Hannah Lynch in Petrol. Photo by Jane Zhang.

Fresh from its return from New York’s New Directors/New Films festival, and  a glowing review from The New Yorker, Australian audiences will have an opportunity to see Alena Lodkina’s new feature film Petrol at a series of special screenings accompanied by Q&A’s in Sydney, Perth and Canberra ahead of its release at Sydney’s Golden Age Cinema on May 12 and Melbourne’s Cinema Nova on 15 June.

An Arenamedia film, Petrol stars Nathalie Morris (Bump) and Hannah Lynch. It is produced by Kate Laurie, with cinematography by Michael Latham, editing by Luca Cappelli and production design by Leah Popple. A MIFF Premiere Fund film, the film is produced with the support of Screen Australia, VicScreen, SBS and Orange Entertainment.

Petrol – the story of a haunted friendship between two young women, and the discovery of the world and self through a strange bond – is quintessentially Melbourne in its setting, the city where it was shot and edited.

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Eva, an impressionable film student of Russian background, befriends an enigmatic performance artist named Mia who quickly takes hold of Eva’s imagination. As Eva moves in with Mia and their lives grow more and more entwined, Eva sets off on a surreal journey of awakening, haunted by dreams, fantasies and ghosts.

“For me, Petrol is a film about a young woman’s search of self, the strange line between self and others, the vulnerability of youth. At a time of change and discovery, when one readily loses oneself in other people, the delicate line between reality and imagination can become blurred,” says Alena Lodkina.

Petrol Screenings And Q&A’s

Thursday 11 May
6pm Canberra Arc Cinema (with Nathalie Morris)

Friday 12 May
6pm Sydney Golden Age

Sunday 14 May
6pm Sydney Randwick Ritz

Monday 15 May
6pm UTS (Q&A event only)

Thursday 25 May
 6:30pm Perth Luna Leederville

Thurs 15 June
6:45pm Melbourne Cinema Nova

Screening and Q&A details here.