Fast pace, wit and drama

By Kath Gannaway
FOLLOWING last week’s look at day one of this year’s Warburton Film Festival, the Mail looks at the films on offer on day two.
After launching on the Friday, the three-day festival, presented by the Yarra Ranges Film Society in conjunction with the Shire of Yarra Ranges, presents a five-film program on Saturday, 14 June, punctuated by the Gala Festival Dinner at 6pm.
The films, start at 10am with the Russian-made drama The Italian – rated M.
Vanya, a six-year-old in a Russian orphanage tries to find his birth mother before he is adopted out to an Italian couple.
After lunch, the 2007 Australian drama The Jammed screens. Rated MA, it tells the story of a young career woman who becomes inadvertently involved in the sex-slave trade in Melbourne.
A hard-edged and pacy thriller, its general excellence quickly gained this film an audience after it struggled for an initial release.
The Saturday arvo offering is a comedy/drama from the UK.
The History Boys tracks the vastly different approaches of two teachers as they help a group of star pupils prepare for university entrance exams. The richness and wit of the writing is a highlight for viewers.
Following the festival dinner, the 2007 Australian comedy Lucky Miles is a crowd-pleasing comic adventure set on the remote Western Australia coast.
Dumped by an Indonesian people smuggler, three refugees are forced into an uneasy alliance in their bid to survive and escape capture. It’s rated M.
The late show is The Gymnast, a 2006 US drama from DVD.
A former gymnastics champion living in an unfulfilling marriage is thrown together with an Asian dancer to create an aerial act to take to Las Vegas. Stunning cinematography is a feature of this tale of sexual identity and life renewal.
Tickets are available in singles and a range of multiple booking options, with or without catering.
Bookings can be made in person at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre in Warburton, or phone 5966 5040.
The Mail will preview the Sunday films next week.