Art, activism and attitude collide in Larissa Behrendt’s exuberantly splashy film about a provocateur who can’t be predicted or pigeonholed
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Every documentarian exploring the life of a visual artist should consider how that artist’s work can inform the aesthetic of their production. If successfully broached, this challenge – as Larissa Behrendt demonstrates in her fabulously festive portrait of Richard Bell – becomes a blessing, infusing the work with the flavour and flair of its subject.
In the case of Bell – a member of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang communities – it’s not just about indulging his art but his activism, both inseparably entwined, intrinsic to his story and cultural imprint. The necessarily pointy and polemical You Can Go Now captures a man who, according to one interviewee, “knows no boundaries”, “is gangster as fuck” and “unashamedly, unapologetically black”.
Continue reading.
Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email
Every documentarian exploring the life of a visual artist should consider how that artist’s work can inform the aesthetic of their production. If successfully broached, this challenge – as Larissa Behrendt demonstrates in her fabulously festive portrait of Richard Bell – becomes a blessing, infusing the work with the flavour and flair of its subject.
In the case of Bell – a member of the Kamilaroi, Kooma, Jiman and Gurang Gurang communities – it’s not just about indulging his art but his activism, both inseparably entwined, intrinsic to his story and cultural imprint. The necessarily pointy and polemical You Can Go Now captures a man who, according to one interviewee, “knows no boundaries”, “is gangster as fuck” and “unashamedly, unapologetically black”.
Continue reading.
- 9/23/2023
- by Luke Buckmaster
- The Guardian - Film News
"He has a passion for art, but a love for protests." Madman Films in Australia has revealed a trailer for a documentary film called You Can Go Now, from filmmaker Larissa Behrendt. Covering fifty years of First Nations activism in Australia through the lens of contemporary artist and provocateur Richard Bell. The film recently premiered at the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival in Australia, with no international release or premiere confirmed yet. The festival adds more context to the story of Bell: "Through this collaboration with Emory Douglas, a Black Panther known as the ‘Revolutionary Artist’ Bell's work links the fight for rights in Australia and the U.S. He has profoundly challenged the Australian art world with his scorching manifesto, Bell's Theorem [more here], that labelled the Aboriginal Art industry as ‘a white thing’ defined by colonial power structures that profit most from it. At a time when Australia is contemplating voice, truth and treaty,...
- 11/20/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Indonesian thriller ‘Autobiography’ and Mexican documentary ‘Sanson And Me’ among line-up.
Australia’s Adelaide Film Festival (Oct 19-30) has unveiled its first line-up since shifting from a biennial to an annual event, including 12 titles in competition.
This year’s event comprises 129 films, of which 22 world premieres, from more than 40 countries.
The competition features include Indonesian thriller Autobiography, which scooped a Fipresci prize at the weekend after playing in the Horizons strand of the Venice Film Festival. The debut feature of film critic-turned-director Makbul Mubarak is about a young man who keeps house for a retired general, finding himself torn between...
Australia’s Adelaide Film Festival (Oct 19-30) has unveiled its first line-up since shifting from a biennial to an annual event, including 12 titles in competition.
This year’s event comprises 129 films, of which 22 world premieres, from more than 40 countries.
The competition features include Indonesian thriller Autobiography, which scooped a Fipresci prize at the weekend after playing in the Horizons strand of the Venice Film Festival. The debut feature of film critic-turned-director Makbul Mubarak is about a young man who keeps house for a retired general, finding himself torn between...
- 9/12/2022
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Producers Richard Bell, N'Kenge, Park Row Equity Partners, Tegan Summer, Sam Williams, Michael Loeb and Derow Enterprises, in association with Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, announce the presentation of The Songs of Dorothy Dandridge The Musical, selections from the upcoming production of Dorothy Dandridge The Musical, with book and lyrics by Trey Ellis and music and lyrics by Shelton L. Becton, directed by Tamara Tunie at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.
- 7/2/2022
- by A.A. Cristi
- BroadwayWorld.com
Screen Australia has unveiled 13 titles that will share in $3.7 million of production funding, with six documentaries to be supported through the Producer Program and seven projects via the Commissioned Program.
They include a feature documentary from Stranger Than Fiction that follows an Indigenous figure skater from Western Sydney, Harley Windsor, on his quest to compete in the Winter Olympics; a series going inside the Sydney Opera House for the ABC; and a feature documentary about a grandmother with dementia who became an internet sensation in Everybody’s Oma.
Screen Australia head of documentary Alex West said the documentaries were a testament to the talented filmmakers creating local stories with great impact.
“These projects will explore contemporary social issues including how First Nations artist Richard Bell’s work uses art to effect change in War & Order, as well as the complexities of teen parenting in Kids Raising Kids,” he said.
“They...
They include a feature documentary from Stranger Than Fiction that follows an Indigenous figure skater from Western Sydney, Harley Windsor, on his quest to compete in the Winter Olympics; a series going inside the Sydney Opera House for the ABC; and a feature documentary about a grandmother with dementia who became an internet sensation in Everybody’s Oma.
Screen Australia head of documentary Alex West said the documentaries were a testament to the talented filmmakers creating local stories with great impact.
“These projects will explore contemporary social issues including how First Nations artist Richard Bell’s work uses art to effect change in War & Order, as well as the complexities of teen parenting in Kids Raising Kids,” he said.
“They...
- 11/2/2021
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Rebecca Gibney has revealed that she hates her tummy. The 46-year-old Australian actress, who is best known for her role as Julie on Packed to the Rafters, said that her husband Richard Bell sometimes has to tell her that it is a very special part of her body as it carried their son Zac. Gibney told New Idea magazine: "In my 40s, I do feel more relaxed about my looks. I don't have the body I used to, but when I despair about my stomach, my husband reminds me that it carried our incredibly beautiful son. "I still look in the mirror and wonder where that extra roll, the cellulite and wrinkles came from. I go for walks, I use my Wii Fit, I do yoga and I've taken up jogging - well, more shuffling!" (more)...
- 6/15/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Rebecca Gibney has revealed that she loves working with Erik Thomson. The 46-year-old Australian actress, who plays Thomson's on-screen wife Julie in Packed To The Rafters, said that she enjoys a close friendship with Thomson but goes home to a "passion pit" with her husband Richard Bell. Gibney told National Features: "Erik and I are the best of friends. He has an acting style that (more)...
- 2/11/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Rebecca Gibney has revealed that she wants her son to have stability. The 46-year-old Australian actress, who is best known for her role as Julie in Packed To The Rafters, recently sold her Tasmanian property with a view to raising 6-year-old Zac with husband Richard Bell in Sydney. Gibney told National Features: "Zac's finished kindergarten and he's about to start school. (more)...
- 2/10/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Rebecca Gibney has revealed that she loves her role on Packed To The Rafters. The 46-year-old Australian actress, who plays Julie Rafter in the family television drama, said that she has made plans for her future career as she knows that the show will not last forever. Gibney told National Features that she has set up a production company with her husband Richard Bell and they already have a joint project with Channel Seven in development. She said: "Seven has made a commitment to drama and to me, personally. We have a writer on board and we're developing a whole new show and, hopefully, we'll get to shoot a pilot some time in the next year. "You can't sit around and wait for the phone to ring. (more)...
- 2/9/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
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