MEDIA RELEASE
8 August 2007
A NEW ACCENT ON UNDERGROUND!
Independent film distributor, Accent Film Entertainment, is proud to announce the launch of their bold new label, Accent Underground, in conjunction with Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF). The label will draw upon the talent showcased within MUFF as well as transgressive films from local and international filmmakers in defiance of the current commercialisation of independent cinema.
Accent Underground will release truly independent films by talented filmmakers whose ingenuity and creativity far exceeds the budgets at their disposal. Many such features are made without conventional funding and imposed restrictions. As a result, they tend to be more dynamic and daring genre-driven films exhibiting raw production vitality which their conventional counterparts avoid.
The main focus of Accent Underground will be to discover, nurture and showcase independent Australian filmmakers to ensure they receive a theatrical and/or a DVD release and to help them exploit newly evolving digital media opportunities both in Australia and overseas in an increasingly competitive and crowded marketplace.
With a plethora of recently acquired titles due for release in coming months under the new label, Accent Underground will be launched at MUFF in late September 2007 with the following three titles slated for release on DVD in early November 2007:
Demons Among Us
Local filmmaker, Stuart Simpson’s stunning debut is a creepy gore-fest set in rural Victoria that is best described as “EVIL DEAD…as if directed by David Lynch!” This brilliant debut re-affirms the wealth of talented horror filmmakers in our midst and is a worthy successor to SAW and WOLF CREEK.
Punishment Park
Although made in 1971, renowned underground filmmaker, Peter Watkins’ classic, Punishment Park is especially relevant today, in light of the US (and Australian!) government’s attempts to curb civil liberties and basic human rights all in the name of “homeland security” and “protection against terrorism.” Punishment Park is eerily prescient of the recent events at Guantanamo Bay and delivers a knockout punch, even though nearly forty years have passed since its controversial debut.
The Actress
A terrific, locally made feature by Perth filmmaker, Zak Hilditch, The Actress is an astute, observational piece that deals with the typical grievances and tensions that arise when sex-starved 20-somethings find themselves sharing a house. A cleverly timed black comedy with definite cult potential, The Actress is a brilliant debut for Zak Hilditch.
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MEDIA RELEASE
22 August 2005
9 SONGS SILENCED IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA!
Following its successful theatrical release on May 12, Michael Winterbottom’s intimate love story 9 SONGS faces further
controversy with news that The South Australian Classification Council has declared that it be classified X -18+, thereby
effectively banning the film in South Australia.
This decision means that 9 SONGS can no longer be sold or shown in South Australia, as it is illegal to show or sell
films rated X18+ in that state. Under s38 of the SA classification act 1995, the penalty for selling an X18+ film is a
$10,000 fine. Selling includes 'hiring' or 'offering' for sale.
The ruling was made on August 11, 2005 following two complaints to the council - one from an individual, and the other
from the Festival of Light. Both complaints focused on the sexuality shown in the film.
"This decision is nothing short of ludicrous," stated Accent's Marketing and Acquisitions Manger, Dean O'Flaherty.
"We have a situation where a state power is acting solely in the interest of the two parties that made the complaint,
thereby totally disregarding the freedom and opinion of the majority of South Australia’s population.
Such a verdict is an affront to freedom of artistic expression, and potentially a huge step backwards for every Australian,
particularly as it recalls the 1980’s when many films faced a ban in Queensland."
The South Australian ban on 9 SONGS follows its DVD release on August 3.
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