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Greek Film Festival

Palace Cinemas

Leichhardt

October 10-22, 2017

The 2017 Sydney incarnation of the Greek Film Fest was launched with the premiere screening of Roza Of Smyrna, based on the novel Ismael and Roza by Giannis Giannellis and featuring two original songs by Haris Alexiou, it was nominated for the Orpheus Award for Best Feature Film at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival 2017.

A highlight of the varied program is the Greek-Australian philosopher and filmmaker Mary Zournazi’s first documentary Dogs of Democracy, illuminating a city in a state of uproar and crisis, financially and otherwise with dogs eliciting compassion and what makes the people of the City lovable. 

Director Mary Zournazi attended screenings in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra to participate in Q&A sessions following the screenings. 

Part of the Greek Film Festival is the Greek Australian Short Film Festival (GASFF) with two amazing short film programs.

With genres including poetry/spoken word, documentary, experimental and drama, the Greek Australian Short Film Festival will take you places.

This year's short films explore relationships within families, relationships within self and relationships within community. You will be introduced to poets and hip-hop artists and taken to unique and urban places in Greece and Australia, past and present.

Through an ode to dance, you will be immersed in Madrid.

Through fashion, you will pay homage to the brilliance of a gymnast. An astronaut will take us all to the stars...and hopefully back.

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Photos by KAVV

Queens of the Stone Age and Royal Blood

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Morrison, Colorado

10.10.2017

It wasn't looking good. In typical Colorado fashion, following a summer-like 76° Sunday, mother nature pulled the ol' switcheroo and unleashed the first snowfall of winter, 2017 on Monday. This is all well and good, but when you're A band about to play Red Rocks, it can be a pain in the ass. Ask The XX, who had to be relocated Monday night to the much less grandiose 1st Bank Center.

But it turns out even Mother Nature is no match for the likes of Josh Homme, Michael Shuman, Jon Theodore, Troy Van Leeuwen and Dean Fertita on Tuesday night. Because as soon as the Queens bus crossed over the state line, the temperature rose 30°, and there wasn't enough snow left at Red Rocks to make a snowball. Hyperbole aside, Queens of the Stone Age gave Colorado one of the best shows of the year.

Kicking off the festivities were English two-piece Royal Blood, hot on the heels of their latest release How Did We Get So Dark. Now, this grizzled writer has seen his fair share of rock duos in his seemingly endless time on this earth, but never has he seen a two-piece sound bigger than most five-pieces before. Bassist/vocalist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher were clearly enjoying themslves and their sheer jubilance at playing an inaugural set at Red Rocks was in stark contrast to other rock duos "too cool" to show such emotion. I'm looking at you, Black Keys.

By the time QOTSA hit the stage at 8:50 on the dot, the audience was primed and ready. Starting out with Villains album opener Feel Don't Fail Me. When they followed it up with First it Giveth and Avon, it became pretty clear this was going to be an career-encompassing set - with a focus, naturally, on the group's latest, Villains. The strength of the new material is evident when it receives just as much fanfare from the crowd as an older deep cut like Leg of Lamb.

What also becomes evident from the start is just how strong of a rhythm section they have in Shuman and Theodore, laying a rock-solid foundation strong enough - and one could almost say flawless enough, that it affords Homme, Van Leeuwen and Fertita the freedom to really do whatever the fuck they want. The stage was sparse, save for some lighting stands arranged around the stage that served mostly as target practice for Shuman. 

Queens ran a tight-as-a-snare set lasting 100 minutes plus two encores of Head Like a Haunted House - a highlight amongst many highlights and Song for the Dead, a literal show-stopper. Homme came to play, not talk, but that didnt keep him from conversing and giving some sage advice to a young woman in the front row expecting her first child. Homme loves what he does and wears his gratitude on his western shirt sleeve. To him, every note is a blessing, which put both him and the Red Rocks crowd in total agreement.

Pinot Palooza - A Touring Pinot Noir Festival

Sydney

Carriageworks

October 8, 2017

Looking for a near perfectly orchestrated and curated, traveling and rocking Pinot Noir experience without pretentious bullshit and a focus on taste?

Look no further.

The minds behind Revel / Bottle Shop Concepts plotted to "get you hip deep in the finest Pinot Noirs produced in the Southern hemisphere, crowd surf the mosh pit of the most enticing, enthralling, sexy, silky, suave and sophisticated grape variety on the planet."

Revel is an organization whose organisation whose purpose is to change the way people around the globe engage and connect with wine and food.

The credo the informs Revel’s activities it that it should be fun first, facts second, engaging and inspiring and never the tired old take on wine education and tastings, with a focus on creating experiences that people learn from.

Event juggernaut Pinot Palooza already operates in nine cities and brings world class Pinot Noir to more than 25k people in 2017 and in November this year, Singapore will be added to the event roster.

Some Pinots that tickled our palate in just the right places were grown in Western Australia, which is remarkable, as it is known to be a grape that does not tend to do so well in the heat.

Below & Above Wines are a contract grape grower; they produce small batches of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir under their own label. These wines are produced from low yield vines. Together with their viticulture practices and winemaking, they aim to produce the best expression of their unique vineyard.

