Primal Screen

This week on Primal Screen , host Flick Ford is joined by culture writer Will Cox and writer, audio producer, and filmmaker Silvi Van-Wall. Flick sits down with filmmaker Michael Shanks to talk about his latest body horror release "Together". Then, the trio reviews and unpacks "Fantastic Four: Four Steps" . Finally, they wrap up with a brief chat on MIFF 2025 and what to keep your eyes peeled on.

This week on Primal Screen , Flick Ford is joined by film critic Thomas Caldwell and film programmer Alice McShane for a lively discussion of three new releases. The trio dives into "Friendship" , a poignant exploration of companionship and emotional intimacy. They then review "Too Much" , a raw and visually inventive look at excess and identity. And finally, "My Mum Jane" , a deeply personal docu...

On this episode of Primal Screen , Flick Ford is joined by writer and critic Vyshnavee Wijekuma and academic, writic and critic Stuart Richards . The trio are joined by Paula Whetu Jones , to discuss her latest documentary The Doctors Wife which follows New Zealand cardiac surgeon Dr. Alan Kerr and his work operating on children in the West Bank of Palestine. The trio then review James Gunn's firs...

On this episode of Primal Screen , Flick Ford is joined by Alice McChain and Anthony Carew. Flick speaks with James Hewison about Remembering Paris May ’68, a three-day event exploring the cultural and creative impact of the historic revolt. The trio then review Boris Lojkine’s The Story of Souleymane , a powerful and timely drama.

On this episeode, Flick is joined by Eloise Ross and Stuart Richards. Flick sits down with filmmaker Gabrielle Brady to discuss her haunting new work The Wolves Only Come at Night . They chat about Gabrielle's ideology on film making, decentering the autuer and the psychological and emotional impact of climate change. Then, the trio turn their attention to the highly anticipated return of Danny Bo...

Flick is joined in this episode by Alice Mcchain and Silvi Vann-Wal. They chat to special guest Sean Byrne , about his latest film Dangerous Animals, a surfer survival thriller. The trio then turn their attention to Celine Song’s latest film Materialists , diving into her sharp observations on love, class, and identity in modern relationships. They also discuss her acclaimed 2023 film debut, Past...

On this episode of Primal Screen , Flick is joined in the studio by Cerise Howard and Anthony Carew for a lively discussion packed with cinematic insights. They're also joined by special guest Kate Jinx, Senior Programmer at MIFF, who shares an exclusive sneak peek into the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival lineup. Later in the show, the trio reviews the latest entry in the John Wick univ...

You may have heard of these iconic cinemas in Melbourne, The Astor Theatre and The Valhalla (which later moved and became the Westgarth Cinema), but how much do you know about their history? Flick and Cerise are joined by special guests Zac Hepburn, General Manager of The Astor Theatre, and John Rouse, General Manager of the former Valhalla and one of the co-founders at Cinema Nova to discuss the...

This week on Primal Screen , Flick Ford is joined by Cerise Howard and Will Cox for a jam packed episode of film nostalgia and fresh takes. The trio dive into Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning , the epic conclusion to Tom Cruise’s long-running action franchise. They look back at the legacy of the Mission: Impossible series and how it’s evolved over the years. Also on the lineup: reviews of...

Join Flick Ford as she teams up with Thomas Caldwell and Silvi Vann-Wall for another exciting episode of Primal Screen ! This week, the trio dive into the launch of the vibrant Melbourne/Naarm nightclub and artspace MISCELLANIA's new Film Club. They chat with filmmaker Haley Elizabeth Anderson about the Australian debut of her film, Tendaberry , which premiered at the Film Club to rave reviews. Th...

This week on Primal Screen, Flick Ford is joined by Vyshnavee Wijekumar for a jam-packed episode! First up, we preview Cinema Reborn, an annual film festival dedicated to the restoration and celebration of cinema history. Flick chats with festival organisers Grace Boschetti and Digby Houghton about this year’s program and the importance of film preservation. The festival runs May 8–13 at Lido Cine...

This week we welcome back our beloved host, Flick Ford! Joined by guests Thomas Caldwell and Cerise Howard. We review Levan Akin’s deeply touching film Crossing , about a retired teacher searching for her estranged niece, a trans woman, with the help of a young man as her translator. It raises challenging issues – particularly around people whose identity has meant they have been isolated from fam...

It’s Boy Week on Primal Screen , as guest host Alice McShane is joined by Will Cox and Maudie Osborne to take us through discussions and reviews of the boy-heavy releases Warfare , Sinners , and The Rehearsal . Warfare is the latest film from A24, with director Alex Garland ( Civil War , Ex Machina ) turning his attention to the war genre. Following a squad of soldiers throughout a particularly fr...

