Tarnation

Dir Jonathan Caouette
| USA | 2005 | 95 mins

SCREENING FRI 1ST JULY | 9PM | KINO DENDY TICKETS ON SALE THROUGH KINO DENDY

This amazing new film executive produced by Gus Van Sant and directed by the films second central character Jonathan Caouette. Tarnation follows the biography of Caouette’s mother who now has mental problems due to years of electro shock therapy and abuse from her parents and the psychiatric industry. We also see the effect this dysfunctional family has on a young and maturing Jonathan, who is the films maker and semi narrator. Tarnation uses home movies starting around Caouette’s 11th year ( with amazing youthful narcissistic drag performances) charting his own descent into 1980’s hair crisis and drug experimentation counter pointed against his mother’s worsening mental condition. All edited MUFF style using the Apple editing program iMovie this film has an incredible 80’s new romantic soundtrack and features scenes from many of Caouette’s underground movies made over the years. Plus special scenes from Jonathan Caouette’s high school musical version of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet....Wow or what? This film was a real toss up for Opening Night at MUFF and we are truly proud to be able to bring you the preview screening MUFF fund raiser one week before the festival begins… to get you all in the mood for brilliant indy cinema. Tarnation is a must see…its that simple.

FREE! MUFF SYMPOSIUM...PRELUDE

Welcome to the MUFF Symposium: Prelude, a series of free, yes you heard right completely FREE forums, debates and discussions as a sidebar event in 2005. We apologise this side bar was meant to be bigger and include about ten forums over 3 days, but due to Film Victoria finding no value in these forums to consider funding it, we have had to scale back the idea and provide a mere prelude or orchestra warming its strings of what we will bring you next year. Rest assured though what we do have is great, free, informative, challenging and fun. And for zero dollars you are guaranteed your moneys worth. I don’t get Film Victoria’s reticence on the idea…I mean philosophy and film…who is interested in that, right? Well we at MUFF are and we suggest everybody in the Film Industry should be. The idea for the MUFF Symposium is simply the interaction and praxis of philosophy and film. We use the concept of the ontology of film as our clue. We have four forums for you… so check them out:

Forum One
Philosophy and Film
The thinking of George Bataille and Martin Heidegger: For those with long memories MUFF 1 used the headless symbol of Batialle’s Acephale for our first festival as our founding festival image. We have been deeply influenced at MUFF by the ideas of both Bataille and Heidegger and thought we would get together an interesting collection of speakers to engage the thought of these two giants of 20th century thought. We want to explore what relevance these two philosophers have for film and filmmakers. Speakers include Tim Themi, Dr. Robert Farrell, Ali Rizvi, Jack Sargeant, Richard Wolstencroft and others from the philosophy program at La Trobe University. There shall be some addresses from each speaker followed by a general question time and debate about our topic. Everyone is encouraged to join in. Bonus: some free drinks care of MUFF will be supplied to the early and thirsty.

Forum Two
David Thrussell
- A Dragon Slayer speaks from inside the Belly of the Beast.
An anarchic soul reflects on the battle to make great film music and great music while battling the somewhat dopey two-headed Hydra of the lifeless Australian Film Industry and the moribund Australian Music Industry.Thrussell has scored a number of Australian films (The Hard Word, Thunderstruck etc), has his own feature script in development with a major producer and a long career of groundbreaking electronic music under his belt (including the controversial Snog album “Third Mall from the Sun” which is banned in Australia). The timid should beware!

Forum Three
“How you market an underground movie on a world stage”
Forum and discussion on how to get that indy movie of yours out there into the real world w/ Jim VanBebber speaking forth on his experience with The Manson Family and Deadbeat at Dawn as the case studies, other speakers include Andrew Leovold, Mark Savage, Shannon Young… all hosted by English film critic and theorist Jack Sargeant. Essential resource for local indy filmmakers.

Forum Four
Simon Strong on Ed Wood.
Ed Wood has been the joke of many film industry discussions over the years, but as Tim Burton’s film reveals Ed was a passionate and zealous filmmaker whose work, while hampered by his budgets, reveals rather a subversive genius than the aforementioned gag line of ‘worst director in the world’. Film critic and theorist Simon Strong will tackle the subject of Ed Wood to coincide with our retro at Glitch Bar. Will include some music, open discussion and possibly even a live band?! Cost zero bucks folks, just turn up and be part of the fun and frivolity discussing and celebrating Ed Wood, a great passionate filmmaker who would have loved MUFF.