ACON Northern Rivers are the co-presenters of Thursday evening’s programme at the festival. Showcasing the films The Skin I’m In, Hold on Tight, and Simply Rob, it’s an evening full of empowering entertainment focused on the challenges and realities faced by countless people within every community.

THE SKIN I’M IN chronicles a transformational journey of discovery and collaboration between three unique artists: American filmmaker Broderick Fox, Canadian Kwakwaka’wakw first-nations artist Rande Cook, and African-American tattoo artist Zulu. The film becomes a personal yet accessible spiritual search that uses Fox’s body as a canvas as he works with Rande and Zulu to design and render a full back tattoo: a unique work of art that tells the story of his past and charts a way of living for the future. Filmmaker Broderick Foxwill fly in from LA for the screening.

Read more…Rooted in the myths of the Kwakwaka’wakw nation, the unfolding adventure reaffirms global indigenous traditions of tattooing that privilege rite, narrative, and community over trend. The film also reveals that three artists separated by culture, race, sexuality and life experience share unique yet similar life trajectories. When Rande first sought out an apprenticeship with established Indian artists, no one would agree to work with him, threatened by his youth and obvious talents. No one in the tattooing community would mentor Zulu either, because of the color of his skin.

As a young man looking to culture and the gay community for role models Broderick’s search also turned up empty; many of the men he would later come to admire (such as Marlon Riggs, Harvey Milk and Tom Joslin) were already assassinated or casualties of the AIDS pandemic. Spanning Canada, Japan, Germany, Kenya, the U.S. mainland, and Hawaii, THE SKIN I’M IN is ultimately about finding a sense of spirit verified through personal experience rather than the status quo. Each in their own way, Broderick, Rande, and Zulu, have found ways to become comfortable in their skins despite early setbacks, prejudices, and obstacles. And perhaps most importantly, each is now thankful for having experienced and survived the challenges that made them the artists and men they have become today. THE SKIN I’M IN offers up courage and hope for all individuals to chart their own path towards self-understanding and social agency.

ACON – Building our community’s health and wellbeing.

ACON is the largest community-based gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) health and wellbeing organisation in Australia. ACON Northern Rivers provides a number of vital services to the region’s community, including advocacy and referrals; drug and alcohol services; information and support for sex workers; those who are at risk of or affected by HIV; and the families and/or carers of people with HIV. ACON Northern Rivers offers a counselling service at Byron Bay Community Centre every Wednesday.

Sounds Like a Revolution is pro-active and an energizing documentary about a new generation of activist musicians who are living proof that music is an important and powerful tool in the ongoing struggle for social change. From the Dixie Chicks to Paris, Michael Franti and Anti-Flag, artists across the musical spectrum discuss their motivations and struggles in a post-9/11 environment when dissent was silenced and media outlets either ignored them or forced them into self-censorship before their material was released. Now with the decade gone, the Internet and Obama bring new hope…..
Including local star NATALIE PA’APA’A from BLUE KING BROWN

Click through for the trailer…

With themes that explore the role of artists in society, freedom of expression and democratic participation, Sounds Like a Revolution tells a universal story of how we are all politicized by the increasingly dangerous world in which we live, and begs the question: Will you stand up for truth or turn and walk away?

The film features dozens of new protest songs and uncensored commentary from some of the most political artists of our time, Michael Franti, Pete Seeger, David Crosby, The Dixie Chicks, Steve Earle, Ani DiFranco, Anti-Flag, Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins, Tom Morello and Rage Against the Machine to name a few

The Sacred Science is a groundbreaking documentary that captures an unprecedented glimpse into the ancient healing practices of the Amazon rainforest’s medicine men, or shamans, whose unique knowledge of indigenous plants and rituals is threatened by deforestation, modernization and ecotourism.

Read more…

The region’s traditional healers have knowledge of a vast catalogue of natural plant medicines and practices that have been time-tested for centuries, but are little-known outside the rainforests and may soon be lost forever. A large number of the synthetic medicines we know today were discovered in these rainforests. However, less than 5% of Amazonian plants have been examined for their healing potential.

The Sacred Science follows eight people from the developed world with a variety of common and serious ailments who embark on a challenging, one-month healing journey into the heart of the Amazon jungle. Working with a handful of shamans experienced in the harvesting and preparation of traditional plant medicines, as well as ritual exercises, these men and women seek to overcome Parkinson’s disease, cancer, alcoholism, diabetes and depression. Ultimately, five of the patients return with measurable improvements, exceeding the expectations of many.

Never before has such a candid, in-depth account of these traditional practices been caught on film. The Sacred Science is a provocative call both to look deeper into these traditional methods and their potential benefit to humankind, as well as to preserve the forests and ancient cultures for the treasures and knowledge they possess.

To see the trailer visit the official website

Click on the image above for some great BBFF coverage.

The full online programme is live and our free 48 page programme will be out in next week’s issue of the Echo with full details of all the films and events happening at BBFF2012. BBFF 2012 features a staggering 200+ films from 39 countries including 132 World, Australian and NSW Premieres as well as 45 films never seen in Byron before.

