| Slam | |
|---|---|
 Australian release poster | |
| Directed by | Partho Sen-Gupta |
| Written by | Partho Sen-Gupta |
| Produced by | Michael Wrenn Marc Irmer Tenille Kennedy |
| Starring | Adam Bakri Rachael Blake Rebecca Breeds Darina Al Joundi Danielle Horvat |
| Cinematography | Bonnie Elliott |
| Edited by | Annick Raoul |
| Music by | Eryck Abecassis |
Release date |
|
Running time | 116 minutes |
| Countries | Australia, France |
| Language | English |
Slam is a 2018 Australian drama film written and directed by Partho Sen-Gupta.
Ricky Nasser is a young Australian whose peaceful suburban life turns into hell when sister Ameena, a slam poet, disappears without a trace.
Slam is an official Australian-French co-production with funding from Screen Australia, Screenwest, Screen NSW, the French National Center of Cinematography and the moving image, Creative Media Solutions and private funders. The main roles are played by Adam Bakri and Rachael Blake. [1] It was an official selected project at the 2016 International Film Festival Rotterdam's CineMart [2] and the 2016 Berlinale Co-production Market. [3]
The film is set in modern-day Sydney, Australia, and was shot on location in its western suburbs. [4]
Slam had its world premiere at the Official Selection Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on 27 November 2018. [5] [6]
On 15 June 2019, the film had its Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in the Special Presentations section at the State Theatre. [7] [8] It went on to screen at many film festivals, notably at the Melbourne International Film Festival, [9] and was the opening film at the 2019 Darwin International Film Festival. [10]
British film critic Victor Fraga of DMovies called it "the film of the year" in his review of the premiere screening at the 2018 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. [11]
After the Australian premiere at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival, academic researcher Ingrid Matthews reviewed the film for the Australian Critical Race & Whiteness Studies (ACRAWSA) blog, writing, "Slam is a devastating film. Devastatingly good, devastatingly sad, and devastatingly accurate in its portrayal of racism in Australia. The camera turns its gaze on two institutions in particular: the media; and law enforcement." [12] Film Critic Christine Westwood wrote in Filmink "For all its tough subject matter, Slam is a gripping, entertaining mystery. You can’t turn away from it until the very end." [13]
The film had a limited theatrical release in Australia on 17 October 2019 [14] and received many positive reviews. The Australian award-winning film critic David Stratton gave the film 4/5 stars in his video review 'David Stratton Recommends' [15] and, in The Australian, stated "Slam is very impressive: it tells an important story in a convincing and enthralling way". [16]
The film critic Sandra Hall also gave it 4/5 stars in her review in The Sydney Morning Herald , [17] and The Age [18] writing "[Director Partho Sen-Gupta]'s a confident talent with a finely tuned instinct for the mechanics of plot and character. There's a lot going on in this film and although the conclusion it reaches is pretty predictable, the trajectory it takes is not."
Jim Schembri, Journalist, critic, and author gave the film 3 1/2 Stars on 3AW and said "Without descending into hysterics writer/director Partho Sen-Gupta does a fine job detailing how promptly fear and suspicion can be coaxed used to promote an official agenda. It's a strong-minded, subdued film that bravely confronts the politics of grief." [19] Film Critic Richard Kuipers, in Variety , called it "an outstanding slow-burn thriller". [20]
Guardian Australia film critic Luke Buckmaster named the film as one of "The best Australian films of 2019", and wrote "Sen-Gupta doesn’t turn a blind eye to grim reality, nor does he prioritise verisimilitude over dramatically interesting storytelling." [21]
Margaret Pomeranz is an Australian film critic, writer, producer, and television personality.
David James Stratton is an English-Australian film critic and historian. He has also worked as a journalist, interviewer, educator, television personality, and producer. His career as a film critic, writer, and educator in Australia spanned 57 years, until his retirement in December 2023.
The Adelaide Film Festival is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in October. Subject to funding, the festival has staged full or briefer events in alternating years; some form of event has taken place every year since 2015. From 2022 it takes place annually. It has a strong focus on local South Australian and Australian produced content, with the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) established to fund investment in Australian films.
