From char kwai teow to chips: Cooking star Julia Busuttil Nishimura's top restaurant picks
Busuttil Nishimura is also making her art dinner collaboration debut on August 22, with Ostro X Einder, a one-night-only event at Melbourne's Town Hall as part of the Now or Never Festival. Her menu riffs on the audiovisual fabric installation by Dutch artist Boris Acket titled Einder, with a seasonal produce-driven feast set to conclude with a long pavlova topped with roasted and fresh spring fruits and a bay leaf cream, assembled in situ.
'It is billowy and messy, very much inspired by the [chaos] and voluptuousness of Boris' work and a nod to the storm theme that is found in his art,' she says.
Ahead of the special dinner next week, the Melbourne-based food identity sat down with us to chat about her eating-out and eating-in favourites.
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Sydney Morning Herald
3 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Think horror is a man's world? This documentary will scare you straight
A lexandra Heller-Nicholas was only seven weeks old when she saw her first horror movie. Her aunt was babysitting, and decided to bring her to the cinema to see William Friedkin's The Exorcist. Heller-Nicholas believes this experience 'put her on the path' to horror. Over the next few decades, the Melbourne-based film critic delved deep into the genre, delighting in classics such as Suspiria and Psycho – both of which she watched in secret (scary movies were forbidden in her household). But as her exploration of horror filmmaking continued, she found herself wondering the same thing again and again: where are all the women? It's not that there haven't been any female creators. In fact, some of the earliest horror films were directed by women, such as Lois Weber's 1913 silent film Suspense. Women have long played a pivotal role in horror; it's just that few people appear to notice them. 'Many people might not even realise they've seen a woman-directed horror before. For example, Mary Harron's American Psycho (2000) and Mary Lambert's Pet Sematary (1989),' Heller-Nicholas says. 'Women's labour has historically been diminished and rendered invisible across the board, and horror is a perfect case study to demonstrate that.' It's from this revelation that Heller-Nicholas' 1000 Women in Horror, 1895-2018 – an encyclopedic exploration of the many women who have shaped the genre – was born. The book, which landed in 2020, has now been developed into a documentary of the same name, which will play at the Melbourne International Film Festival later this month. Directed by Canadian filmmaker Donna Davies, the documentary brings to light several female filmmakers, producers, actors and screenwriters previously relegated to the dark, including producer Sara Risher (A Nightmare on Elm Street), screenwriter Akela Cooper (M3GAN) and actor Lin Shaye (Insidious). Like Heller-Nicholas, horror has appealed to Davies since childhood; she started a witchcraft club with her friends at the age of 10. 'What I love most is how [horror] serves as a cultural mirror – it reflects what society is truly afraid of at any given moment,' she says. 'It processes trauma, gives voice to the voiceless and provides catharsis. For women especially, horror has always been a space where we could explore rage, power and transformation in ways that weren't available to us in other genres.' While making other horror-related documentaries, Davies became increasingly frustrated by the lack of recognition for women within the space. 'Somehow, when men made horror films, they were celebrated as visionaries. When women did it, they were dismissed as exploitation filmmakers or lucky accidents,' Davies says. 'There's also this uncomfortable truth that women's horror often focuses on very real fears – domestic violence, sexual assault, the horrors of childbirth and motherhood – subjects that make audiences, especially male audiences, genuinely uncomfortable.' But it wasn't until Heller-Nicholas' book was released that Davies felt there was the evidence needed to open people's eyes. To accomplish this, Davies structured the documentary around the female experience itself – girlhood, school years, adulthood, work life, maternal life and ageing. 'Each life stage brings different fears and different strengths, and we really wanted to honour that journey,' she says. For example, school life is often associated with puberty, a sometimes horrifying experience explored in the documentary through films such as Ginger Snaps, written by Karen Walton. For some women, motherhood is a horror movie in itself. In the documentary, actor Kate Siegel (The Haunting of Hill House), compares her C-section to body horror films like Julia Ducournau's Titane. 'Women often bring a focus on psychological complexity over gore for its own sake. We're interested in the 'why' behind the horror, the emotional truth of fear,' Davies says. 'We understand that the most terrifying monsters aren't always the ones with fangs. Sometimes, they're the people at the office or sitting across from you at dinner.' Mattie Do – a horror director from Laos – says that while the horror community has been more welcoming compared to others, most genre filmmakers are still men. She says she has to work 'triple hard' to be taken seriously. Loading 'I feel like I have to ... prove that I belong here as a filmmaker, that my works are worthwhile because of their merit, not just because I was born with certain chromosomes,' says Do, who has directed culturally-infused horror films such as The Long Walk. Heller-Nicholas says things are improving. There are now several film festivals dedicated to women in horror, including Los Angeles' Etheria Film Festival, Wench Film Festival in Mumbai and Final Girls Berlin Film Festival. Australia has also been something of a positive anomaly, she adds. 'We've been blessed by a really strong community of women filmmakers. People like Jennifer Kent with The Babadook have been hugely important. Natalie Erika James, who did Relic, is another one of our patron saints.' Loading It goes back much further, she notes. Ann Turner made Celia in 1989, which was initially created as a drama but then distributed overseas as a horror. Fast-forward to today and you have filmmakers such as Alice Maio Mackay, a 21-year-old transgender woman who has already made six horror features, many of which have been picked up by international film festivals and streamers such as Shudder. 'Alice makes low-budget punk queer horrors that are tightly bound to her experience as a young transgender woman in Australia,' Heller-Nicholas says. 'She's not just a national treasure in terms of horror, there's nobody in the world doing what she's doing right now.' Despite these success stories, Davies says more still needs to be done, beginning with placing more women in decision-making roles. This not only includes directors, but also producers, financiers and distributors because the stories that are told are determined by those who control the funding. It's imperative that women's voices – including women of colour, LGBT women, trans women and women from different cultural backgrounds – are actively sought out across the board. Loading Women's contributions also need to be taught, Davies says. 'When film schools teach horror history and leave out these voices, they're creating the next generation of gatekeepers who don't even know these women existed.' Finally, Heller-Nicholas says people must realise it's not a matter of 'boys versus girls'. Neither her book nor the documentary were made to exclude or criticise men. 'From travelling the world and going to film festivals, I've found that men want to have these conversations as much as women do … The shared love of the genre transcends gender identity.'
