Tuesday, November 15, 8:45 pm

In Heaven They Sing Karaoke by Matthew Victor Pastor     rating: M
Tickets on sale here SOLD OUT

(Australia, 2023/work in progress, 85 mins)
Written & Directed by Matthew Victor Pastor
Based on the stage-play written by Felino Dolloso
Produced by Carlo Valenzona, Felino Dolloso, Matthew Victor Pastor & Daniel Schultheis
Associate Producers Evangeline Lee, Daniel Schultheis, Selina Zhang & Dulce Aguilar
Original Musical Score by Andrew Tran (Fergus Cronkite)
Starring: Felino Dolloso, Lilibeth Munar, Alfred Nicdao & Celina Yuen

Work in Progress screening.
Q&A with Matthew Victor Pastor, moderated by Chris Luscri.

A piercing realist melodrama about Filipino migrants in Australia, spearheaded by a tour-de-force performance from Felino Dolloso, whose stage play is the basis for this film. Unrelenting and dynamic, the film portrays the desperate loneliness and heartbreaking compromises facing many migrants today in Australia.

Interview with Pastor, by Peter Krausz, Movie Metropolis WYN-FM, Nov 10, 2022.

Interview with Bill Mousoulis (from 41:30), by Melinda O'Connor, 3CR On Screen, Nov 12, 2022.

Interview with Chris Luscri (from 44:00), by Flick Ford, Primal Screen 3RRR, Nov 14, 2022..

“My mission has been to reflect the unseen realities for diasporic Filipino (and other neighbouring Asian communities) in Melbourne. This work is personal, traumatic but also essential. What does it mean to be Filipino? What does it mean to be Australian? These are questions that I confront head-on.

I know there are people out there who are just like me who are searching also. I love this story because it's proudly Filipino and Australian, but doesn't take the easy path to be either..." – Matthew Victor Pastor.

Tuesday, November 22, time 8:30 pm:

A Pencil to the Jugular by Matthew Victor Pastor     rating: M
Tickets on sale here

(Australia, 2021, 116 mins)
Directed by Matthew Victor Pastor
Written by Lorena Zarate & Matthew Victor Pastor
Produced by Evangeline Lee, Lorena Zarate, Matthew Victor Pastor & Daniel Schultheis
Associate Producer Maria Cruz
Soundtrack by Andrew Tran (Fergus Cronkite)
Sound Design by Akira Matsuda
Production Design by Maria Cruz & Esther Cheng
Starring: Lorena Zarate, Felise Morales, Shirong Wu, Philip Kim, Akira Matsuda, Mikhail Sheldon, Matt Furlani, Maria Cruz, Daniel Paonessa, Corey Reason, Harry Kim, Ausra Vekteryte, Bridget Moy O’Brien & Yuchen Wang.

Melbourne premiere.
Q&A with Matthew Victor Pastor, moderated by Fiona Villella (Senses of Cinema).

A moody and hypnotic film from Pastor (and quite possibly his masterpiece), as we follow a myriad number of young adults in pandemic-lockdown Melbourne. The brilliant ensemble cast slow-burn their way through this epic film, reminiscent of multi-character films such as Magnolia, as Pastor deftly goes back and forth in time, teasing out the connections between the characters. Acute, breathless cinema.

“Pastor creates an interesting narrative, revolving around the difficulties young immigrants face in Australia, as much as their daily lives, which seem to be filled with sex, drugs, constant search for money, a sense of disconnect and longing for some parental help, and one of hopelessness about the future.

Pastor seems to experiment intensely, with the film featuring monochrome and color segments, point of view shots, close ups to various objects and characters, “silent” sounds, a number of different compositions, and unusual editing that occasionally results in the film looking like a series of vignettes.  This combination of artistic and raw filmmaking works well.” - Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse.