Screening 1 - Friday 5 May at 7:30 pm

THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO

Australia, 2005, 26min, Animation, Rating: M
Dir: Anthony Lucas

Brilliant mesmerising vision. It looks like the kind of automated, mechanised world of tomorrow that Jules Verne or HGWells might have conjured up had they had access to computers.           Jim Schembri, The Age

2006 Academy Award (Animated Short) Nomination

PEACHES

Australia, 2005, 110min, Drama, Rating: M
Dir: Craig Monahan, Starring: Hugo Weaving, Jacqueline McKenzie, Emma Lung

Stephanie was born in the immediate aftermath of the accident which killed her parents. Now 18 and working in the local cannery, she is compelled to unlock the past, using her mother's long-concealed diary. Mixing youthful innocence and midlife crisis, political change and family issues, it probes areas that few Australian films dare approach.

Superb script and acting.        Adrian Martin, The Age

MURDERBALL

USA, 2005, 85 min, Documentary, Rating: M
Dir: Henry Alex Rubin & Dona Adam Shapiro

Murderball is the name given to quad (for quadriplegic) football, a sport invented in Canada. Using specially constructed wheelchairs, the contestants hurl themselves around the arena as if taking part in a dodgem-car demolition derby.

There are some good stories among the participants and hangers-on of the sport. This crisply made, superbly photographed film tells a satisfyingly absorbing story about interesting people�Ehey aren't looking for sympathy ; they're as tough as can be, and the sport they play is tough too�EA powerful depiction of their world.

David Stratton, The Australian  

Screening 2 - Saturday 6 May at 9.15am

GRIZZLY MAN

Germany/USA, 2005, 104 min, Documentary, Rating: M
Dir: Werner Herzog

Timothy Treadwell, having presumed he could live safely among the grizzly bears of the Alaskan wilderness, was eventually killed and devoured by one of the animals. In telling his story, Herzog relies on Treadwell's own video footage, taking the story into unexpected emotional frontiers and startling landscapes of the mind.

An amazing documentary in which the work of an eccentric nature lover and an eccentric filmmaker combine with maximum impact.

David Stratton, At the Movies

Screening 3 - Saturday 6 May at 11.15am

YESTERDAY

Sth Africa, 2005, 97 min, Drama<, Rating: M
Dir: Darrell James Roodt

The first film released internationally in the Zulu language, this is a study of quiet courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Yesterday is a young mother who lives in an isolated Sth African village. The film revolves around the difficulty of her circumstances, celebrating her heroism in the face of insurmountable odds. The precarious balance is made more fragile by an AIDS diagnosis and her motivating force becomes her love for her daughter, Beauty, who is a year away from starting school.

Tom Ryan, Sunday Age

Screening 4 - Saturday 6 May at 4.15pm

BOMBON EL PERRO

Argentina, 2005, 97 min, Com/Drama, Rating: M
Dir: Carlos Sorin

This is a film about fate, friendship and a magnificent white mastiff dog named Bombon. Life has been tough for amiable 52 year old Juan Villegas. Newly unemployed, he receives the gift of a pedigree dog. Bombon is good-natured and willing and, when he wins a prize in the local dog show, his master's life begins to change for the better.

Bombon takes us through the spectacular sun-baked, windswept Patagonian plains and features wonderful natural performances by a largely non-professional cast. Optimistic, warm and poignant.

Hopscotch Films Brochure

Screening 5 - Saturday 6 May at 8.00pm

SALAAM NAMASTE

India/Australia, 2005, 158 min, Com/Drama/Musical, Rating: M
Dir: Siddharth Anand

Away from their traditional families in India and living their dream life in Melbourne, Nick and Ambar eventually fall in love and move in together. (A daring step in a Bollywood film.) Chaos ensues, but, never fear - we know all will end well.

For locals who enjoy seeing their city on film this is an unmissable event : three hours of synchronised dance numbers, farce, melodrama and general Bollywood craziness against all our most photogenic tourist landmarks from the Fitzroy Gardens to Federation Square and the Great Ocean Road. It demonstrates how far you can go by ignoring all considerations of good taste.

Jake Wilson, Urban Cinefile.