The Age
3 minutes ago
- The Age
Think horror is a man's world? This documentary will scare you straight
A lexandra Heller-Nicholas was only seven weeks old when she saw her first horror movie. Her aunt was babysitting, and decided to bring her to the cinema to see William Friedkin's The Exorcist. Heller-Nicholas believes this experience 'put her on the path' to horror. Over the next few decades, the Melbourne-based film critic delved deep into the genre, delighting in classics such as Suspiria and Psycho – both of which she watched in secret (scary movies were forbidden in her household). But as her exploration of horror filmmaking continued, she found herself wondering the same thing again and again: where are all the women? It's not that there haven't been any female creators. In fact, some of the earliest horror films were directed by women, such as Lois Weber's 1913 silent film Suspense. Women have long played a pivotal role in horror; it's just that few people appear to notice them. 'Many people might not even realise they've seen a woman-directed horror before. For example, Mary Harron's American Psycho (2000) and Mary Lambert's Pet Sematary (1989),' Heller-Nicholas says. 'Women's labour has historically been diminished and rendered invisible across the board, and horror is a perfect case study to demonstrate that.' It's from this revelation that Heller-Nicholas' 1000 Women in Horror, 1895-2018 – an encyclopedic exploration of the many women who have shaped the genre – was born. The book, which landed in 2020, has now been developed into a documentary of the same name, which will play at the Melbourne International Film Festival later this month. Directed by Canadian filmmaker Donna Davies, the documentary brings to light several female filmmakers, producers, actors and screenwriters previously relegated to the dark, including producer Sara Risher (A Nightmare on Elm Street), screenwriter Akela Cooper (M3GAN) and actor Lin Shaye (Insidious). Like Heller-Nicholas, horror has appealed to Davies since childhood; she started a witchcraft club with her friends at the age of 10. 'What I love most is how [horror] serves as a cultural mirror – it reflects what society is truly afraid of at any given moment,' she says. 'It processes trauma, gives voice to the voiceless and provides catharsis. For women especially, horror has always been a space where we could explore rage, power and transformation in ways that weren't available to us in other genres.' While making other horror-related documentaries, Davies became increasingly frustrated by the lack of recognition for women within the space. 'Somehow, when men made horror films, they were celebrated as visionaries. When women did it, they were dismissed as exploitation filmmakers or lucky accidents,' Davies says. 'There's also this uncomfortable truth that women's horror often focuses on very real fears – domestic violence, sexual assault, the horrors of childbirth and motherhood – subjects that make audiences, especially male audiences, genuinely uncomfortable.' But it wasn't until Heller-Nicholas' book was released that Davies felt there was the evidence needed to open people's eyes. To accomplish this, Davies structured the documentary around the female experience itself – girlhood, school years, adulthood, work life, maternal life and ageing. 'Each life stage brings different fears and different strengths, and we really wanted to honour that journey,' she says. For example, school life is often associated with puberty, a sometimes horrifying experience explored in the documentary through films such as Ginger Snaps, written by Karen Walton. For some women, motherhood is a horror movie in itself. In the documentary, actor Kate Siegel (The Haunting of Hill House), compares her C-section to body horror films like Julia Ducournau's Titane. 'Women often bring a focus on psychological complexity over gore for its own sake. We're interested in the 'why' behind the horror, the emotional truth of fear,' Davies says. 'We understand that the most terrifying monsters aren't always the ones with fangs. Sometimes, they're the people at the office or sitting across from you at dinner.' Mattie Do – a horror director from Laos – says that while the horror community has been more welcoming compared to others, most genre filmmakers are still men. She says she has to work 'triple hard' to be taken seriously. Loading 'I feel like I have to ... prove that I belong here as a filmmaker, that my works are worthwhile because of their merit, not just because I was born with certain chromosomes,' says Do, who has directed culturally-infused horror films such as The Long Walk. Heller-Nicholas says things are improving. There are now several film festivals dedicated to women in horror, including Los Angeles' Etheria Film Festival, Wench Film Festival in Mumbai and Final Girls Berlin Film Festival. Australia has also been something of a positive anomaly, she adds. 'We've been blessed by a really strong community of women filmmakers. People like Jennifer Kent with The Babadook have been hugely important. Natalie Erika James, who did Relic, is another one of our patron saints.' Loading It goes back much further, she notes. Ann Turner made Celia in 1989, which was initially created as a drama but then distributed overseas as a horror. Fast-forward to today and you have filmmakers such as Alice Maio Mackay, a 21-year-old transgender woman who has already made six horror features, many of which have been picked up by international film festivals and streamers such as Shudder. 'Alice makes low-budget punk queer horrors that are tightly bound to her experience as a young transgender woman in Australia,' Heller-Nicholas says. 'She's not just a national treasure in terms of horror, there's nobody in the world doing what she's doing right now.' Despite these success stories, Davies says more still needs to be done, beginning with placing more women in decision-making roles. This not only includes directors, but also producers, financiers and distributors because the stories that are told are determined by those who control the funding. It's imperative that women's voices – including women of colour, LGBT women, trans women and women from different cultural backgrounds – are actively sought out across the board. Loading Women's contributions also need to be taught, Davies says. 'When film schools teach horror history and leave out these voices, they're creating the next generation of gatekeepers who don't even know these women existed.' Finally, Heller-Nicholas says people must realise it's not a matter of 'boys versus girls'. Neither her book nor the documentary were made to exclude or criticise men. 'From travelling the world and going to film festivals, I've found that men want to have these conversations as much as women do … The shared love of the genre transcends gender identity.'
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Aamir Khan says illegal piracy has helped new audiences find his Bollywood films across Asia
One of Bollywood's biggest stars says people illegally downloading his films helped grow his audience internationally, while technology is helping fans in India find new ways to watch his movies. Aamir Khan has produced, directed and acted in some of Bollywood's biggest films including 3 Idiots, Lagaan, PK and Dangal. Khan is in Australia as the guest of honour for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, which will feature a major retrospective of his work as well as featuring his latest film, Sitaare Zameen Par. While audiences have traditionally watched his work on big screens, he told ABC's The World new audiences had found his films on smaller screens. He said his film 3 Idiots "went viral all over the place" thanks to people illegally downloading it. "My audience grew a lot in the east in countries like China, Singapore, and Japan, Korea," Khan said. "It happened, quite honestly, thanks to piracy. Despite international audiences growing, he became increasingly concerned about the challenges Indian audiences faced accessing his work. He said there were roughly 9,000 cinemas for India's population of 1.4 billion people. In comparison, there are about 35,000 in the United States and 90,000 in China. "Of these 9,000 [Indian cinemas] around half service the south languages, so for a Hindi film, you have roughly 4,000-5,000 screens available, too small a number," he said. While initially believing building more brick and mortar theatres was the answer, he has since turned to the internet and YouTube. His latest film Sitaare Zameen Par (Stars on Earth) has been released on YouTube at a cost of 100 rupees ($2) per view. Films from his back catalogue are also expected to become available. He said increasing internet access in India and the growing number of electronic payments inspired the idea. More than 419 million people use the platform in India, making it YouTube's biggest audience in the world. Industry estimates suggest that some 10-12 million people in India have a Netflix subscription. "As a creative person, I want my film to be able to reach everyone across the country in India," he said. "Now is the time finally where my film can reach a large audience and I think that really helps cinema on the whole." Indian cinema expert at London Metropolitan University, Sunny Singh, told the ABC the move could help democratise Bollywood for domestic audiences. She said ticket costs were increasing and theatres were closing in small Indian cities and that some cinemas had become vandalised for showing films deemed to be controversial. "This could be the silver bullet that shifts things … you're basically widening the demographic for multiple reasons — economic, social [and] safety," Professor Singh said. "If you get a pay-per-view … you're watching it at home, you're watching it in ways where you can have family around, you can also work with issues around safety and security. "Lots of parts of India are not conducive spaces for women in movie theatres, especially if it is past certain times. "It's a rather unprecedented move, I can't say it's a smart move, but it's a very interesting move and I'm very curious to know how it pans out." Global cinemas expert at Queen Mary University of London, Ashvin Devasundaram, agreed. Dr Devasundaram said given Khan's stature in the industry, it could set a "precedent" for Bollywood and independent filmmakers alike. However, he cautioned that the Indian government, which approves all films for circulation, would not hesitate to attempt to force YouTube to remove content that it viewed as being contentious. "There are films that have been more politically interrogative that the government has actively tried to intervene and get YouTube to remove, including trailers, so YouTube is also susceptible to these dictates of censorship," Dr Devasundaram said. YouTube blocked viewers in India from accessing an ABC Four Corners investigation into the Indian state last year. The investigation accused the Indian state of threatening Australia's national security. YouTube said the video was restricted following a valid legal request but the nature of the order was "confidential".
