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PIAF Presents The 400 Blows and Sunshine

sunshine

For this year’s PIAF, amidst all the new films getting a chance on the cinema screen in Perth, retrospective screenings of The 400 Blows (1959) and Sunshine (2007) will be on at the Dolphin Theatre, UWA absolutely for FREE.

Both films are terrific, yet for very different reasons: The 400 Blows is one of the quintessential ground-breaking films in all of cinema history, as it helped usher in the French New Wave, and is still widely considered the benchmark of coming-of-age films. Sunshine is more recent and not quite as valued, but is a stunning scientifically-minded outer-space film that takes a spiritual journey into not just the sun, but the heart of darkness.

The screenings are part of the Perth Writers Festival’s Big Picture, with an introduction for The 400 Blows by British novelist Ian McGuire (The North Water) and an introduction for Sunshine by American journalist and author Anna North (The Life and Death of Sophie Stark).

The 400 Blows follows adolescent Antoine Doinel and his escalating troubles with his parents, teachers, and other authority figures as he refuses to conform to their rules. Sunshine is set in the year 2057 where the sun is dying and a space-crew are sent to reignite it to save all of humanity. Both films are shining examples of their own very different genres and are both worthy viewings on the big screen.

The 400 Blows plays at Dolphin Theatre UWA on Fri 24 Feb, 5:30pm. Sunshine plays at Dolphin Theatre UWA on Sat 25 Feb, 5:30pm. Both events are free and require no booking. For more info head to perthfestival.com.au.

DAVID MORGAN-BROWN

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