November 21
SOLRUN HOAAS (1943-2009)
7:00 – AYA
Solrun Hoaas (1990) 95 mins PG.
An intimate observation of a Japanese war bride in Australia over a 20-year period beginning in the ’50s. Hoaas’ compelling love story, with its complex, emotional, multi-layered performances presents an important perspective on race, tradition & personal aspirations.
Preceded by
Effacement
Solrun Hoaas (1980) 14mins G.
Hoaas’ 1st film meticulously documents the work of an artisan creating a mask for use in a Japanese Noh drama. Hoaas evokes an intimate, reverential tone with observant framing, strikingly layered compositions & rhythmic disjunction between sound & image, conjuring a sense of mystery and suspense appropriate to a respectful evocation of Noh traditions.
9:05 – SACRED VANDALS
Solrun Hoaas (1983) 56 mins G.
Hoaas’ 3rd film to explore the beliefs & obsessions of women on the tiny, mostly abandoned island of Hatoma. Weaving informal interviews with personal narration, Hoaas documents the exploits of elderly Yasuko & her cousin, whose claims of special communion with the spirit world threaten the authority of the priestess.
Followed by 2 short films.
At Edge
Solrun Hoaas (1981) 22 mins G.
A kind of ethnographic film on the poet Judith Wright & her relationship to the environment in which she lives.
Pre-occupied
Solrun Hoaas (1985) 23 mins.
This film explores women’s decisions to have or not to have children, while also examining the roles & responsibilities of the documentary filmmaker.
Prints courtesy of the National Film & Sound Archive of Australia & ACMI.