AuthorRichard

The Italian Film Festival 2026

Palace Electric Canberra
16 September to 14 October 2026
Also in Sydney, Melbourne, Ballarat, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Byron Bay and Ballina

This year’s festival opens with Holy Cannoli, an Italian, box office hit which uses comedy to expose the contradictions of contemporary Italian life seen through the eyes of a soul-searching, sweet-toothed sceptic.

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Joanna Jenkins – Bad Neighbours

Allen & Unwin, Australia 2026
Cover design Christa Moffitt, Christabella Designs
Cover images Jaroslaw Blaminsky/Trevillion Images; Shutterstock

Commercial litigation lawyer Ruth Dawson is beset both professionally and personally in Bad Neighbours, a twisty tale of greed, property and betrayal.

Barbie spoke to Joanna Jenkins about Bad Neighbours
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Neil Lade – Mixed Up

Q Gallery Art Hub
Ainslie Shops ACT
Until Thursday 6 August 2026

Artist and former journalist Neil Lade says the title of his solo exhibition of sketches and paintings reflects its mixture of the surreal, weird and comical, as well as the creation of the works over time – and his own life.

Richard spoke to Neil Lade about Mixed Up and his career as a journalist and artist
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Val Johnson – Tracks North

A journey by train to Darwin and surrounds
Strathnairn Arts
90 Stockdill Drive, Holt, ACT
Wednesday to Sunday 10am till 4pm
Until 26 July 2026

Val Johnson’s latest exhibition traces a journey through the Australian landscape, as she travelled from Melbourne aboard the Overland train and then north on the Ghan from Adelaide.

Barbie visited Strathnairn Arts to talk to Val Johnson about Tracks North
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The Training Ground – The Edge

Directed by Bonnie Neate and Suzy Piani
Erindale Theatre, McBryde Crescent, Wanniassa ACT
7pm Friday 24 and Saturday 25 July 2026

The Edge is a full-length contemporary dance work that examines the price of ambition, corporate dehumanisation, greed and psychological warfare. It blends contemporary dance, cinematic storytelling, and digital animation

Richard visited The Training Ground studios to talk to Suzy Piani and Bonnie Neate about The Edge
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Victoria Brownlow – The Writers Retreat

Affirm Press, Australia 2026
Cover design Deb Parry

The Writers Retreat is a clever work with almost an ‘insiders’ feel to it. Anyone who has anything to do with the writing and publishing world or who has ventured on a writing retreat will find that it strikes chords.

Barbie spoke to Victoria Brownlow about The Writers Retreat
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Arianne James – Daughters of the Tide

HarperCollinsPublishers, Australia 2026
Cover design Emily O’Neill
Cover images rawpixel.com and shutterstock.com

Arianne James’ tale of selkies and other merfolk plunges us into the waters of Tasmania and Scotland with a rich heritage of folklore and seafaring. The powerful feminine is at its core – sisterhood, family and women’s wisdom.

Barbie spoke to Arianne James about Daughters of the Tide
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Musica Viva – The Doric String Quartet

With Australian clarinetist Lloyd Van’t Hoff
Llewellyn Hall ANU
7pm Friday19 June 2026

In this concert, London’s Doric String Quartet perform a masterpiece by Beethoven, the String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 ‘Razumovsky’, and Benjamin Britten’s Three Divertimenti for String Quartet.

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