Welcome to the first official edition for 2008. In the lead up to the festival our newsletter will keep you all informed of festival news and updates, providing interesting interviews, info on side events, film and film-related event reviews and articles, underground filmmaker profiles, as well as call outs for volunteers  and other tasty treats such as ticket giveaways. In this issue Siouxzi Connor interviews Ivan Kavanagh, director of Tin Can Man, which premiered in Australia at the festival last year. Also interviewed will be Mark Wotherspoon, the artist behind the innovative SUFF trophies. Reviews, articles and more will be more than enough to last the length of your latte and if anything peaks your interest please feel free to drop us a line.

We would like to welcome you all back for 2008 with a festival that is shaping up to be a dazzling display of talent and imagination. We would love to thank our fellow team members: Liz Berger, Michelle Berger, Samantha Findley, Elmo-Dean Kumalic, Pamelah Otto, Anita Huyhn, and to our street team Marie and Zsolt and to all our other volunteers and helpers ö thank you! I would also like to say a big thank you to Mardi Connor for the review and to Dani Spurr for the computer loan! Thanks again to our returning partners from last year: Sydney College of the Arts ö Sydney Uni, Sydney Film School, College of Fine Arts ö Uni of NSW, 2SER Radio, Crumpler (Custom Bag Store  Newtown), Rydges Hotel Camperdown, Inspire Foods, Decolata CafŽ, Manciniâs Pizzeria,  Century Venues, EDB Design, and Mark Wotherspoon & 9 Edith St  Studio St Peters. Welcome to our new partners @www, UTS (Media Arts & Production Department), TAFE Northern Sydney Institute (Film & TV Department), Oxford Art Factory, Billy & Rose Fine Foods, Ruby Slipper, Austic Printing, Titan Beer, Avato Digital, and Marrickville Council. If you want to help keep the SUFF dream alive please contact us about becoming a partner or become an Îunderground friendâ with a membership that gets you really good stuff!! Keep your eyes and ears out for all the Sydney Underground Film Festival happenings and see you at the festival!

Keep in touch via email: kath@suff.com.au

Love from the Sydney Underground Film Festival team.r.

Sydney Underground Film Festival is looking for dedicated people to become volunteers for the 2008 Festival. If you are interested in joining our team and helping the festival in any capacity please head to the website and fill out the online form. As the Sydney Underground Film Festival is only in its second year we heavily rely on the support & collaboration of individuals to help run this event. This is a great opportunity to become involved in a creative environment and the experience will be highly rewarding. A written reference and a t-shirt in appreciation for volunteering with this event will be provided. We will hold a volunteer information evening for you to get to know the team and your duties at the festival. Please note that applicants must be over 18 years old as the festival is held at a licensed premise. Click here to volunteer

Thursday 7th August 2008

The Warholian-esque Oxford Art Factory on Oxford St, Sydney has been announced as the official launch venue of the 2008 festival. This invite only event will be the launch for the 2008 program and a great place to mingle with clips from the upcoming films, music, visuals, live performance, free Titan Beer on arrival thanks to Titan Beer and yummy nibblies by Billy & Rose and Inspire Foods. Keep your ears and eyes peeled for more details coming soon!

Founded on cultivating and encouraging experimental film the Sydney Underground Film Festival has asked some of last years entrants to lend us their creative outlook. The filmmakers have put together trailers which showcase their particular style in the name of SUFF. Trailers will be screened at the festival but you needn't wait until then to see what they have put together as they will be featured on the website regularly. Keep an eye out for trailers by Soda_Jerk, William Mansfield, Dark Foretek, Yolanda De Los Bueis, Dan Schneidkraut, and Antonios Papantoniou. Festival Director Stefan Popescu has also lent his hand to create the first mini trailer which you can watch here. You can also see it here on You Tube as well as last year's trailers. Keep an eye on the website for there are more to come...

Ivan Kavanagh | Writer/ Director | UK

ãThese are exactly the types of films that a festival that promotes itself as 'boundary breaking and subversive' should be showing.ä Ivan Kavanagh on the divided reaction to his film ÎTin Can Manâ at SUFF 2007.

