Barunga festival 2025
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Imagine review – profound conversations meet trippy visuals in one-of-a-kind adventure
I've never seen a film quite like this chaotically strange animation from writer-directors Tyson Yunkaporta and Jack Manning Bancroft, who fill it with slap-happy pleasures and plotlines that bounce around like pinballs. Attempting to explain the narrative is a fool's errand, like trying to tickle yourself. I can say with confidence – assuming I didn't unknowingly consume magic mushrooms beforehand and hallucinate the entire thing – that the story follows a teenager, Kim (voice of Yolande Brown), who gets pulled into a surreal alternate universe that they explore with their new pal Jeff (Yunkaporta), a bright-green alien dog. The script was conceived early in the pandemic via Indigenous mentoring program AIME's educational project Imagi-Nation TV, which compiled contributions from more than 150 young people. This partly explains the film's skittish spirit and scattershot structure. Like Alice tumbling through the rabbit hole, Kim travels through a vortex-like thoroughfare filled with swirling colours and crazy patterns, before floating past a giant glowing green Buddha and riding a psychedelic dragon-like snake thing, because why not? This isn't social realism; look elsewhere for films about the lives of Polish potato farmers and Mongolian beekeepers. Kim functions like the lead character in Richard Linklater's 2001 film Waking Life – another head trip filled with kooky elements and weird rants. They're less like a protagonist than a sponge, absorbing the strange goings-on around them. Or perhaps more like a video game character, having a degree of agency and input but functioning essentially as a vessel to guide us through candy-coloured bizarro worlds. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning In Imagine, these worlds take the form of five islands, where Kim and Jeff bump into various Aboriginal elders and eccentric creations – including, among many others, a rainbow serpent (voiced by Wayne Blair) and an animated version of Taika Waititi (voiced by the man himself), who wears a Thriller jacket and shares his thoughts on pursuing your dreams with Kim and a trio of insect-like creatures. Other supporting cast members include Yael Stone, Radical Son, Irmin Durand and even Ian Thorpe. We're obviously not intended to take the film too seriously during its many whacked-out moments, though it also dips in and out of all kinds of meaty monologues and profundities. Before long, Jeff is engaged in deep philosophical discussion with a Viking about knowledge, race, culture, fascism and the foundation of life. As they talk, weird pirate-like rats ride jetskis towards them but never arrive. I'm not sure what happened to our yo-ho-ho rodent pals; this film has a habit of introducing things that visually pop, like firecrackers, then disappear quickly, shuffled off to some parallel dimension. The texture and style of the animation is an eclectic mixture – sometimes beautifully vivid and polished, other times intentionally scratchy and lo-fi. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Indigenous perspectives are laced throughout – sometimes subtly, sometimes in very striking ways. In one scene, based in Jeff's home world, the lead characters are guided through a museum (called 'HISTORY 'n' Other Stuff') by an elder, who tells Kim that 'this isn't like the museums your people made … your people took memories and called them artefacts. Your people took stories and stuffed them. You put barriers, and walls, and ropes, and glass, between you and the past.' It's ruminative, big-thinking dialogue, incorporating ancient and contemporary perspectives. This scene could have been wonderful, but the film's ever-frantic approach boots us out of the museum posthaste. How might this moment have played out if the setting had been properly explored, fleshed out, mined for its narrative and thematic potential? I appreciated Imagine's chaotic energy, but watching it felt a bit like sitting in a car that's whizzing through all sorts of amazing environments, rarely slowing down so you can have a proper look. It's certainly a one-of-a-kind production, and I suspect it'll linger in the memory. Imagine is screening as part of Melbourne international film festival on 23 August.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Kieran Foran's wife opens up on tragic death of son and how she met NRL star
Kieran Foran's wife Karina has opened up on how she met her footy star husband and the tragic death of their child and aspiring professional surfer Logan. A household name in the NRL, Foran will call time at the end of the season on a glittering 16-year career in footy's top flight. He is admired by many as a journeyman, having begun his career playing for the Manly Sea Eagles. He'd later go on to make more than 300 NRL appearances, playing for all of Parramatta, the Warriors, Canterbury and the Gold Coast. The 35-year-old also won a premiership in 2011 with Manly, was capped 31 times by New Zealand and represented the NRL All Stars on two separate occasions. Karina met Foran in 2016 while he was trying to sort out some of his personal issues. 