With the big International Film Festivals winding up in major cities all over Australia, film buffs are no doubt scratching their collective heads and wondering how they’re going to fill the long lonely nights that lie ahead. Well you can all exhale, there’s enough cinematic titillation in store over the next few months to satisfy all the Margret and David wannabes out there.

ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL:

Kicking off in Melbourne on the 21st August and Sydney on 28th,  is the AICE Israeli Film Festival, promising a taste of contemporary Israeli culture in all its richness and complexity. The 2007 program features a collection of 12 documentary and feature films, covering everything from love stories to drama and action to survival.

For more details, or to book tickets, visit the Palace Cinemas website.

RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL:

Meanwhile the 2007 Russian Film Festival will be screening in theatre complexes all over Oz throughout August and September.

This year’s program features ten carefully chosen Russian films, including the keenly anticipated Day Watch, sequel to the 2004 vampire fantasy Night Watch, and the internationally critically acclaimed and multi-award winning drama The Island. 

The festival will also feature a selection of Russian cinematic treasures, with the inclusion of the Literature Retrospective featuring three classic adaptations of arguably the best-loved, but often unfinished, Russian novels. If you’re in the mood for a Tolstoy marathon, or would just prefer sitting in a dark room than seeing the light of day, the film version of War and Peace which runs for approximately 8 hours is the ticket. Crime and Punishment and Brothers Karamazov will also be screened.

MELBOURNE: 30 Aug - 5 Sept
SYDNEY: 6 - 12 Sept
BRISBANE: 13 - 17 Sept
ADELAIDE: 31 Aug - 2 Sept
PERTH: 13 - 18 Sept
CANBERRA: 7 - 8 Sept

For more details visit the Russian Film Festival Website