Possible Worlds, the 6th Sydney Canadian Film Festival, wrapped last night with the Sydney premiere of Small Town Murder Songs, capping an intense, successful week of screenings, Q&A's, live music and parties.
20 feature films were shown at the festival, including 14 Australian premieres. Visitors were encouraged to rate the films they saw at the Festival, entering into a draw to win a PlayBook courtesy of BlackBerry. All the votes have been counted and the results are in!
We're thrilled to reveal that with an average score of 3.83 stars (out of 4), the winner of this year's Audience Award for Best Film is LIBERIA '77 by Jeff Topham. Vancouver filmmaker Jeff Topham was was in town to present the Australian premiere of the film.
Jeff & Andrew Topham in Liberia '77
The film follows the brothers Jeff and Andrew as they return to Liberia, the land in which they spent much of their childhood, to rediscover the places and people photographed by their father. Their expectations of the journey rapidly change as they realise their father’s photographs don’t just represent their memory of Liberia, but a stimulus for collective memory. This poignant, thought-provoking documentary illustrates how photography can unite us across time, distance, culture, even war.
You can find out more about the film and the associated crowdsourcing photography project at www.liberia77.com.
Read interviews of Jeff over at SBS Documentary and Trespass Magazine, or listen to his chat with Kate Jinx on FBi Radio's Too Much podcast.
Jeff Topham with PW artistic director Matt Ravier & filmmaker Jay Cheel
(Photo by Jayda Tham)