In unison, director Óliver Laxe & composer Kandang Ray have created one of the most intense and heart racing cinematic experiences in recent years with their Cannes award winning film Sirāt (winning the Jury Prize). Playing out like a modern version of Wages of Fear with a missing daughter and a rave in the desert supplanting that films explosive cargo, Sirāt is as intense as experience as any other that follows Luis (Sergi López) and his son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona) as they ask a swathe of desert ravers where their family member is. Óliver throws viewers into the fray from the first frame, utilising Kandang Ray's thumping electronic music to provide a sonic backbone to the anxiety provoking experience. That's a tone that never lets up throughout the films 114 minute runtime, ensuring that by the time credits role you'll be pushing down an oncoming panic attack.

For some, that sensory experience of tension driven filmmaking isn't exactly fitting with the idea of a 'good time at the movies', but Sirāt isn't a film that intends to make you feel good. Instead, Laxe is looking to expand upon the current state of the world, leaving just enough space for the viewer to draw their own meaning from the metaphor that Laxe and Kandang Ray are spinning.

In the following interviews, Nadine Whitney talks to director Óliver Laxe about the landscape and use of music in the film, while in the second interview, Andrew F Peirce talks to composer Kandang Ray about building that sonic profile for the film. Both interviews were recorded ahead of the film receiving two nominations at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, picking up noms for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Score.

Sirāt arrives at Perth Festival's Lotterywest Films from 19 January to 25 January 2026. It will receive a wider release thanks to Madman Entertainment from 26 February 2026.

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Giles Chan's Jellyfish was one of the cinematic revelations that I experienced during 2025. It's a film about a man, Henry, played with grounded depression by Aidan Rynne, who earns money by being a human punching bag. His body is riddled with bruises, most inflicted by others, some inflicted by himself. He's a jellyfish of a person, consuming enough to survive, but otherwise floating through Perth on a journey to nothing.

After one paid beating, he meets Maddy (Orly Beringer), and sparks a bond, of sorts. Yet, it's a relationship that doesn't last long. I'm reminded of the song Rosemary Mushrooms by Jack Davies & the Bush Chooks, which in the dissolution of the bond in that song he wails: 'How can I love somebody if I'm frightened of myself?'

Jellyfish left a mark on me, a similar mark in the way that Giles' short film Interview did when that screened at Perth's Revelation Film Festival. That short film explores how the capitalistic society we live in restricts any sense of self, with people being pushed into a box of servitude.

In this conversation, recorded ahead of the Revelation Film Festival in July, and being released today to honour Jellyfish's inclusion in my annual Best Australian Films of 2025 list, Giles talks about his journey into filmmaking, the literalisation of emotions in his films, and the presentation of pain on screen.

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Even though we're only five days into the new year, one of the standout shows for 2026 is the ABC adaptation of Shaun Tan's Tales from Outer Suburbia. This glorious animation carries a stop motion vibe as it invites us into a version of suburbia, one where deep sea divers roam the streets and single mums try to keep their family together.

We follow Klara and Pim and their mum Lucy, voiced with beautiful attentiveness and care by Geraldine Hakewill. The focus is on the kids, but each time they return home, Lucy is there to tend to them and to set up their new life in outer suburbia.

In the following interview, recorded ahead of the shows launch on ABC, Geraldine talks about the creative process of voicing Lucy, about how her varied roles throughout her career have influenced what choices she makes as a storyteller, and much more.

Shaun Tan's Tales from Outer Suburbia is currently on ABC iView. Head along and give it a watch, it's a great show for kids and adults alike.

If you like this chat with Geraldine, then make sure to check out my earlier conversation with Shaun Tan, or consider becoming a paid subscriber to listen to the conversation with director Noel Cleary. To join up and help keep the Curb independent, visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe where you can support us from as little as $2 a month. Even if you're unable to financially support us, join up to our free newsletter where you'll be able to read my annual Best Australian Films of 2025 list when it goes up on 6 January.

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