Red Dog, Jucy bookend London Australian Film Festival

The UK premiere of Red Dog, an adaptation of Louis de Bernieres’ best-selling novel, and Louise Alston’s Jucy bookend the 17th London Australian Film Festival (May 5-12).

The Barbican hosts the 17th edition of the London Australian Film Festival which introduces the best in contemporary Australian cinema and incorporates comedy, horror, historical drama, modern romance, classic Aussie film, literature and more.

On May 5, the LAFF 2011 Opening Gala will welcome actor Noah Taylor and producer Nelson Woss to introduce the premiere of their film Red Dog by director Kriv Stenders.

The diverse selections range from award-winning director Andrew Tarucki’s horror film The Reef to Sandra Sciberras and Kate Whitbread’s romcom Surviving Georgia.

Other highlights include Cannes 2010 closing film The Tree, Sundance winner Animal Kingdom and critically acclaimed UK/Australia co-production Oranges and Sunshine directed by Jim Loach.

Before each feature, short films will appear as the LAFF welcomes back Bondi Beach-based short film festival Flickerfest with a collection of the best shorts and animations in present-day Australian film.

After the Closing Gala ceremony’s showing of Jucy, the LAFF will also present the 16 finalists of the 2011 Tropfest short film festival that was beamed live from Sydney in February and attracted an audience of 150,000 viewers.

For the full programme, visit the official website.