ÎTin Can Manâ has been described as the most violent film youâll ever see. At its screening at SUFF 2007, there were audience walk-outs and complaints made to the festivalâs organisers. Clearly a film that divides its audiences, 'Tin Can Man' won the ÎBoundary-Breaking Best Feature Awardâ and ÎBest Actorâ for the filmâs star Patrick OâDonnell.

The filmâs self-proclaimed quiet and shy writer/ director/ producer/ editor (and sound recordist!), Ivan Kavanagh takes the walk-outs and complaints as compliments. He figures that the only time to be concerned about an audience reaction is if itâs indifferent. ÎTin Can Manâ is Ivanâs third feature - it follows ÎFrancisâ (2005) and ÎTHE SOLUTIONâ (2006) which has played at over 15 festivals worldwide and has been described as Îa gritty masterpieceâ.

In 2007, Ivan originally set out to make a lighter, genre film as a stark contrast to ÎThe Solutionâ which he describes as Îvery dark and serious.â To say thatâs not how things turned out is an understatement. Using the words Îlightâ and Îgenericâ to describe ÎTin Can Manâ is like describing ÎIrreversibleâ as a romantic comedy.

Unexpectedly, Ivan describes the process of making Tin Can Man as a Îjoy from beginning to endâ and is already making plans for a sequel ÎTin Can Man; House On Fire Monster.â I decided to find out more about this Îjoyousâ process, and found that Ivanâs sensibilities are an inspiration to anyone who calls themselves an underground filmmaker.

S: Firstly, congratulations on your awards at last yearâs SUFF. Although somehow it seems that the audience had mixed opinions on Tin Can Man. Strangely enough (for an underground film festival!), several audience members walked out during the screening, and there were around ten complaints that the film was too violent.

To hear that people walked out and complained is a indication that the film made an impression, it stirred an emotion in them. For me, growing up, the films that influenced me most were the ones that divided the audience. They may hate or love the film, but cannot ignore it. These are exactly the type of films that a festival that promotes itself as 'boundary breaking and subversive' should be showing. I think the only time to be worried is when the films get no reaction. Also, Tin Can Man, has no actual on screen violence. It all takes place off-screen. What affects people I think is the unrelenting oppressive atmosphere, which is achieved through the sound design, the lighting/camerawork and the intense performances. There is a sense of dread that I think is way too much for some people. I suppose that it can only be taken as a compliment that people believe they have seen the most violent film ever made, when they actually 'see' nothing.

S: Recently in Australia there was a ridiculous amount of controversy around photographer Bill Henson: very weighty moral assumptions have been made about Henson as a person based on the subject matter of his work. Do you you ever feel that assumptions are made about you based on the darkness and violence evident in your work? Perhaps people take it all a bit too seriously?

People sometimes assume that if an artistâs work is dark, violent or whatever, then the artist is a dark and violent person etc. Which of course is ridiculous. I, for example, am a shy and quiet person. In fact I think I might be a disappointment to people who are expecting someone quite different. When Taxi Driver was originally released some people attacked the filmmakers for being racist. But, as I think Paul Schrader said, there is a big difference between making a film about a racist and making a racist film. Artists sometimes explore and analyze difficult themes and subjects and of course they should always be free to do so.

S: Speaking specifically about Tin Can Man, to me the film is about father/ son relationships and the fear of failure in the eyes of the father.... whatâs your take on this?

I wouldn't want to analyse this too much myself. But Tin Can Man is probably my most personal film. There are so many elements of myself in the character of 'Peter' played by Patrick O'Donnell. This personal aspect is further heightened by the fact that the father in the film is played by my own actual, real life, father Christopher Kavanagh.

S: Aside from the pragmatic struggles of getting Tin Can Man made did you find the process of making Tin Can Man emotionally draining, considering its material?

