The Blue Caftan screens at Perth Festival from March 20th to 26th, before having a theatrical release in cinemas.

Maryam Touzani’s sublime and sweet drama, The Blue Caftan, is a film that will stick with me for a long time. Filmed in Morocco, a region of the world where gay relationships come with a criminal sentence, this tells the story of Halim (Saleh Bakri), a maalem, or a master tailor, who works with the support of his wife Mina (Lubna Azabal) to craft stunning, intricate and personal garments.

In this interview, Maryam talks about how the titular garment, the Blue Caftan, was created, how she presented the sense of touch on screen, and about the power of giving her actors the space to explore emotional intimacy.

Throughout the film, we see Halim work on crafting the titular ‘blue caftan’ for an extremely demanding client who cannot understand why he’s taking so long. After all, the machine made garments can be constructed in half the time and, to their eyes, look just as good.

Halim and Mina have a tender, caring relationship with one another, and it’s a testament to simply how great Maryam Touzani’s direction is that she’s able to give these two actors the space to create a loving, genuine relationship on screen. Equally important is the understanding that the two have in their relationship, with Halim seeking the comfort of men outside of his relationship with Mina.

Knowing that the art of being a maalem is dying out, Halim brings on an apprentice, Youssef (Ayoub Missioui) to learn the trade. On paper, The Blue Caftan suggests that it’s going to lean into some very high drama stakes, but Maryam cares so tenderly for her characters that she allows them each to find a moment of joy in the time of darkness.

The Blue Caftan was shortlisted for the Academy Awards, and continues the great work that Maryam is creating after her previous stellar feature film, Adam, which also showed marginalised groups finding comfort with one another on screen.

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On this episode, Andrew chats with Anna Kaplan of Regen Studios ahead of the upcoming Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in Melbourne. The conference runs from the 5th of March til March 8 with sessions in person and online. Anna is part of a panel on Wednesday March 8 called "Riding the Green Wave" which takes a look at the environmental footprint of filmmaking, how positive environmental action stories are being told on screen, and further. One of the key initiatives that Anna has been involved in is the Sustainable Screens Australia project, which is an industry-led initiative that addresses the growing need to reduce the screen industry's environmental footprint.

Anna is also head of production and impact at Regen Studios, the impressive group that has helped bring transformative and powerful documentaries like That Sugar Film, 2040, and the most recent film, Regenerating Australia, to screens.

In this interview, Anna talks about working with Damon Gameau to bring those stories to life, how the Sustainable Screens Australia project came about, and what to expect from the Riding the Green Wave seminar at AIDC. Anna also mentions Albert, an organisation establish in the UK to address climate change and film and TV industries.

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Kaya, welcome to The Curb podcast. My name is Andrew Peirce and this podcast is recorded in Boorloo, Perth, Wadjuk Nation, and I pay respect to the elders past present and emerging.

On this episode, Andrew talks with director Clayton Orgles, whose latest film Dissociation, a retelling of the HP Lovecraft story The Picture in the House, is screening at the Long Shorts, Short Longs session at the WA Made Film Festival. This impressive short horror film utilises the countryside of Western Australia to unsettling effect, with central performances from Angela Leta Kaye and James Hagan conjuring particularly unnerving characters.

in this interview, Clayton talks about how his work on music videos has informed his filmmaking work, the role horror plays in his work, as well as how he created the imagery of the film. 

The Long Shorts, Short Longs session is now sold out, but there is a waitlist available, so head over to the WA Made Film Festival facebook page for further details.

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On this episode, filmmaker Molly Haddon talks about her brilliant indie family drama The Longest Weekend, which tells the story of three siblings Lou (Mia Artemis), Avery (Elly Hiraani Clapin), and Rio (Adam Golledge), who are each going through a personal crisis and congregate at their mother's (Tammy MacIntosh) home to support one another and work their way through familial tensions.

The Longest Weekend is a wonderful performed triple hander, with rich dialogue and narrative that comes from a script written by Jorrden Daley. On paper, this sounds like it might be a rather leaden experience, but there is frequent levity throughout the narrative, and the true to life bonds between each of the characters helps make the story of a family being gradually pulled back together after being stretched apart by the machinations of life feel genuine and grounded.

In the following interview, Molly talks about the production process of the film, how she worked with each of the characters, as well as talking about the support from Queer Screen Film Festival. The Longest Weekend has toured around Australia, and will be screened at the Queer Screen Film Festival on Thursday February 23, with Molly and Jorrden, and actor Tammy MacIntosh in attendance for a Q&A.

Tickets for Queer Screen are available here.

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Andrew heads down the rabbit hole with the travelling exhibition at Boola Bardip WA Museum in Perth, ACMI's Alice in Wonderland exhibition. Featuring a mammoth array of archival materials from since Lewis Carroll's iconic and formative book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was first released in 1865, this exhibition takes you on a magical journey with early silent era films, to Jan Svankmajer's haunting and eerie stop motion feature, to Disney's animated version, all the way to the recent Tim Burton entries. Along the way, there is a wealth of knowledge about the various different versions of the story, whether it be through drug awareness campaigns, anime, or even x-rated musical comedies: you name it, it's here in some capacity.

Yet, don't let the mention of X-rated musical comedies make you feel that this is solely an adult experience, as kids of all ages can find something to enjoy here, with a mystical maze like hallway experience with small doors, a spectacular Mad Hatter tea party experience where a bare table comes to life in front of you, and so much more.

