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News

GC Film Festival documentary program packs a punch!

The Gold Coast Film Festival is featuring three exceptional documentaries at this year’s event: Put Up Your Dux, My America and The Echo of Astro Boy’s Footsteps.
 
Frank Dux is one of the greatest and most controversial martial artists in the world. His background is rife with mystery; mystery that has fascinated the world for years. This year, at the 2011 Gold Coast Film Festival the truth will be revealed in the documentary Put Up Your Dux.
 
Dux was the first American to create his own form of the Japanese martial art Ninjitsu, but he’s most notable to film fans as the inspiration for the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme film, Bloodsport. However, much of the rest of his background has come under scrutiny. His time as a CIA agent, allegations of falsified military records and the truth about his underground fighting tournament, The Kumite, are all addressed in the film. “Put Up Your Dux is a fascinating documentary that had me engrossed from start to finish. A must for action fans.” Casey Marshall Siemer, Festival Director.
 
Anti-American values are prominent around the world, but just what impact has one of Earth’s most powerful nations had on those who scorn it without knowing the full truth? Australian director Peter Hedgedus (Inheritance: A Fisherman’s Story) believed that the country stood for truth and justice, until the US’s invasion of Iraq caused his values to waiver. Looking for an honest answer, Hedgedus returns to his native Hungary, and there the quest begins in his fascinating documentary, My America.

There are few people, young or old, who are not aware of the 60’s animation classic Astro Boy. However, the majority of fans would not be aware of Matsuo Ohno, the revolutionary sound designer who worked on the series. The Echo of Astro Boy’s Footsteps tells of Ohno’s trials and tribulations while defining his art.

Matsuo Ohno was a pioneer of electronic sound in a time when most sound teams on animes were content with mixing stock sounds. What Ohno delivered not only reshaped sound in the industry, but paved the way for electronic music. The Echo of Astro Boy’s Footsteps portrays the man’s brilliance, but also the pressure he faced in an industry that did not value his techniques.
 
This film is a must see not only for anime fans, but for lovers of film making and film makers. The documentary offers an unprecedented look at the forgotten origins of the art in a way that is sure to make it a cult-classic.
 

© 2012 Gold Coast Film Festival. All rights reserved.