It's funny and it may not look like it, but making Tin Can Man was the most enjoyable filming experience I have ever had. It was a joy from beginning to end. I came off finishing a very dark and serious film 'The Solution' and wanted to do something a bit lighter, a genre film. It didn't quite work out like that, but I still find Tin Can Man very funny. The crew consisted of Colin Downey (cinematographer) and I (I also recorded the sound). That's it, there was no one else. So it was a very intimate filming experience. Which of course is great for the actors.

S: Can you tell us anything about the process you went through with the actors, particularly Patrick OâDonnell?

I had worked with Patrick O'Donnell previously and knew what he was capable of. He's a great actor. Then, when I met Michael Parle, I knew instantly the film would work. I love working with actors and employ different methods to aid their performances. For example, in Tin Can Man, Patrick didn't see any of the script before the filming began. He knew it was a 'horror' film and that's all. I would give him the information he needed to know just before the scene. So when you see fear in his eyes it's probably real fear. But this only works with an experienced, disciplined and talented actor like Patrick and is aided by the fact that he's acting opposite another very talented and unique actor like Michael Parle.

S: All the performances are extremely powerful and youâve managed to create exceptionally unique characters - Iâd be very curious to hear how you found the inspiration for the man with the bleeding ears...

A couple of years ago I lived next to a man who would play techno dance music excruciatingly loudly, all day. When I complained he moved his speakers right against the wall so that the music was even louder. In fact it seemed as if it was coming out of my walls. So that's where the man with bleeding ears came from.

S: Now that itâs been a year since you made Tin Can Man, how do you feel now to watch it?

I don't usually like watching my own films, but I saw Tin Can Man again recently and I'm quite proud of it. I don't know when I will get the chance, but am really looking forward to returning to that world.

S: Can you tell us anything about the sequel to Tin Can Man or your other feature ÎOur Wonderful Homeâ?

I have an idea for the sequel. It's called 'Tin Can Man; House on Fire Monster'. I think it's a really exciting idea and if I could start filming immediately, I would. It's a road movie and again takes place during the course of one night. It has many of the same characters and a few new ones. But that's all I'll say. It will require a little bit more money this time, but not much more. But I'm hoping it shouldn't be too difficult to raise on the back of the original film. I am also in the final stages of post production of my new film 'Our Wonderful Home' and currently writing two other films to be shot 2008-2009.

So brace yourselves for another relentless, heaving spiral into the darkness that will be 'Tin Can Man; House on Fire Monster'. And never, ever, forget to thank your guests for their lovely cake.

Interviewed by Siouxzi Connor, June 2008

The artist behind the Sydney Underground Film Fetsival trophy.

K: Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you discover your talent for glass art?

I guess I was pushed into my art practice after working in an office for a few years, and realising how very very boring it is. Art is kind of the opposite.

K: Where does your motivation and inspiration come from for your glass practice? What processes do you use for making work?

My motivation is a hard question to answer· I hope that the pieces I make during my life will stay around long after Iâve passed. In that way the works are like a time machine to me ö a way of reaching into the future.

My inspiration mostly comes from the people and characters around me. There is a lot of beauty in people; the hard part is translating that character into a sculptural piece. There are two stages in the process that I really enjoy, the first is carving and sculpting the initial work ö the creative process between hand, eye and sculpture really pushes my buttons. The other stage is finishing the work and standing back from it to take a look. All of the other processes in the middle are a lot like hard work.

K: What are some of your favourite project/s you have worked on and why?

Iâm working on a large scale piece at the moment for Sculpture by the Sea, itâs a 3 meter high glass boy and he is presenting me with some major technical issues. Iâm really into this work though, itâs also made from old television glass and it is conceptually based in TVâs in society (it is all about kids and too much TV). I just hope I can have the piece finished in time.

K: How do you see the relationship between glass and film / TV?

For me the glass in these works is a symbol of its origin. Most of these TVâs have been Îpart of the familyâ ö theyâve been there in the living rooms and bedrooms, feeding immeasurable information (be it right or wrong) to all that care to tune in. All of this information has passed through these screens, this glass. So it holds a special value for me as an artistic medium as a symbol of that information.

K: Why do you choose to smash television screens for your work?

It started as a free source of art quality glass when I was at art school, but then art school is all about analysis, so I was looking into the ideas of television, of creating an alternative object to view, of the history of the TVâs themselves and how they relate to their past, of the (mis)information that is fed into the TV· I think all of these things added up to the fact that televisions are so prolific in everyoneâs day to day lives and that they have a stronger intrinsic value than simple pretty coloured glass.

K: As a result of smashing TVs, I have to ask, what is your studio like?

A mess (but Iâm not sure that I can blame the TVâs for that)

K: Could you tell us a bit more about the SUFF trophies, what we have nicknamed the Îdead oscarsâ? How did you come up with the figure etc.

The trophies were kind of a scaled down version of my graduation work from art school. Someone from SUFF had seen the work, and asked if I would be interested in helping out with the trophies. The rest is history.

K: What have you been working on lately?

A big glass boy.

If anyone would like to donate a TV to the cause, feel free to email me at markspoon@yahoo.com > (I can pick it up if youâre local to St Peters ö otherwise a drop off would be greatly appreciated).

Interviewed by Katherine Berger, June 2008.

by Mardi O'Connor

Like the book of the same name, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is the story of Jean-Dominique (Jean-Do) Bauby, former editor of Parisian fashion magazine Elle, who, following a stroke and subsequent coma, succumbed to the rare and un-curable affliction 'Locked-in Syndrome'. This left him with full mental capacities but physically paralysed, save for the movement of his left eye.

Doomed to a life of constant palliative care in a seaside hospital, Jean-Do, after recovering from a bout of debilitating depression, decided to dictate his auto-biography with the help of an assistant, who interpreted the blinks of his eye. The film is framed by the scope and agility of Jean-Do's imagination (the butterfly), still unhindered despite his imprisonment within the confines of his useless body (the diving bell).

The opening ten minutes of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly actively place the viewer in Jean-Do's seeing eye: his blurred wakening from his coma, urgent inner monologue that cannot be conveyed; the clinical, even callous, attentions of the hospital staff; the hovering presence of his 'angels' and the beautiful women assisting in his rehabilitation.

Significantly it is through Jean-Do's eye we for the first time see the spectre of himself in the mirror. The laborious process of communicating (a word must be assembled letter by letter, when read the alphabet, Jean-Do must blink at each letter) is conveyed in all it's painstaking care. But this later gives way to voiceover ö passages lifted from the original book demonstrate Jean-Do Bauby's sparkling turn of phrase ö set to montage.

Director Julian Schnabel's assured hand elevates a story who is, literally, ensconced in a hospital bed. Yet, like Jean-Do's, his visual imagination soars. This is a film unhindered by the rigours of realism. The creatures of Jean-Do's fancy even populate the corridors of the hospital. Mathieu Amalric plays the charismatic, dynamic Jean-Do in flashbacks of his former life ö a riot of movement, sound sensuality and colour ö and as the stricken patient, his face a rictus that never betrays the agility of his mind.

Even the seemingly prosaic visuals depicting the workings of Jean-Doâs mind ö ice shelves crumble into the sea; the eponymous butterfly hovers over sunlit meadows; John-Do, weighted down in a diving suit, sinking beneath murky water ö are treated sparingly and carefully enough to still seem original. This is in part due to an excellent and varying soundtrack, as lush and textured as the film itself. And despite Diving Bell's visual nuances, there are deeper layers beneath the filmic tricks. It is the scenes that abandon artifice, particularly those depicting Jean-Doâs relationship with his father (Max Von Sydow), that remain the most poignant and affecting.

Reviewed by Mardi O'Connor, June 2008

Please keep checking out the website as more prizes, guests, jury, films, sponsors, sound bytes, photos, and bits of random info are added!

Next issue: SUFF TEAM 2008 PHOTOS (ainât your boring portraits!)

Thanks for reading!