Les Patterson Saves the World is a 1987 Australian comedy film starring Barry Humphries as his stage creations Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage.
Beneath Clouds is a 2002 film by Indigenous Australian director Ivan Sen. It is the feature film debut by the two lead actors. Damian Pitt was approached by Sen on the streets of Moree, New South Wales, and had never acted before. Dannielle Hall was cast through a more traditional method, via an audition tape. Much of the support cast were local residents from Pitt's hometown of Moree.
Leah Maree Purcell is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's Somewhere in the Darkness, which led to roles in films, such as Lantana (2001), Somersault (2004), The Proposition (2005) and Jindabyne (2006).
Manoj Bajpayee, also transliterated as Manoj Bajpai, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Hindi cinema and has also done Telugu and Tamil language films. He is the recipient of numerous accolades including three National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards, and two Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2019, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri, for his contributions to art.
Bitter & Twisted is a 2008 drama film written, directed by and starring Christopher Weekes. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2008 and has since screened at over eleven international and Australian festivals and been critically well received.
Emraan Anwar Hashmi is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. Born into the Bhatt family, he began his career an assistant director on the horror film Raaz (2002). He made his acting debut with the crime film Footpath (2003), and achieved his breakthrough for his starring role in the erotic thriller Murder (2004).
Partho Sen-Gupta is an independent film director and screenwriter. He is an Australian and French dual citizen, of Indian origin. He has a post-graduate degree in Film Direction from the FEMIS.
Rebecca Elizabeth Breeds is an Australian actress. She is known for her lead roles as Ruby Buckton on the Seven Network soap opera Home and Away (2008–2012) and Clarice Starling on the CBS crime drama series Clarice (2021). Breeds is also known for her supporting roles as Nicole Gordon on the sixth and seventh seasons of the Freeform mystery teen drama series Pretty Little Liars (2015–2017) and Aurora de Martel on the third season of The CW fantasy supernatural drama series The Originals (2015–2016) and its spin-off series Legacies (2021–2022).
Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! is a 2008 documentary film about the Australian New Wave of 1970s and 1980s low-budget cinema. The film was written and directed by Mark Hartley, who interviewed over eighty Australian, American and British actors, directors, screenwriters and producers, including Quentin Tarantino, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dennis Hopper, George Lazenby, George Miller, Barry Humphries, Stacy Keach, John Seale and Roger Ward.
Kalki Koechlin is a French actress and writer who works in Hindi films. Known for her unconventional body of work, she is the recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award, and two Screen Awards. Although a French citizen, she has been raised and lived most of her life in India.
Mystery Road is a 2013 Australian crime film with neo-Western elements and setting, written and directed by Ivan Sen. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. A film sequel entitled Goldstone was released in 2016, and TV series in 2018, all featuring Aaron Pedersen as the brooding Indigenous Australian detective Jay Swan.
Adam Bakri is a Palestinian actor. He made his feature film debut by starring in Oscar-nominated film Omar (2013), directed by Hany Abu-Assad.
Madhu Varma Mantena is an Indian film producer and entrepreneur involved in the production and distribution of films across Hindi, Telugu, and Bengali cinema.
Sunrise is a 2014 drama film written and directed by Partho Sen-Gupta. Set in Mumbai, it tells the story of a grieving father searching for his daughter Aruna, kidnapped years ago. The main role is played by Adil Hussain accompanied by Tannishtha Chatterjee, Komal Gupta, Esha Amlani and veteran actress Ashalata Wabgaonkar.
Ladies in Black is a 2018 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. Starring Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Julia Ormond, Ryan Corr and Shane Jacobson, the film is based on the 1993 novel The Women in Black by Madeleine St John, and tells the story of a group of department store employees in 1959 Sydney. The film was released on 20 September 2018.
Julian Maroun is an Australian actor, best known for his roles as Corporal Peter "Pepsi" Abboud in Fighting Season and Farid in Logie Award-winning miniseries Romper Stomper.
