AustLit

'A line from 1855, first published by Walt Whitman in the poem ‘Song of Myself’, appears again at the beginning of a film produced during a Creative Arts Fellowship at the Australian National University in 1969.  Out of the 19th century transcendentalism of New England, the film’s subject emerges as ‘Anarcho-Technocracy’, specifically as it was theorised and transmitted by expatriate poet Harry Hooton (1908-1961). Hooton had died in middle age in Sydney, celebrated as the ‘poet of the 21st century’ by his friends and devotees. In this way, the trans-mediation of his poetry and philosophy onto film seemed strangely appropriate for his ambitious idealism: Leave man alone, man is perfect. Concentrate instead on matter.' (Introduction)

'From Gothic mythologies and schlock-horror antics to ‘Where the Bloody Hell Are Ya?’ politicos, mismanaged Sunrise protests on Gold Coast beaches and Big Brother, Australian film and TV has only rarely been able to offer up anything other than self-effacing jokes. With this in mind, it is remarkable how deftly Alena Lodkina’s debut feature film, Strange Colours, manages to cut across this massive, permanent identity crisis of a country by bringing together two of its most prevalent motifs: resource exploitation and unrequited love. One reason for this could be that the film was not financed in Australia but in Italy. So if the answer is Australia, what was the question?'  (Introduction)