17-25 October 2020
Natural Amphitheatre, St Lucia campus
About the festival
In conjunction with UQ's 2020 BLOOM Festival, UQLife is excited to announce the inaugural Ibis International Film Festival (IIFF).
IIFF will showcase the filmmaking talents of university students along with a curated collection of screenings from local and international film makers.
The festival draws on a curated program researched by festival director John Edmond, and is complimented by themed program of shorts submitted and selected by UQ students, under the supervision of Edmond.
A new addition to UQ calendar, IIFF brings some of the best of international film, and local and student films to Brisbane audiences. This year’s festival centrepiece is retrospective of the South Korean master Bong Joon-ho, famous for his Oscar winning Parasite and deft blend of action, comedy, and socio-political critique.
Festival Highlights
Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon Ho’s Masterclass for the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival
Join us for a rare and illuminating journey into the cinematic world of one of South Korea's most versatile writer-directors, Bong Joon Ho! A true cinephile at heart, his work boldly reflects his eclectic taste. From drama to genre, from fantasy to true crime (often with a layer of dark humour), films such as Memories of Murder, The Host, and Snowpiercer have garnered Bong Joon Ho a worldwide audience, with fellow auteurs Guillermo Del Toro and Quentin Tarantino ranking among his biggest fans. His most recent film, Okja, released by Netflix, created quite a stir in Cannes and ignited an important conversation in the industry around distribution strategies and Festival eligibility, all the while enchanting audiences — including those who saw the film at TIFF Bell Lightbox this summer as part of a complete retrospective of Bong’s work. Tarantino once declared that "Bong Joon Ho is like Steven Spielberg in his prime," and luckily for us all, he has more stories to tell.
Credit: http://tiff.net
John Edmond, Festival Director
IIFF Festival Director John Edmond is a film programmer and researcher. He programs and curates through the Queensland Film Festival, guest programs for such institutes as Brisbane International Film Festival and University of Queensland Art Museum, and also edits a series on film practitioners including Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani, Valérie Massadian and Peter Strickland.
Full Festival Program
| Date | Time | Screening Details | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 17 October | 6.30pm |
Bong Joon-ho Retrospective The poor Kim family infiltrate a wealthy home, their lies and bluffs unsettling the careful façade of the Park household. As secrets are revealed, interlocking plots appear, and the film builds to a frenzy. The most acclaimed film of 2019, Parasite won the 2019 Palme d’Or for best film on its premiere at Cannes before receiving the 2020 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film, for its stylishly caustic tale of capitalism run amok. Comedy Drama, Thriller Approx. run time: 132min |
Register |
| Sunday 18 October | 6.30pm |
Bong Joon-ho Retrospective Frustrated with the endless barking of his apartment’s dogs, a barely employed university lecturer begins to wage war on them. As his schemes mount, so do the repercussions and fallout. Bong’s debut film immediately heralded a major talent, and like his most recent film, Parasite, a building becomes a microcosm of social strata and tension. Comedy Approx. run time: 106min |
Register |
| Wednesday 21 October | 6.30pm |
Bong Joon-ho Retrospective In 1986, two village detectives receive unasked for support from a slick Seoul detective, as the three struggle against outmoded methodologies and technology to try capture what could be South Korea’s first documented serial killer. Based off an actual series of events—the Hwaseong serial murders—Memories of Murder is both attune to the messiness of real-life crime and attentive to procedure, becoming widely recognised as one of South Korea’s greatest films. Crime Drama, Thriller Approx. run time: 131min |
Register |
| Thursday 22 October | 6.30pm |
Sound & Vision (Unrated) Music videos are one of the foundations of creative endeavour, with music offering a foundation for stylish artistic exploration and in turn revealing new aspects to their songs and soundscapes. From dayglo animation to romantic 16mm, this program showcases the finest of Brisbane film and video makers from the last year. Films include new works from the acclaimed filmmaker Emily Avila (Fitting, In A Cane Field) and music video specialist Nick Maguire whose previous video for Ball Park Music was received as one of the finest music videos of 2019. Screened with permission from the respective filmmakers. Approx. run time: 90min |
Register |
| Friday 23 October | 6.30pm |
