2019 marks the 14th edition of the Apla Young at Heart Film Festival proudly presented by Palace Cinemas. With more options for a new audience, for the first time, this program of 15 selected titles will screen across 13 venues in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, and Adelaide, with Perth making its debut!
You'll find a beautiful collection of hilarious and heartfelt comedies, some must-see documentaries and critically acclaimed dramas and foreign films. The film festival runs from 13-27 February 2019 and you can download the whole program HERE, if you don't' already have a hardcopy booklet. Tickets for all general sessions for anyone over 60 are usually only $8.50, making it great value for the entertainment it provides.
The festival kicks off with anAfternoon Tea event and a glass of sparkling for the screening of the hilarious British box office hit Swimming with Men. Rob Brydon is a 40-something man stuck in a rut with his marriage in tatters. He finds a new lease on life after joining a motley crew of middle-aged men in an amateur, all-male, synchronised swimming team. It was the official selection of the Closing Night Gala at the Edinburgh Film Festival last year.
Thanks to the Lavazza Italian Film FestivalWater and Sugar: Carlo Di Palma, The Colours of Life, came to be known. It heads back to the big screen this festival and chronicles visionary Italian cinematographer Carlo Di Palma's extraordinary work for such directors as Elio Petri, Michelangelo Antonioni and Woody Allen. It's a glorious celebration of a humanist as an artist of uncommon talent.
Quite a few foreign films make it to our shores this festival with Almost Legends and An Unexpected Lovefrom Argentina; Amalia, The Secretaryfrom Colombia; Belle De Jourfrom France/Italy; and Nonnas on the Run from Italy to name a few. As a festival aimed at seniors, Nonnas on the Run will no doubt hit a vein when Angela and Franca decide to make an ultimate getaway from their retirement home in Rome to fabulous Venice in this joyous adventure that's heart-warming.
At the other end of the spectrum, Catherine Deneuve is resplendent in the beautifully restored 1967 classic, Belle de Jour. The beautiful, young wife of a wealthy Parisian surgeon, she's bored and is soon lured into an erotic world of high-class prostitutes. This captivating masterpiece is a commentary on the hypocrisy of social relations and sexual politics that is as relevant today as ever.
There's nothing like a smart, funny, and hugely entertaining romantic comedy to get the pulse moving. Empty-nesters Ana and Marco find there's a significantly huge hole left in their everyday lives when their son goes to study abroad. They agree after 20 years of being together, their feelings for each other have shifted. They decide to consciously uncouple, and find themselves in hilarious situations with unexpected results when they begin to explore the surprising world of the newly-single.
Film favourite Bill Nighy stars in a stylish comedy-drama about a Scrabble-obsessed tailor searching for his long lost son. One of the highlights of this year, Sometimes, Always, Never is sharp of suit and vocabulary of a family who knows plenty of words but struggle to communicate. For an exceptional festival experience this year, you know what to do!
