PENELOPE @ THE RITZ
On Saturday 6th of March at 5pm, ‘Penelope’, the feature film by our CEO Ben Ferris will screen at the iconic Randwick Ritz Cinema, followed by a special Q&A afterwards with director Ferris, DOP James Barahanos, lead actress Natalie Finderle, editor Karen Johnson, visual effects supervisor David Sander and music composer Me-Lee Hay.
Filmed in Croatia in November 2007 and May 2008, ‘Penelope’ is a fresh examination of the character from Homer's epic 'The Odyssey'. Filmed entirely in the Croatian language, with both Australian and Croatian crew and cast, ‘Penelope’ is the first Croatian-Australian production.
Independently funded, the 80 minutes long lyrical film is a series of long takes with the main role played by new Australian actress Natalie Finderle.
Recalling the twenty long years the wife of the Greek king Odysseus endured during her husband's epic Trojan War journey, the film uses very little dialogue emphasizing Penelope’s inner psychosis and emotional loneliness.
Waiting for her husband Odysseus to return from war Penelope wanders alone through the halls of her castle, each room a different memory. Visions of past, present and future become indistinguishable from each other dislocating her from the outside world: the companionship of her maidservants and the feasting mythical suitors who have gathered in her halls.
“I have attempted to combine the past, present and future in a state of constant temporal tension, each woven together within the different spaces of Penelope’s house, the seat of her psychosis. Penelope is both an archetype and a human being. I believe that by alternating between these two expressions we create the greatest tension in her character,” says director Ferris.
A Classics scholar, Ben Ferris adapted the story by studying the original Ancient Greek Homeric language. Influenced both by Homer and James Joyce, the art feature film ‘Penelope’ is an experimental study on time and space with the performances stylised through movement, and with very little dialogue.
“My personal opinion is that filmmaking is an exploration of tension”, says Ben Ferris. “Long episodes with silent suspense that grows until the moments of dramatic action, which is followed by quiet moments once again. This tension sets forward a series of often unusual structural choices that I have made to replace a standard, narrative reflection.”
The original score was composed by celebrated Max Richter (“Waltz with Bashir”) and Australian composer Me-Lee Hay and is a prominent feature of the film that drives the emotional core. Most of the music was written before the filming started, and the scenes were choreographed to the music played back on the set.
Visually stunning, with Australian James Barahanos in the role of DOP, ‘Penelope’ is the last surviving work by the legendary Australian production designer Jennie Tate whose designs are heavily influenced by Japanese fashion. Editor Karen Johnson is well known for her work on ‘Beneath Clouds’, and Sound Designer Sam Petty for his work, most recently on ‘Animal Kingdom’.
‘Penelope’ is a co-production between Artemis Projects in Australia and Focus Media in Croatia. Both companies are committed to producing provocative, alternative and ground-breaking independent art films and are set to support projects that explore all manner of unique artistic expression.
In September last year the film premiered at the 2009 Sydney Underground Film Festival where it was described in the following words: “If Bill Viola and Peter Greenaway had an illegitimate love child, it would be Penelope. Stylistic and contemplative - the lavish settings and rich cinematography provide a transcendent situation for the spectator to live this artwork.”
Before that in July, ‘Penelope’ screened in the National Program at the 56th Pula Film Festival in Croatia.
Screening at the Australian Film Festival (Randwick Ritz Cinema) takes place on Saturday, March 6 at 5pm.
For more info about the film visit www.penelopa.com.au
To purchase ticket ($13) click on http://ritzcinema.com.au/
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