Interview with director Khoa Do
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Falling for Sahara trailer
[Tue 27/09/2011 11:46:50]
Three young African refugees in Melbourne's inner-west find that love is never simple - especially when they all have eyes for the same girl.
Beniam, Ramsy and MJ are best friends. Hanging out at the Flemington housing commission flats they call home, the three Africans share a tight bond and a love of footy. But with the arrival of Sahara - smart, beautiful and AFL-mad - the three friends suddenly find themselves competing for the same girl.
Director Khoa Do co-wrote the film with his cast of African-Australian actors, refugees recently arrived from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia. An initiative of the Bill Hutchison Foundation and supported by the Essendon Football Club, Falling for Sahara is the second film in Do's 'refugee trilogy'.
[Tue 27/09/2011 11:46:50]
>via: http://if.com.au/2011/09/27/article/Falling-for-Sahara-trailer/ZWZPVKZQMW.html
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Dir. Khoa Do
Running Time: 81mins
Turns out there really is a first time for everything! Finally a Khoa Do film I actually like! I never saw last year's Mother Fish, but The Finished People is the worst kind of let's-use-non-actors-and-people-won't-notice-the-bad-filmmaking filmmaking and the less said about Footy Legends, perhaps the worst Australian film I have ever seen, the better. WithFalling For Sahara he has assembled a charming cast of African teenagers to tell his rather sweet tale of refugees experiencing first love.
Following three boys who live in the housing flats of Flemington (the ones along the Upfield line for those who do or who have lived on that particular train line like myself) who all have eyes for a girl who moves in, albeit briefly, and whose stunning beauty has seen her scheduled to be shipped back to Ethiopia for an arranged marriage. Most of the characters here are thoughtfully written and even if the acting is a bit hit and miss - the young debut actress that plays Sahara, Mekdes Getachew, lights up the screen - the film is largely more successful than Do's previous films due to its combination of the sweet without the overt saccharine.
Despite an occasionally negative look at the life that refugees find themselves in, this actually gives it a unique place in Australian films. Never grungy and depressing in its representation of refugee life, it's ultimately hopeful and smile-inducing finale make Falling for Sahara a welcome addition to Do's career. Also of note to local AFL fans is that the film was partially funded by the Essendon Football Club and one of their players, the quite good looking Andrew Welsh has a small role as a footy coach. B+
>via: http://stalepopcornau.blogspot.com/2011/08/miff-blogathon-day-12-falling-for....