Have you been wanting to buy a ticket to GOFF for you and your BFFs? Maybe you think a session at GOFF would be a perfect date? Well, we’ve just updated our basic ticket rewards so you can buy multiples with one pledge – making it’s easier than ever to bring your whole girl gang along!
You can now get up to 4 single-session GOFF Magic Tickets or 2 Opening Night Tickets (with or without GOFF T-shirts) on one pledge! Just select the reward, and choose the quantity you want. You can edit your existing pledge to add more tickets if you want, too (though you’ll obviously need to increase your pledge amount to cover the extras). Here’s what it looks like:
And those Magic Tickets, by the way? They’re definitely magical. Not only do you get first dibs on the sessions in the program (which will be announced soon), you’ll also get the GOFF supporter VIP treatment, with exclusive merch, extra high fives and the undying gratitude of the GOFF team! (We might even sneak you extra popcorn if the boss isn’t looking.)
ANNA BARNES is an award winning young adult non fiction writer and playwright.
Her plays and monologues have been performed around Australia and in 2013 she was awarded the Sydney Theatre Company’s Patrick White playwrighting award. She is currently developing new work with Bell Shakespeare and the Griffin Theatre Company.
She spent her teenage years making zines and joining countless bands that would never play a single gig. In 2009 she and close friend and amazing babe, Eliza Sarlos (Amazing Babes, Scribe 2013) created a blog (fyi or die) where they talked about all things music, feminism, reality TV and basketball.
In 2012 her first book, a non-fiction book for girls, Girl! The Ultimate Guide to Being You, was published by Penguin Australia. In April 2013 Girl! was named as one of the Eva Pownall Notable Books of 2013 by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. She regularly speaks to girls at schools about topics as varied as how to make your own media tools and how to improve self esteem. In 2013 she was host to Rookie Mag’s Tavi Gevinson (USA) for the Melbourne Writers Festival’s Rookie Day and this year returns to MWF to host Amazing Babes with Eliza Sarlos.
We’ve some special plans for girls at GOFF, and Anna is a big part of them – we can hardly wait to tell you what’s in store! Suffice to say, with Anna at the helm, it’s gonna rock.
At GOFF we thought very hard about what our core message is and who really embodies those values. We then decided on four women who represent these ideas – unfailing commitment to feminism, collegiality with other women, making art against the odds, love of popular culture, appreciation of fandom, a wicked sense of humour and a strong desire to party. We asked them to be our champions, our ambassadors, and the shining jewels in the GOFF crown. They said yes. So it’s with immense joy and pride that this week we announce the very first Fairy GOFFMothers – starting with Nakkiah Lui!
NAKKIAH LUI is a celebrated writer for television, stage and performance. She has been an artist in residence at Griffin Theatre Company and an associate playwright at Belvoir Theatre, where her debut play This Heaven opened the 2013 downstairs season. This Heaven was an instant hit, with a sell out production that was extended twice.
Nakkiah’s other works for theatre include I should have told you before we made love (that I’m black) at the You Are Here Festival in Canberra, Stho Sthexy for MKA in Melbourne and The Traditional Owners of Death at the Bondi Feast festival in Sydney. Nakkiah also wrote My Dreaming, Our Awakening, the first radio play on the ABC Radio National program Awaye! Nakkiah’s awards include the inaugural The Dreaming Award from the Australia Council, and the inaugural Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award.
On screen, Nakkiah wrote and directed both the documentary From Drag King to Law Queen, and the short film BabyGirl, which has been broadcast on the ABC and NITV. This year Nakkiah will make her television debut in Black Comedy (ABC/Scarlett Pictures), a new comedy series for which she is co-writer and star.
Nakkiah is also a proud Gamilaroi/Torres Strait Islander woman and a young leader in the Australian Aboriginal community, having also contributed to The Guardian, been a featured panelist during Sydney Writers Festival (2014), and appeared on ABC TV’s The Drum.
Nakkiah’s favourite girl on film is Romy and Michele, because everybody knows they really count as one superior person.
We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Nakkiah at GOFF, and we know you’re gonna love her!
Here we are, two thirds of the way through our Pozible crowdfunding campaign, and at GOFF HQ we are proud and excited that so many people have backed the festival, pledged money and chosen rewards that we know they’ll love. Our hugest thanks to everyone who’s jumped on board so far – you’ve brought us to the very impressive total of $5,410!
