date unfolds across the dinner table, and inside the minds of the prospective lovers.
Other must-see talent includes Spanish screen legend Carmen Maura in uplifting drama Calle Malaga. Sope Dirisu joins two real life brothers in Nigerian father and sons’ adventure My Father’s Shadow, and Yuri Tuci drawing on his own experience with autism in his award-winning screen debut, Siblings.
BREC Executive Director Fiona de Garis said this year’s festival is a chance to experience stories and perspectives rarely seen on Australian screens.
“One of the things we love about this festival is the opportunity to bring stories from around the world to Bunbury that audiences might otherwise have to travel to Perth – or sometimes much further – to experience,” de Garis said.
“International film gives us the opportunity to experience lives, cultures and perspectives beyond our own, and films like All That’s Left of You are exactly why we put so much effort into curating and presenting BREC International Film Festivals – so regional audiences can experience compelling stories and internationally celebrated work close to home.”
“What we love most, though, is the atmosphere audiences create around the festival – people catching up with friends, coming along solo, spending time in the SkyBar Festival Hub and sometimes deciding to stay for another film because they’re simply not ready to go home yet.”
“People really do love our film festivals and we’re incredibly grateful to our BREC Film Donor Circle. Their generosity helps subsidise the festival and allows us to continue bringing international cinema and shared experiences to our community.”
The festival runs from 16 July to 2 August Thursdays through Sundays, with multiple screenings each day. Tickets are on sale now, available at bunburyentertainment.com or at the BREC box office.