The cool climate, high rainfall, high elevation and Karri Loam soils informs the character of the Pinot of their region.

As a guide the event and the wineries present at the Sydney incarnation were colour coded according to the wine regions and the colour determined whether the Pinot was either light, medium or fuller flavoured - a reference for the style of Pinot the region tends to produce. 

The camouflage of the floor plan guided you from Light Red (generally more ethereal, lighter in colour, high-toned, perfumed. Sexy and seductive) via Dark Red (perhaps a little stand-offish at the start but once you get to know them, they’re full of character. Certainly some flesh on the bones) to Purple (more fully charged and fuller flavoured styles).

The Wine Selectors Pinot Sessions offered ample opportunity to get close with the Wine Selectors team as they shared tales of Pinot from across the vinous lands. Sessions included a Victoria versus Tasmania stand-off with two regions that showcase the rapidly climbing quality of Australian Pinot via

• Josef Chromy Pinot Noir 2015
• Devil’s Corner Resolution Pinot Noir 2016
• Giant Steps Pinot Noir 2016
• Yabby Lake Red Claw Pinot Noir 2016

A session on how Pinot travels across Australia and the influences it picks up from the people and personalities behind the respective leading wine regions.

• Howard Park Flint Rock Pinot Noir 2016
• Clyde Park Estate Pinot Noir 2016
• Yarra Yering Pinot Noir 2016

Offering a taste for the new and emerging regions rapidly climbing the charts with the

• Swinging Bridge M.A.W Pinot Noir 2016
• Patrick Estate Pinot Noir 2015
• Shadowfax Macedon Ranges Pinot Noir 2016

Giving Pinot’s sexy sister act of Rosé and Fizz a forum with the

• Hungerford Hill Blanc de Noir 2015
• Tarrawarra Pinot Noir Rose 2017
• Willow Creek Vineyard Rare Hare Rosé 2016

Summa summarum a wine fest that lives up to its alliterative name:

Not unlike a music festival, there were many different stages, styles and artists to check out and explore throughout the day with 250+ artists, i.e. wines, to sample.

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Photos by KAVV

Underbelly Arts Festival
National Art School
Darlinghurst
October 7-8, 2017

Proceedings of the Underbelly Arts Festivals were opened with a shindig serenaded with sad Goth party jams, visceral electronic beats and roaming performances by Bhenji Ra and Angela Goh to celebrate the opening night of Underbelly Arts Festival, featuring Melbourne’s HABITS, Gussy and Jikuroux.

A peek behind-the-scenes of experimental art making is offered as the curtain was lifted on the creative process via two-week program of behind-the-scenes Lab tours and evening events - from experimental poetry readings to talks that span apple genetics and decolonising the dance floor, group chats about envisioning the future and a presentation on the art of listening to the tides.

Artists from all 21 projects will be onsite at National Art School, developing, installing and rehearsing their ambitious projects.

After taking a Lab Tour, one is invited to delve into the Late at the Lab program of evening events: talks, workshops, lectures, film screenings, readings and performances run in collaboration with Runway Experimental Art, the NOW now, Subbed In, 2 Up among others. 

Roslyn Helper, former Underbelly Arts participant and new festival director, has hit the ground running, offering emerging artist a forum and proper space to develop and present their emissions.

A festival that is vitally important for the future of Australian arts and one that deserves that be marked in your calendar.

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Photos by KAVV -- See a full gallery below.

OZ Comic Con

ICC

Sydney

September 30 – October 1, 2017

The Sydney incarnation of the OZ Comic-Con is  a lot to take in.

It might be a cliché, but the plethora of costumes on display throughout Comic-Con easily make the entry to the convention worth it.

Fan-favorite characters from major franchises were well represented, ranging from Star Wars and Star Trek via Deadpool to Wonder Woman, with plenty of costumes paying homage to properties that are not quite as big as well: Cosplayers were seen dressed as characters from Avatar, Stargate SG-1, Fa rscape, The Fifth Element, and quite a few more — and that’s all before you even get to the variety of characters pulled directly from comic books. 

More impressive than just the variety of costumes was the variety of craft on display. Exquisitely detailed costumes that had clearly taken months to assemble were being worn right alongside costumes picked up from a local store or thrown together with garments from the cosplayer’s own wardrobe.

The convention was a showcase of talent, creativity, and passion, providing sights to behold. 

On the floor, OZ Comic-Con harboured a comic’s district, an anime station in English and Japanese with a full’s schedule of anime screenings and a manga library to chill out in, a gaming zone including virtual reality and old school devices, a family room full of activities, a life sized “cockpit of resistance”, i.e. X Wing Starfighter from Star Wars, which one was introduced to by BB-8 along with a dedicated booth next to the one of Marvel, which was manned by “life’s-sized” characters from Thor Ragnarok,  and a Cosplay area with the National Finals taking place.

TV & Film guests among others included cast from Dr. Who (Catrin Steward, Jenna Coleman), Grimm (Bitsie Tulloch, David Giuntoli), The Vampire Diaries (Matt Davis, Michael Malarkey) and the audience’s favourite Jason Momoa from Games of Throne.

A colourful, well organized, immersive and welcoming event in the plush new International Convention Centre.

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Photos by KAVV -- Check out the slideshow below!