New Sights (Unrated) A selection of films from university students, carefully selected and programmed by the UQ Film Appreciation Society. Screened with permission from the respective filmmakers Approx. run time 30min Bong Joon-ho Retrospective American military pollution of Seoul’s Han river leads to the unwitting creation of a monster, and only the dysfunctional Park clan can take care of it. As the monster’s brutal daylight eruption into Seoul triggers anarchy and a government crackdown, the dim-witted Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) and his motley siblings get ever drawn into the mess. One of the great monster movies, giddy in its unpacking of genre and action conventions, The Host was at the time the highest grossing South Korean film of all time and Bong’s international breakthrough. Monster Movie, Comedy Drama Approx. run time: 115min |
Register |
| Saturday 24 October | 6.30pm |
Bong Joon-ho Retrospective A single mother frantically tries to solve the murder of a teenage girl, believing the killer framed her mentally-handicapped son and that the police will do anything to avoid properly investigating their town. Driven by an acclaimed performance from the veteran actress Kim Hya-ja as the mother, a traditional apothecary, herbalist and acupuncturist, Bong invests Mother with suspenseful wit and tart insight into obsessive motherhood and the politics of small towns. Crime Drama, Thriller Approx. run time: 128min |
Register |
| Sunday 25 October | 6.30pm |
Bong Joon-ho Retrospective In the future, a train ceaselessly hurtles around an icy frozen world. Inside, the train is sharply divided into classes, the luxury of first-class up front and the misery of steerage down the back. For Curtis Everett (Chris Evans, Captain America, Knives Out) only revolution offers hope. Adapted from a French graphic novel, and his first English language film, Snowpiercer is classic Bong in its sharp tonal shifts from tense action to gleeful satire as he applies comic logic to class. Action, Science Fiction Approx. run time: 126min |
Register |
COVID Safe Events
All events and spaces are operating in line with current guidelines. We ask that you please practice social distancing at all times.
You may attend an event or activity at a UQ location providing:
- Have not been in close contact with an active COVID-19 case and are required to quarantine
- You are feeling well and have not had a fever, cough, sore throat, headache, distorted sense of taste, shortness of breath, chills, vomiting or any cold/flu like symptoms within the last 24 hours.
Filmmaking resources
Submit your film
George Lucas, Lynne Ramsay, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson.
Many great filmmakers got their start with short films! As part of the Ibis International Film Festival, we’re inviting you to join the ranks of these luminaries and start your filmmaking journey. Open to university students, you can submit your short film to the Festival. Whether your own independent project, or a film or documentary made for class assignments, we want to see and celebrate what you’ve been up to. It could be a chronicle of your life in Brisbane, a surf documentary, or even a day in the life of your pet beagle - whatever it is your passionate about, we want to see it! The only condition is it needs to be a short (maximum 15 minutes), and you need to be a student.
Selected films will be screened as part of the Festival at New Sights on 23 October.
Submissions close 27 September 2020
Submissions have now closed.
Rules and Terms
By submitting your film (‘the Film’) to the Ibis International Film Festival (IIFF) organised by The University of Queensland (UQ) you agree:
- All information submitted through other correspondence with UQ relating to the IIFF is true and accurate.
- You own the rights or have permission from the rights holders to use all vision, sound, music and images in the Film, as necessary to submit the Film to UQ, and for the Film to screen at IIFF if it is selected.
- You indemnify UQ against any and all legal claims arising from the content or screening of the Film, including but not limited to the infringement of copyright and intellectual property, libel, defamation, invasion of privacy and breach of contract.
- You will advise UQ if, having submitted the Film, you become aware of any potential claims in relation to the Film.
- UQ reserves the right to withdraw the Film from the IIFF if it deems the above conditions have not been met.
- If the Film is accepted for screening at the IIFF, you will be advised in writing. Entry in the IIFF implies consent to screening and publicity in accordance with the regulations stated above. UQ does not provide feedback.
- If the Film is accepted for screening at IIFF, you must be prepared to supply an unencrypted DCP, ProRes or equivalent HD copy for screening. Entries produced in languages other than English must be subtitled in English.
- Freight: films accepted for screening at IIFF can be delivered online or sent pre-paid. UQ has no obligation to pay for outbound return of films.
- Publicity Material: UQ reserves the right to use preview screeners and submitted images for publicity purposes.