Reflections January 13, 2012

Reflections is a ten day film program of classic features, diverse documentaries and a selection of live performance screening from Saturday, 14 to Sunday, 22 January at Riverside Theatres as part of Sydney Festival. The exceptional, eccentric and transcendent are all represented in a showcase of eighteen remarkable films from around the world and Australia.

Reflections commences with London’s National Theatre’s stage production of Collaborators centers on an imaginary encounter between Joseph Stalin and the playwright Mikhail Bulgakov and concludes with a dance program including the Bolshoi’s perennial favourite The Nutcracker.

Stephen Fry explores his passion for the world’s most controversial composer Richard Wagner in Wagner and Me, while the eccentric and complex world of the enigmatic musical poet and world renowned pianist is revealed in Genius Within - The Inner Life of Glenn Gould. As well, The Choir tells the incredible true story of a brotherhood of prison inmates singing to survive in the toughest prison in Africa.

Reflections also pays tribute to two iconic film makers. Roman Polanski’s early classics, Cul-de-Sac and Repulsion are unique cinema creations and are presented in remastered copies alongside the documentary Wanted and Desired.

Reflections is hosting diverse and interesting documentaries including On Borrowed Time and two exceptional dance documentaries; La Danse, The Paris Opera Ballet and Life in Movement, the moving celebration of the life and work of Tanya Liedtke.

Directed by Documentarian David Bradbury, On Borrowed Time brings us an affectionate portrait of the life and work of venerated Australian director Paul Cox. Arguably one of the most important filmmakers to come out of this country Paul Cox occupies a unique place in the Australian film landscape. A Dutch native who relocated to Melbourne in his early 20's in the 1960s, Cox went on to make more than 22 feature films over the next decade, all highly personal and artistically ambitious. Featuring a who's who of Australian film and intellectual life of the past 30 years - including David Stratton, Phillip Adams, Chris Haywood and Gosia Dobrowski - Bradbury's tribute to the great director delves into Cox's outlook on filmmaking and life, particularly in the wake of his remarkable recent brush with cancer.

In 2007, Tanja Liedtke was appointed to succeed Graeme Murphy as Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company. Before she could take up the position, the dedicated 29-year-old dancer/choreographer was tragically killed in a road accident. Months after the accident Tanja’s final show Construct played at Riverside Theatres. Now, eighteen months later, the posthumous celebration of Tanja’s talent continues. Her still-grieving collaborators, including her partner Sol Ubrich, embark on an international tour of her award-winning productions. The performances and on-tour interviews, along with intimate footage of Tanja's creative process and previously unseen recordings, provide a moving celebration of her creative life in Sophie Hyde’s and Bryan Mason’s Life in Movement.

Paul Cox, born in 1940 in the Netherlands and living in Australia since 1965, is a supreme storyteller of remarkable energy, persistence and vision. The seven selected films including Innocence, Molokai, A Woman’s Tale and Man of Flowers feature an ensemble of actors including the late Norman Kaye, who is the subject of the Cox 2005 documentary, The Remarkable Mr Kaye. Also included is David Bradbury’s recent documentary, On Borrowed Time, which delves into Cox's outlook on filmmaking and life, particularly in the wake of his remarkable recent brush with cancer. On Saturday 21 January a free forum will be held at 4.00pm to discuss the work of Paul Cox.

Reflections
Riverside Theatres, cnr Church & Market Streets, Parramatta
Collaborators
DATES & TIMES: January 14 and 15 at 1pm & January 19 at 6pm
TICKET PRICES: Adult $25; Conc $22; Child or student $15*

Forum/Talk on Paul Cox's Work
DATE & TIME: January 21 at 4pm
TICKET PRICE: Free

The Nutcracker - Bolshoi Ballet
DATE & TIME: January 22 at 1pm
TICKET PRICES: Adult $27; Conc $21; Child or Student $15*

The Choir
January 14 at 5pm
& January 18 at 4pm Wagner & Me
January 14 at 7.30pm
& January 18 at 6pm Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould
January 15 at 5pm
& January 19 at 4pm

Life in Movement
January 15 at 7.30pm
& January 22 at 8pm Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
January 16 at 4pm
Repulsion
January 16 at 6pm

Cul-de-Sac
January 16 at 8.30pm
Innocence
DATE & TIME: January 17 at 4pm & January 21 at 6pm
Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh
January 17 at 6pm

A Woman's Tale
January 17 at 8.30pm
My First Wife
January 20 at 4pm
& January 21 at 8pm
The Remarkable Mr Kaye
January 20 at 6pm

Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
January 20 at 8.30pm
Man of Flowers
January 21 at 12pm
On Borrowed Time
January 21 at 2pm

La Danse - Paris Opera Ballet
January 22 at 5pm\
TICKET PRICES: $12*

ALL BOOKINGS: Riverside Theatres Box Office on 8839 3399 or www.riversideparramatta.com.au
*Transaction fees apply