Eloise Ross jumped into the host seat this week to interview Australia’s unofficial Merle Oberon expert, Rohan Spong. In light of the recent book, Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood’s First South Asian Star and a new creative project Rohan is working on, they discuss Oberon’s contribution to Hollywood. She was the first person of South Asian decent to be nominated for the Academy Award for Bes...

This week, we're diving into three titles that, in their own unique ways, critique capitalist systems and corruption through humor and satire. Join Anthony Carew, Alice McShane, and Will Cox for their reviews of THE WHITE LOTUS, THE STUDIO and DEATH OF A UNICORN. THE WHITE LOTUS has just aired its third season finale, and we have a lot to discuss. Set at the fictional high end resort The White Lot...

This week we reviewed three films that all opened in Australian cinemas last week, but otherwise have little else in common. Our guest host Thomas Caldwell was joined by Silvi Vann-Wall and Vyshnavee Wijekumar. They discuss Richard Gere’s reunion with American Gigolo writer and director Paul Schrader in Oh, Canada (also starring Uma Thurman and Jacob Elordi); the first fully animated Looney Tunes...

Incidentally, the theme for Primal Screen this week was volunteer-run organisations that make it possible to watch films on the big screen with an audience, that you otherwise mightn’t. The small but mighty teams behind both Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) and the Melbourne Cinémathèque do extraordinary work to bring unique films to the cinema. Our guest host Cerise Howard speaks with Sian...

It’s Oscars fever in the studio this week! Even if you don’t have a medically certifiable diagnosis of fever, perhaps you have some milder symptoms still attributable to the 97th Academy Awards – it’s hard not to get a little lightheaded at Hollywood’s night of nights. Anthony Carew jumps into the guest host chair this week with Thomas Caldwell and Vyshnavee Wijekumar, dissecting the highs and low...

This week on Primal Screen, guest host Alice takes us through reviews of Andrea Arnold's stunning tribute to childhood in BIRD as well as THE LAST SHOWGIRL that holds what could be the performance of Pamela Anderson's career. We also hear from Rough Cut Films to discuss on their 'Summer Sacraments' event on March 1, presented alongside Static Vision Film Collective. Included as well is the full in...

This week on Primal Screen , guest host Will Cox is joined by Alex McShane to review Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and Grand Tour . Our favourite frazzled English woman is back for this Valentine’s Day-released rom-com. Renee Zellweger returns to the role of Bridget Jones, this time as a single mother of two facing the prospect of re-starting her love life. New love interests are played by Leo...

On Primal Screen we review three films that have just hit cinemas! THE BRUTALIST is the epic period drama following a visionary architectwho (Adrian Brody) has fled post-war Europe to America for the chance of a new life. Everything changes once he meets a wealthy industrialist (Guy Pierce) who commissions his work. A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is the Bob Dylan musical biopic we’ve all been waiting for. Dir...

For the first show of Primal Screen for 2025, Flick Ford is joined in the studio by Alice McShane and Anthony Carew to review NOSFERATU and ANORA. A remake of the iconic 1922 silent film, NOSFERATU follows the similar vampire tale of obsession, desire, and affliction. The gothic thriller is horror director David Eggers' follow up to such films as THE WITCH, THE LIGHTHOUSE and THE NORTHMAN. ANORA i...

We're celebrating the Melbourne Cinémathèque's 40th anniversary this week, with two of the pre-eminent film society's co-curators in the studio. Primal Screen favourite Cerise Howard and Associate Professor Adrian Danks (making his PS debut!) join Flick Ford to reflect on Melbourne Cinémathèque's vital contribution to cinema and to talk about their upcoming program on Australian documentary filmma...

This week on Primal Screen, Flick Ford is joined by Alice McShane and Will Cox to discuss two wildly different films. Wicked offers a polished, mainstream iteration of a beloved musical, while The People’s Joker pushes the boundaries of intellectual property and the superhero genre in its DIY approach. Despite such different production context, the conversation explores how both films engage with...

"This week on Primal Screen, Flick Ford discusses with guest reviewers Thomas Caldwell and Stuart Richards this week's upcoming releases. The Roman Empire is on everyon's minds as Gladiator II is released onto the big screen, recieving the blockbuster roll out fit for an emperor. Directed by Ridley Scott in follow up to his 2000 classic and starring the muscled-up Paul Mescal, find out whether thi...