July is documentary film month

July is documentary film month
Carol Saffer

Melbourne Documentary Film Festival (MDFF) proudly presents its seventh edition, Punks, Rebels, Mavericks and Renegades, at Cinema Nova in Carlton and online.

MDFF runs online for the entire month of July, while the program at Cinema Nova screens from Wednesday, July 20 to Sunday, July 31.

Carlton-based GP and part-time filmmaker Fiona Cochrane will present her latest film Patou: In Black and White, a film about Jamaican singer Pat Powell, one of Australia’s most accomplished yet hidden vocal talents.

He lives in Sydney and has performed with many bands in a career that spans more than four decades across the globe.

He is the artist that everyone wants to work with – the singer’s singer who performs with 15 bands, including the ARIA award-winning Melbourne Ska Orchestra.

Ms Cochrane said, “my film focuses on his music and Patou as a family man.”

“He has four children to four different women, all white.”

“This raises identity issues for the children, and they talk about their feelings and experiences of racism.”

Unlike Ms Cochrane, Craig Miller is screening his first film Cuba My Soul at the festival.

It is his first film, the first time he has been to MDFF, and Cuba My Soul screens as the festival’s closing film.

The festival showcases documentaries produced by Melbourne filmmakers and international festivals such as Tribeca, the Freep Film Festival, Telluride, and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

MDFF will launch seven world premiere films and screen 24 Australian feature-length documentaries in competition. •

For more information: mdff.org.au

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