What's on DocPlay in August

1 August

Meet the Wallers

A happy, Aussie couple with two beautiful daughters, living the middle-class life in Lennox Head…what could possibly go wrong? Depression, artistic obsession, charity, money, sibling rivalry, the mortgage, mysticism, the neighbours, rapacious developers, not to mention cancer. Issues abound in Meet the Wallers, yet just like life, not one particular thing takes centre stage for very long. The film observes the intriguing story lines that, in retrospect, define our very existence. Over the 20 year journey captured in the film, we are presented with the question: How can we change the world if we cannot change ourselves? Meet the Wallers is a real-life story that offers personal reflection on one’s own life as well as the delights of a truly authentic experience.

4 August

The Rise of Jordan Peterson

A rare, intimate glimpse into the life and mind of Jordan Peterson, the academic and best-selling author who captured the world’s attention with his criticisms of political correctness. University of Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson skyrocketed to fame after he published a controversial viral video series entitled “Professor Against Political Correctness” in 2016. Within 2 years, he sold over 3 million copies of his book, 12 Rules For Life, and was branded by some as a dangerous threat to progressive society. THE RISE OF JORDAN PETERSON intimately traces the transformative period of Peterson’s life while visiting rare moments with his family, friends and foes who share their own versions of the Jordan Peterson story.

18 August

The Importance of Being an Architect

The vision of one of the largest architecture and interior design practices in Italy is at the centre of a choral and musical documentary that investigates the responsibility of architects in building the society of tomorrow. A society founded on reciprocity, collaboration and coexistence, through a holistic approach to sustainable design. A first step towards an armistice between nature and architecture.

22 August

Maya

The true life story of an Iranian animal trainer and his hand-raised and beloved Bengal tiger Maya. With rare footage from inside Iran, we follow head zoo keeper Mohsen, who decides to unleash Maya for the first time. But instead of the perfect experience, the trip triggers Mayas instincts and reveals a more complex side to keeping captive wild animals.

29 August

Navalny

Enthralling and intimate, director Daniel Roher’s NAVALNY unfolds with the pace of a thriller as it follows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in his quest to identify the men who poisoned him in August 2020. Shot in Germany as the story unfolded and offering extraordinary access to the investigation, NAVALNY is a fly-on-the-wall documentary that is also a study of Navalny the man - a portrait of a leader intent on reform who will not be cowed by anything, including his own poisoning.