Last week we announced details of the exclusive invite-only Opening Night Party, which includes a screening of Floria Sigismondi’s absolute belter, The Runaways, special guest speakers, light installations, Girl Gang DJs and a performance from Melbourne’s mavens of mayhem, the alt-country-dirty-rockers, MODESTY! Remember that tickets to this Opening Night Party and Screening WILL NOT GO ON SALE after the Pozible campaign so if you’re already coming and you want to get your gang together, they have to pledge now too. Starting at the $50 Reward you’ll get a ticket to this party: drinks on arrival, brilliant speakers, film screening, live band and DJs taking you into the night. That’s a bargain but the bigger your pledge the better your reward so check out the $100 level, and one of our most popular rewards so far, the $150 Golden GOFF, that gets you into Opening Night and every other session of the fest! (Get in quick for one of those, there are only eight left.)
We have a bunch of new announcements this week, so keep an eye on our web site (girlsonfilmfestival.com) or follow us on Twitter () or to hear them all as they happen. We’ll be announcing some of our films in advance of the Program Launch, telling you about an awesome daytime event especially for young feminists of the school-type age, and sharing with y’all the incredible women who have agreed to be our Fairy GOFFMothers and play a big, beautiful role in the festival.
As you can see, we’ve got a long way to go in terms of pledges before we hit our target, which is only the minimum we need to bring GOFF to life, and we only have ten days left in our Pozible campaign. So if you’ve been thinking of pledging and haven’t got around to it, or if you can pledge now where you couldn’t afford to before, we’d be so grateful for your support. If you’ve already pledged or can’t afford to, the MOST AWESOME THING you could do to help us is share the link to the campaign (pozible.com/goff) with every person you’ve ever met – we’re talkin’ tweets, status updates, blog posts, Instagram snaps, plugs on your radio show, sticking a note up in your tea room at work, calling your friends, emailing your girl gang, and helping us share the GOFF love and smash through our target in ten days time.
Ben McKenzie is an actor, comedian, writer and game designer, and he’s also GOFF’s Festival Producer. We asked him to explain himself.
How’d you get involved in GOFF?
I’ve been working with Karen as an associate producer for Cherchez la Femme for a couple of years, so I was there at the George Revival Cinema for that first conversation with Gus. I’ve been lucky enough to be in on GOFF from its conception!
Apart from GOFF, what are you working on now?
Loads of things! As well as a couple of major projects with my live games company Pop Up Playground, I’ve nearly finished Night Terrace, a new sci-fi comedy audio series starring Jackie Woodburne (Neighbours’ Susan Kennedy). I’m producing, writing and co-starring as Jackie’s sidekick, so that project has been lots of work, but also lots of fun! We’ll be releasing the whole series of eight episodes for sale online in September; so it’s kind of like a radio serial version of a Netflix show, and I can’t wait for people to hear it.
What’s one of your favourite moments involving a girl on film?
I’m a sci-fi nerd, so you can probably guess some of mine! Apart from the obvious Ripley moments in Alien, I’m also uncool enough to be moved by the scene in Alien: Resurrection when the clone of Ripley finds a room full of [SPOILER REDACTED]. Then there’s the great moment in The Dark Crystal when Jen meets another gelfling like him, Kira, but discovers she has wings. “I don’t have wings!” he complains; Kira, cool as a cucumber, says “Of course not, you’re a boy” and carries on adventuring. Most recently I loved Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow, especially her casual execution of Tom Cruise whenever he made a mistake. Oh, and I love just about every moment with Chihiro in Spirited Away, my favourite Miyazaki film.
What’s something you think GOFF brings to Melbourne’s film festival scene?
I love the mix of classic and new or rarely seen films; I’ve not seen that at a film festival before, certainly not with them all given equal billing! And there’s such a diverse range of films too; I’m no film buff, so there’s loads of stuff I haven’t seen alongside a couple of films which are old favourites of mine. I hope I get to sit in on a few!
If you could see a movie made about any real life woman who would it be?
I definitely want to see a biopic about Hedy Lamarr! She was a film star, famous initially for being the first woman to perform an orgasm on screen, and then later as the most beautiful face in Hollywood – but she was also a genius! She lived this incredible life, escaping to America from a castle and loveless marriage in Austria, and then during the second world war inventing the frequency hopping spread spectrum technique still used today in most wireless technology. I researched her for a talk at The Laborastory and her life would make an amazing film.
Do you have a favourite female actor or director?
I have been a very long-time fan of Emma Thompson – everything she does delights me. Thompson’s role as Kate Lemon in The Tall Guy is sublime; she gives the most deliciously acidic sarcasm! (Plus her sex scene with Jeff Goldblum is still my all-time favourite.) Thompson is also a great director and screenwriter; her adaptation of Sense and Sensibility is brilliant, and not least for the casting of Kate Winslet, another of my all-time favourite actors. And on a very different note, I can’t leave out Tilda Swinton, whom I most recently loved in Only Lovers Left Alive, an instant classic as far as I’m concerned.