'He quit rugby league and was rehabbing a massive shoulder injury. I was teaching a group fitness class and I was told by participants of the class I had an NRL player coming to my classes,' Karina told News Corp. 'I had to Google him, and I wasn't in a position to be in a relationship. I had six children. Neither of us were probably in a position to be in a relationship but we just had an undeniable magnetism. 'He moved to New Zealand, I obviously stayed here, but when he came back from the Warriors, we were living together and that was it from then.' Karina says she wasn't looking for a relationship at the time. 'I had sworn off men for the rest of my life. I didn't want a relationship, to be honest. He also had a lot of chaos going on at the time. It's not the most appealing thing when there's so much - not really baggage - I had cargo. But he was no different, he had a lot going on himself,' she said. 'What was apparent was none of that mattered, we just knew that we loved each other and we knew it was meant to be.' Karina revealed that the couple have tried to have children together but 'it wasn't meant to be'. Logan, the stepson of Kieran and son of Karina, took his own life while in the company of his grandparents on the Central Coast of New South Wales in 2023. Karina said the unfathomable tragedy was very hard on both of them. '...I feel like Kieran had to put his grieving second for me. Him and Logan were extremely close, they were best friends. They were just the light of each other's life,' Karina said. 'He's got two different roads of grieving that he has to navigate through which I'm so grateful for. Life is very different for me now. When you lose a child it's like your heart is no longer in your chest.' After Foran's retirement, the Manly great will continue to work as a mental health advocate. Foran has also been recently announced as a new Heart On My Sleeve ambassador. Heart On My Sleeve aims to provide support to those suffering from mental health issues by normalising emotional honesty and reducing stigmas about speaking about difficult subjects. The not-for-profit organisation is encouraging others to be comfortable saying: 'I'm not OK.' Lifeline provides 24-hour crisis counselling. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 The Suicide Call Back Service provides 24/7 support. Call 1300 659 467 Beyond Blue aims to increase awareness of depression and anxiety. Call 1300 22 4636
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Llandovery sheep festival goes back to its woolly roots
The weekend-long festival, taking place on 20 and 21 September 2025 in Llandovery town centre, will highlight the wool industry and local sheep farming. It will also be a celebration of rural arts and crafts, local food and drink producers and live entertainment and performers. Rachel Everett, Chairman of the Festival, said, 'The Llandovery Sheep Festival is 15 years old this year and has gone from strength to strength since its inception. It is an event that's been wholeheartedly embraced by the people of Llandovery and its success is very much a reflection of that. "Events such as this are important to the rural community, not only in terms of bringing people together, but also in terms of showcasing the best of local produce, goods and services. "Thanks to the help of Lisa Denison, a local smallholder, we will have lots more sheep at this September's event in the expanded sheep marquee. It will be a vibrant hub of woolly wonder packed with fibre craft stalls, live demonstrations and, of course, a variety of sheep breeds.' The festival has been fortunate this year to have the support of the exceptionally talented illustrator and artist, Jack Skivens, who has recently moved to Llandovery with his family. Jack has generously used his skills to create brand new logos and imagery and will also create a brand new illustrated map for the festival which will highlight the charm, history and hidden gems of the town. Children will have their very own marquee at next month's event for the first time. There will be storytelling, crafts and entertainment especially for younger visitors. Llandovery Sheep Festival Village Show will return again on Sunday, 21 September in the Castle Hotel and entries must be handed in on the day by 10am. Locals are being asked to showcase their talents if they make their own jam, grow their own vegetables, bake, paint, craft or keep bees. The town's Market Square and Castle car park will be a kaleidoscope of colour during the event with exhibitors selling their wares from textiles, arts and crafts to locally produced food and drink. T The Llandovery & District Model Railway Club will be back in the Castle Garage Showroom with their magical model railways. Returning for this year's festival will be a programme of talks on the Saturday in the Castle Hotel, including the Climate Forum discussing the future of energy from 11am. Sheikh Ahmed will then offer a captivating journey through one of Wales' most powerful and mysterious legends – the Physicians of Myddfai from 2pm. From 3.30pm Nigel McCall, award-winning local photographer, is going to give a talk about his photography and his book 'Aberglasney Gardens – a calendar year'. To keep up to date visit the website at and follow on Facebook and Instagram. The festival is supported by the Arts Council of Wales, Tŷ Cerdd, the National Lottery and Welsh Government.
