Two Flat Whites has been a supporter of this competition for a number of years now. You can see our interview with the 2008 Lexus Young Chef of the Year winner Jake Nicolson here .

Electrolux Appetite for Excellence is searching Australia for emerging talent with a passion for excellence in the restaurant & catering industry. Each year, your chefs, front of house service professionals & now in 2009, young restaurateurs are judged by Australia’s finest chefs, restaurateurs & industry leaders.

All three category winners experience unique & career changing opportunities through overseas travel, inspirational work experiences, national publicity & mentoring. Applications are now open for 2009 . Applications close on the 24th April 2009.

Two of Australia’s most widely recognised and respected film critics are undoubtedly David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz .  Both have a long-standing, often symbiotic, relationship with the Australian film industry, and both are as supportive as they are critical towards any new release film produced by our nation.  Like most others with an interest in quality adult cinema, it is with great pleasure that I tune into their weekly film review TV show, ‘ At The Movies ‘.  Mostly I agree with their opinions.  However, while discussing the 2008 Australian film, ‘ Ten Empty ‘, a bemused David pondered, “what audience the film is targeting?”  Margaret hummed in agreement.  This comment has been floating around in my head whenever I think about the state of the Australian film industry.

Having seen, and really enjoyed “ Ten Empty ”, I struggled to understand this somewhat dismissive remark from such highly influential reviewers.  The film is basically a winter version of the comparatively sun-tanned Australian production ‘ The Black Balloon ‘ (a film which was both critically and commercially well received).  Both films centre around the son in a disadvantaged family and his journey to find his position within the family. The films are thematically similar, though the tone is much bleaker and more realistic in ‘ Ten Empty ‘.  Both are very powerful films, and both are superb representations of Australian filmmakers exploring meaningful social realism.

What audience does it target?  My immediate reaction was “anyone and everyone”.  Whether or not you personally relate to the situations in the film, there is still a great deal of empathy one can gain through the shared experiences of others – on and/or off screen.  However, I understand where David and Margaret were coming from: both are well aware of the dire state of the general public’s attitude towards Australian films.  Over the last 10 years an average of just 4.3% of box office revenue in Australia has come from Australian films.  American films swallow up a greedy 82%.

Should this mean that we gear our movies towards a more US-centric audience?  Well, they would probably be more profitable (‘ The Black Balloon ‘ focused its marketing campaign around its tabloid magazine co-star, Gemma Ward ), but would they remain an honest and credible reflection of Australian culture and values? ( Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Australia ‘, for all its joy and heart, is still very much tailored to an American mythology of Australian life).

And since when does the notion of profitability act as any kind of barometer of the success or relevance of a film?  That in itself is an Imperialist American theology. Discussing his most recent film, 2007’s ‘ The Diving Bell & The Butterfly ‘, artist/director Julian Schnabel scoffed at the question of how profitable the film would be:  “I make money from selling my paintings, I don’t expect to make any money from my films, I make them because they are stories I want to tell”.  If one were to judge the success of  “ The Diving Bell & The Butterfly ” by how it affected people, then it wouldn’t be off the mark to label it as one of the most successful films ever made.  The film, based on the real-life story of a man with a severe disability conveying his memoirs to a nurse, was screened in hundreds of hospitals around Europe, inspiring patients who were uplifted by the brave and determined tale.

Filmmaking coming from this ethos – of giving rather than taking – is what makes cinema, as an art form, so wonderful.  “Film should act as a mirror to society, it should make people think”, declared Greek director Costa Gavros .  Australian cinema has a long, proud history of making good quality Australian stories.  Whilst the general public’s apathy towards our industry is an issue that needs to be addressed, I don’t think that compromising to cater for their current tastes is in any way helpful.

Finally, a quote from James Jupp (author of ‘From White Australia To Woomera, The Story Of Australian Immigration’), which I believe can be aptly applied to the future of the Australian film industry –  “I accept that politicians must work within limits set by public opinion.  But I do not accept that majority opinion is always right.  Changing public opinion is a necessary feature of democracy and, in this area, often essential”.

Article written by Ryan Nance.

Ryan’s passion for good adult cinema has really blossomed, and shows no sign of waning. Check out some of his other reviews right here .

The Sydney Underground Film Festival is dedicated to nurturing an alternative film culture through the promotion of independent and experimental films. The festival seeks to support filmmakers who operate outside established film industry infrastructures, by providing a platform for exhibition, exposure and critical discussion.

Founded in 2007 by filmmaking team Stefan Popescu and Katherine Berger and assisted by a dedicated team of volunteers, the Sydney Underground Film Festival achieved vast success in its first year with a sell out opening night and with weekend crowds of around 2000 guests. The 2008 festival takes place from 11th – 14th September at The Factory Theatre, Enmore.

Talented Sydney based artist & good friend of Two Flat Whites Lang Leav was featured in the Good Weekend Magazine of the Sydney Morning Herald on the 26th July 2008. In 2005, Akina (Lang Leav) was selected as winner of the Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards judged by industry heavyweights such as Peter Morrissey. Later, the label went on to inspire a documentary that aired internationally on ABC television in 2006. As well as critical acclaim, Akina has achieved commercial success, being sold through key boutiques in Australia and Japan. Well done Lang!