Breeana Dunbar is a professional photographer and interior design obsessive, and in 2014 is the official Festival Photographer (or “festy tog”) for GOFF.
How’d you get involved in GOFF?
I met Karen through the lovely feminist network of Melbourne as she was in need of a photographer for a bunch of interesting projects, including GOFF. I’m beyond exciting to be the official ‘festy tog’ of GOFF and can’t wait to hear a bunch of smart, funny women giving their insights on some cool films.
Apart from GOFF, what are you working on now?
As well as taking portraits of gorgeous folk around Melbourne, I’m the official photographer for the Rosie Respect website, an online info hub for teenage girls being developed by the Dugdale Trust for Women and Girls.
What’s one of your favourite moments involving a girl on film?
Poppy’s awesome flamenco face in Happy-Go-Lucky. Watched this for a third time last weekend, a bit in love with Sally Hawkins.
What’s something you think GOFF brings to Melbourne’s film festival scene?
If you have a look at the program for most film festivals around Melbourne you’ll find films by men, about men. Not only is GOFF putting together a program that tries to redress the balance, we’re making a really fun festival that is accessible to everyone. Women, men, cult film lovers, pop culture fans, young, old, whatever! I’m so proud to be involved with such a fantastic addition to Melbourne’s film festival scene.
If you could see a movie made about any real life woman, who would it be?
Lynn Goldsmith (rock photographer who captured everyone from Michael Jackson to Patti Smith). She must have some great tales and I’d love to hear about how she found success in the male-dominated world of rock photography.
Who’s one of your girl heroes?
I’ve got more than one I’m afraid. The amazing ladies from the Royal Women’s Hospital who treated me while I was pregnant are my heroes. Some things didn’t go to plan during my pregnancy, but I was treated by a bunch of amazing ladies who were not only experts in their fields, but showed me such kindness and unconditional support. Pregnancy is an incredibly vulnerable time for a woman and I will be forever thankful to these ladies for getting me through it in one piece!
Rohan Spong is an independent filmmaker whose work includes feature documentaries, short films and music videos. In 2014, Rohan is one of GOFF’s Associate Directors.
How’d you get involved in GOFF?
The illustrious Karen Pickering bribed me to take part with the promise of Murder, She Wrote marathon viewings.
Apart from GOFF, what are you working on now?
A feature documentary called Winter At Westbeth about some senior artists in a rent controlled building in New York’s West Village. I don’t want to say too much yet, but at the moment, we’re finalising a rather beautiful dance sequence.
What’s one of your favourite moments involving a girl on film?
The moment when Cate Blanchett’s character Tracy wanders into the school hall of children singing Flame Trees in Rowan Woods Little Fish (2005) whilst contemplating a hit of heroin. I find it beautifully acted, beautifully scripted (by Jacquelin Perske) and incredibly moving. She’s not pining over some bloke, nor someone’s sidekick… but rather the central character around whom the others orbit.
What’s something you think GOFF brings to Melbourne’s film festival scene?
I think it’s quite an eclectic program and there’s a sort of celebratory tone to how we’re assembling the weekend. It’s a mixtape meets party meets movie marathon.
If you could screen any movie you want at GOFF, what would it be?
Serial Mom.
Who’s one of your girl heroes?
Mimi Stern-Wolfe, the main subject of my last documentary All The Way Through Evening. If you didn’t catch it at Cinema Nova, it’s now on iTunes. She’s the sort of human being I aspire to be.
Tara Judah is a film writer and radio critic whose work has appeared in The Vine, The Big Issue, Metro and Overland, and she also works at Melbourne’s beloved Astor Theatre. In 2014, she is GOFF’s Festival Writer and Curator.
How’d you get involved in GOFF?
I was having breakfast with Karen and after about six hours of killer conversation (and a delicious bagel) we thought it’d be a good idea if I joined the team – all of the best conversations have to be continued and this one just so happened to turn into me joining the good ship GOFF.
Apart from GOFF, what are you working on now?
LOTS. Between my work at the Astor, freelance writing, radio, judging films, seeing films and attending to the odd personal project there’s barely a moment spare – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What’s one of your favourite moments involving a girl on film?
I love the way that Jo’s (Stacy Martin) masturbation scene in Nymphomaniac Vol 1 is depicted as uneventful. There aren’t enough screen representations of female masturbation as being incidental, everyday. I’m tired of being told by society that I ought to be sexy.
What’s something you think GOFF brings to Melbourne’s film festival scene?
One helluva party! It’s a lot more than a handful of films that’ll be taking over the Northcote Town Hall. Think about the best party you ever attended – well, basically that’s what we’re bringing.