Once you've experienced the exhibition, you can also take part in the Story Time, which is for families with young kids, and features a half-hour story telling session on Friday and Sunday mornings. Additionally, on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays while the exhibition is on, you can participate in an elaborate Mad Hatter's Tea Party with high tea sessions running at 1030am and 2pm until the exhibition wraps up on the 23rd of April.

To help give a bit of insight into the exhibition, I chatted with the director of exhibitions and touring, Chris Harris, about his favourite part of the exhibtion, how the exhibition has been pulled together, and the logistics of bringing Jan Svankmajer's puppetry to Australia and around the globe. Chris starts the conversation talking about the journey of the exhibition, which launched in 2018 in Melbourne, and has visited Singapore prior to landing in Perth.

For more details, visit museum.wa.gov.au or jump to the link in the shownotes.

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In this episode Andrew chats with writer, director, actor Greg Sestero about his latest film, Miracle Valley, which is screening around Australia from today - February 15 - with Q&A screenings taking place around the country. Naturally, when Greg is in town, screenings of The Room take place too, and Greg will be on hand to chat with audiences about his work on those two films.

But Greg's more than just a guy who's received fame from The Room. He's also starred in films like The Christmas Tapes, which Perth local Rob Livings co-directed.

Greg talks about Miracle Valley, twenty years of The Room and what the title 'the worst film of all time' means to him. This interview was recorded in Northbridge so there is some atmospheric sound, and you'll have to excuse the mic dropping midway through, the wind knocked it over. The interview starts with Andrew, naturally, talking about Mac and Me, another 'worst film of all time'.

If you're in Perth, head along to catch Miracle Valley and The Room at Luna Leederville on February 15 and 16..

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We Are Still Here is a First Nations anthology film featuring the directing and writing work from Chantelle Burgoyne, Dena Curtis, Richard Curtis, Mario Gaoa, Danielle MacLean, Miki Magasiva, Renae Maihi, Tracey Rigney, Tim Worrall, Samuel Paynter, Tiraroa Reweti, and supervising director Beck Cole. It is a film that spans from the past, to the present, and into the future, and is a response to 250 years of colonisation after the arrival of Captain Cook to Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific island nations.

In this interview, Andrew talked with Dena Curtis about her entry in the anthology, Woke, featuring co-lead performances from Sean Mununggurr and Robert Taylor. It's a powerful short that pulls back in time and presents colonial Central Australia and the fractious relationship between Taylor's coloniser who is lost, and Mununggurr's Kngwarraye who guides him back home to a truth he doesn't want to hear. Dena also talks about her career, and what has changed in the twenty years since she started working on film and now, as well as about the upcoming Australian International Documentary Conference, and what to expect from the panel she is part of: First and Foremost: First Nations Knowledge Through Documentary.

We Are Still Here launches in Australian cinemas on February 16, with Q&A sessions around the nation. Visit the We Are Still Here Facebook page for further details.

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Allegra Teo launched an impressive career in 2022 with two films: The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay and the AACTA award nominated and WA Screen Culture Award winning Pieces. With sell-out screenings and national support, Pieces is heading to the upcoming WA Made Film Festival on February 18 2023. Tickets are moving out the door, so pick up yours before they sell out.

In this interview, Allegra talks about the difference of working on both productions, what her dream roles are and the actors who have inspired her, and what working alongside Martin Wilson to tell a story of mental illness was like.

Check out other episodes at www.TheCurb.com.au 

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Still Standing is an Aussie made doco about the golden era of arcade and pinball machines. It's a nostalgic trip down memory lane, where director Brad Gilbertson heads into the legendary arcades around the nation and chats with the people who helped form many childhood memories. Brad is based in Adelaide, and as such frequented local arcades like Downtown and Magic Mountain, and chatted with the godfather of amusement venues, Frank Sebastyan, for the documentary, alongside many other folks.

Independently produced and made by BGVC Films, Still Standing is releasing around the globe on February 22. In this interview, Andrew chats with Brad about how he made the film, what his favourite arcade game was, and some of the uniquely Australian stories about Australian arcades that he discovered during filming.

To find out more, heading over to the Still Standing Facebook page and check out the trailer below.

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Perth based filmmaker Hassib Kushkaki's feature film Rampage Electra will have its world premiere at the upcoming WA Made Film Festival, which screens at Palace Cinemas Raine Square, Perth, between February 17 to 26. This is a Perth shot action film that features Mikayla Levy as Hannah Electra, a young girl who has a shadowy past that is revealed to her by her father, throwing her into a harsh world of gangsters and guns. Featuring a huge cast and shot in iconic Perth locations like Fremantle Prison and Lancelin, Rampage Electra shows creative ingenuity on a micro-budget.

Hassib caught up with me to talk about the film ahead of its world premiere on February 24 at the WA Made Film Festival. Hassib is also taking part in the free Indie Filmmaker Panel on February 19 at The Globe, alongside producer Stephanie Davis who produced the web series Love Me Lex, filmmaker Aaron Kamp who recently made Thorns & Thistles at the End of the World, Arnold Carter, who made Sun Moon & Thalia, Sarah Legg who made Cherubhead, and has a new short film Impression, and producer Ruby Schmidt, who helped bring General Hercules to life. All of these films, and many more are at the WA Made Film Festival.

Check out the WA Made Film Festival here, and purchase tickets to Rampage Electra here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivgAC7I-oM

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