The Australian Book Industry Awards 2008 (ABIA) celebrate the best Australian books, authors, booksellers and publishers from the past year. Strap yourself in as the winners will be announced on Sunday 15th June 2008.

There will be plenty of awards up for grabs including Book of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Childrens Book of the Year & many more. The shortlist for the Australian Book Industry Awards competing for Biography of the Year are: –

Book Title: Andrew Johns: The Two of Me
Author/Editor: Andrew Johns & Neil Cadigan

Book Title: Arthur Boyd: A Life
Author/Editor: Darleen Bungey

Book Title: I Peed On Fellini
Author/Editor: David Stratton

Book Title: Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants To Do This…
Author/Editor: Bruce Beresford

Book Title: Births Deaths Marriages
Author/Editor: Georgia Blain

The good people at Villain are throwing yet another art show with an impressive line up as always. It’s easy to take for granted the calibre of artists these guys get involved in their group shows regardless of the medium they get them to work with. So get on down and check out some quality work and support the villain crew who are constantly cooking up new schemes and exhibition ideas which give many artists a forum to have their work shown.

Cut Outs @ Per Square Metre Gallery in Collingwood. Catch the exhibition from the 30th May to 8th June 2008.

The Flake Film Festival is now calling for short film entries, with this years theme recently announced as…“LIGHT”. Flake is searching high and low, near and far for the freshest filmaking talent this weird, wacky and wonderful world has to offer- and they’re putting up $15,000 in cash ‘n’ prizes as a reward!

Your film must be less than 8 minutes, can be any genre or style & of course include the 2008 theme of LIGHT- You can incorporate “LIGHT” as the main theme or central storyline, an object in the film, it may be symbolic or even in the dialogue. You can be cheeky or sneaky, but just make sure we can see the LIGHT!

Entries close Tuesday August 12th, 2008. Over $15,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded across several categories. Screenings will premiere around the NSW Snowy Mountains, including the world class ski resorts of Thredbo and Perisher Blue in early September 08.

Now in it’s 6th year, the award winning Flake Film Festival has developed into a unique grass roots film festival which showcases a diverse range of Australian and International films from first time, hobby, student and professional filmmakers.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says his government’s first Budget is the beginning of an era of responsible economic management. The 2008-09 Budget handed down by Treasurer Wayne Swan forecasts a higher than expected surplus of $21.7 billion for 2008-09.

The government’s “razor gang” also slashed $33 billion from public spending during the next four years, while the budget is handing out $46.7 billion worth of personal tax cuts as part of a $55 billion “working families support package”.

“We have generated a surplus which is the second-highest for a decade,” Mr Rudd told Parliament. “We needed to take on the fight against inflation. That meant ensuring when it came to handling of government outlays we didn’t perpetuate the spendathon of the members opposite as we have seen in recent years of government expenditure mounting and mounting and mounting. Instead we had to send that back and reverse direction.”

What do you think of the budget? I wonder what the other guy thinks. Have your say right here! Make a comment…..

Two Flat Whites is continuing with it’s support of the Australian film industry & is delighted to provide you, our readers with a film review of one of the greatest Australian films ever made.

Looking for Alibrandi is my favourite Australian flick. The film is set in the inner suburbs of Sydney & tells the story of Miss Josie Alibrandi, a teenage girl growing up with the pressures of family, racism, womanhood, school & loss.

Even though this flick covers so many issues, unlike most coming of age flicks it is not heavy loaded. It avoids the constant bed hopping and zit horrors that are usually substituted for drama. Looking for Alibrandi has just the right mix of humour and drama to keep the film flowing.

Josie lives with her Mother in a small terrace in Leichhardt. She attends a Catholic School, where she is just entering the final year. Josie aims to take control of her life. She is intelligent & wants to turn over a new leaf this year and to get the right grades to go on to Sydney University to study law. Josie has a few close friends. She gets on very well with John; the school captain of the neighbouring St Anthony’s on whom she has a crush. And if all that wasn’t enough to cope with, Josie has to contend with the bigotry of her rich classmates, an interfering grandmother and as icing on the cake – Josie’s father who she has never met, moves to Sydney.

Looking for Alibrandi is a wonderful flick, well made & with plenty of twists not mentioned above. The star is Pia Miranda who is fantastic as Josie Alibrandi & her acting ability is enough reason alone to watch this great Australian film. The support cast of Greta Scacchi & Anthony La Paglia is also first rate. Do yourself a favour & watch this delightful piece of mastery light up your screen. The Director Kate Woods also did a superb job.

As part of Two Flat Whites ‘Mega Month of May Giveaways’ & our first birthday celebrations, two of our favourite bands have joined the party. Two of Australia’s most talented emerging bands have embarked on a national tour called ‘The Less Talk, More Problems Tour’. Bluejuice & The Paper Scissors will be playing near you!

To win one of twelve albums from the bands, go to the below links & check out their tour dates & latest songs. All you have to do to win an album from Bluejuice or The Paper Scissors is to email your name & full address to info & tell us your favourite song. It’s that easy!

The Paper Scissors tour dates & songs

Bluejuice tour dates & songs

So get emailing to win one of The Paper Scissors or Bluejuice albums. Don’t forget to check out one of there gigs on there ‘Less Talk, More Problems Tour’. Entries close Saturday, 10th May 2008. Winners will be published the next day on Two Flat Whites.