Describing reggae music as 'astonishing' is merely the tip of iceberg when it comes to how Richard Sowada feels, visually, about the genre.  He is the head of film programmes at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, home of the upcoming week-long film festival centred around reggae.

The festival is themed Yard! Dub and Reggae on Film, and will feature films like the underground classic, 'Babylon' (Franco Rosso, 1980), Gus Berger's 'Duke Vin and the Birth of Ska', Ted Bafaloukos' 1978 hit 'Rockers' and 2009's 'Rocksteady:  The Roots of Reggae'.  The festival is being curated by Lisa Palermo, Kate Welsman and Sowada, who was quoted as saying:  "Politics and music are a big part of our film programmes, so when opportunities arise for us to explore both at one time it is difficult to resist. The enormous global impact of reggae, the characters, the powerful aesthetic and the experimentation are inspiring -- and the music... well, it just soars."

Right back at you Richie.

Via:  Jamaica Observer