Tickets to ALL BBFF sessions held at the Byron Community Centre are now available ONLINE at www.byroncentre.com.au. Tickets for sessions at the Byron Community Centre are also now available in person from the Byron Centre Box Office, mon-fri 10 to 4.

Please note we plan to bring you a centralised ticketing system in 2013 but until then tickets must be bought from the venue where the session you want to see is screening see our venues page for more details. We encourage you to book ahead if you really don’t want to miss your chosen films.

For sessions at Festival HQ (The Byron Community Centre) we’re offering discounted multi-passes for 5 (10%), 10 (20%) and 15 (30%)  sessions passes.

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‘The Beautiful Feast’ is the exclusive caterer for 2012 BBFF.  This locally owned business is a perfect fit for a festival committed to enhancing local involvement and supporting local businesses.

On Opening  and Closing Night ‘The Beautiful Feast’  will create dishes that highlight the best in local and seasonal produce this region has to offer. Canapés upon arrival will be a sentimental journey down memory lane, of the food we used to eat before the wonderful variety of world cuisine became so influential. With tongue firmly in cheek these dishes have been created in honour of the Film Festival opening night film “Face to Face”. We know you will enjoy this “guilty pleasure experience” and feel more than just a little sentimental.

Above: Brunswick River Oysters and local Proscuitto & Witches Broomstick Mushrooms and Nimbin Valley Goats Fetta

Grilled Coopers Shoot Baby Capsicums and Nimbin Valley Goats Cheese

The Beautiful Feast evolved initially from a desire to source great produce, cooked with love and respect, but also to offer clients a very unique personal approach to their events. Menus are available to order from but what sets The Beautiful Feast apart is that the client can play a real part in creating the food based on their own favourite dishes or cuisines. The first question asked is what do you like to eat? A special service for weddings and other one off events is to have a lunch prepared for clients based on this information. From there the menu is created over a glass of wine and direct feedback from the clients. In this way people can feel part of the process and relax knowing exactly what they will be getting on the day.

Alstonville Chicken Peanut Sate

Owner Sian Peacock says she is just one of a number of local hospitality providers whom source their produce at local farmers markets, butchers, green grocers, bakers, seafood shops, and whom are committed to the principle of ‘think local, buy local’’. Sian cites what she calls ‘the sustainability challenge’ that exists for independant small business to retain quality and stay competitive whilst the major multi-national corporations dominate the retail food and beverage market.

The Duck Man soft boiled Duck Eggs on Jordans organic rye bread, Bangalow Co. Butter and Chive Flower

“We should all sit up take notice when two giant companies, that now control the majority of this country’s food production and distribution, launch simultaneous media campaigns each advocating support of local, seasonal and sustainable food production. This means that this is no longer just about shopping at the farmers’ markets’ or your local butcher, it is about fiercely protecting small, regional enterprises.”

“In our community and region it is imperative we support local agricultural endeavours and the development of these industries for the future. Tourism and local cultural events are a major driving force of our economy and imagine the sustainable growth and prosperity possible if we grow enough to feed not just ourselves but all the people who come to visit us?”

The Beautiful Feast is committed to sourcing a minimum of 70% of their ingredients from local and sustainable producers.

So much more than just food…

How Hawaiian Surf Culture conquered the World. Master surf filmmaker Jack McCoy ventures into a new realm with his latest feature. This is not a surf movie, it is a film about surfing’s deepest roots; in the subconscious; in ancient lore; in the craft of surfboard building; in man’s perpetual quest for a joyful relationship with the natural world.

Read more…

In eleven interwoven chapters, today’s leading surfers are linked to those who came before, for a deeper appreciation of what it means to be a surfer and the soulful underlying power of modern surf culture. This is a big picture of a memorable story, beautifully told. It is a film about feeling good to be alive – and it will make you feel good. Aloha

watch the trailer…

Watch this video on YouTube.

A Day at the Pool is a documentary-style film that attempts to uncover the true origins of modern skateboarding. Interviews with Tony Alva, Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams and the rest of the Dogtown Crew reveal that an anonymous local kid may have been largely responsible for the skateboarding revolution that lead to their success in the late 70s.

watch the trailer…

An Australian premiere, this debut feature documentary is being hailed as an intrieging  masterpiece. With a compelling sound track by Bob Dylan and Beirut,  Bombay Beach is a film about one of the poorest communities in southern California. Located on the shores of the Salton Sea a man-made sea stranded in the middle of the Colorado desert that was once a beautiful vacation destination for the privileged and is now a pool of dead fish.

Click through for trailer…

Film director Alma Har’el tells the story of three protagonists. The trials of Benny Parrish, a young boy diagnosed with bipolar disorder whose troubled soul and vivid imagination create both suffering and joy for him and his complex and loving family. The story of CeeJay Thompson, a black teenager and aspiring football player who has taken refuge in Bombay Beach hoping to avoid the same fate of his cousin who was murdered by a gang of youths in Los Angeles; and that of Red, an ancient survivor, once an oil field worker, living on the fumes of whiskey, cigarettes and an irrepressible love of life. Together these portraits form a triptych of manhood in its various ages and guises.