If you could screen any movie you want at GOFF, what would it be?
I’d probably run a session on Sadie Benning films because I think she’s amazing and her Pixelvision shorts have always intrigued me – they highlight an important cross section between the avant-garde, the underground, feminism, lesbianism and really honest filmmaking.
Who’s a girl on film that you love?
I’ve always admired Bette Davis. She’s passionate and she won’t take shit from anyone.
Karen Pickering is a feminist organiser, writer and public speaker – and also GOFF’s Festival Director! Karen is the first of our team to answer a few questions so you can get to know her better. We’ll be posting a few more of these over the next couple of weeks.
How’d you get involved in GOFF?
It was my dream event and after chatting about it with Ben and Gus at the George one day we all agreed it was possible with the right team. So here we are! It’s my first time directing a festival and it’s terrifying and wonderful.
Apart from GOFF, what are you working on now?
I host Cherchez la Femme on the first Tuesday of every month at the Duke of Wellington in the city, which is like a cross between The Late Show and Q&A but run by a woman with a drink in her hand. Basically a not-so-secret feminist cabal. I’m also co-producing a late night show for the Melbourne Fringe Festival, called Wham Bam, showcasing the talents of female performers across the genres (at the Provincial Hotel, September 17 to October 5 except Saturdays), and organising SlutWalk Melbourne for another year.
What’s one of your favourite moments involving a girl on film?
(SPOILER) I think the scene in Heathers where Veronica blows JD’s finger off is pretty bitchin’ but my absolute favourite is probably the final scene of Thelma and Louise. I’m such a romantic and that ending slays me every time. I also love Baby and Johnny’s first sex scene in Dirty Dancing and all the fights in Beaches.
What’s something you think GOFF brings to Melbourne’s film festival scene?
I think film festivals are mostly total dudefests. It might seem inevitable, given how rare women filmmakers are, but I’d like to see women directors (and male directors) with feminist sensibilities telling women’s stories in a way that is powerful and engaging, rather than dismissive or straight up hateful. Also, I am personally such a lowbrow kinda gal that most film festivals feel very impenetrable and overwhelming to me. Like for all my intellect I go to see films at other festivals and I just leave feeling confused and/or depressed. I love pop culture and I don’t feel ashamed for liking mainstream stuff, but I want to see feminism on screen. And I think it’s there! It just hasn’t been collected in one place and celebrated until now, so GOFF is here to change that.
If you could see a movie made about any real life woman who would it be?
Dolly Parton, a hundred percent.
Who’s one of your girl heroes?
There are so many but I always come back to Kathleen Hanna.
We’ve set ourselves a frenetic pace here at GOFF HQ but we wanted to check in with our wonderful supporters! We’re completely thrilled that we’ve hit about a third of our target in just ten days – putting us right on track to reach our full goal.
We’ve made an exciting announcement too – our opening night film will be The Runaways, directed by Floria Sigismondi!
No other film could set the tone more perfectly than this rocking true story of the archetypal all-girl punk band. The film follows two friends, Joan Jett (a star turn from Dakota Fanning) and Cherie Currie (GOFF favourite Kristen Stewart, bringing the sex), as they rise from rebellious California kids to rock stars of the now legendary group, paving the way for future generations of girl bands. Sigismondi is beloved by many female filmmakers and has directed incredible music videos for the likes of David Bowie, Fiona Apple, The Cure, P!nk, Sigur Rós, and Katy Perry. It’s no wonder that like Joan Jett herself, The Runaways has a heart of pure rock ’n’ roll! It’s a wild ride and the perfect kick off for GOFF.
We can also reveal that there’ll be a live band at our Opening Night Party – all the way from their tour of Nashville, we have confirmed Melbourne’s mad mavens of mayhem: Modesty! Led by the uncontrollable sex appeal of Kate Boston Smith, Modesty’s high energy rock country stylings will keep us dancing into the night.
Remember you can only purchase a ticket to the Opening Night Party and Screening via the Pozible campaign, and it’s a great way to support GOFF!
We can’t wait for the festival to launch, but we still have a long way to go before that’s a guaranteed reality. Every little bit helps, so if you can only pledge a few bucks we’d be so grateful but if you’ve got a bit more cash, the rewards get better and better! And if you’re as pumped about GOFF as we are, please let your friends and loved ones know about us and share the campaign around.
Big love to all y’all from the GOFF Gang, and stay tuned for more exciting announcements!
Karen Pickering is a feminist organiser, writer and public speaker – and also GOFF’s Festival Director! Karen is the first of our team to answer a few questions so you can get to know her better. We’ll be posting a few more of these over the next couple of weeks.