Catalyst

Almost a decade after his passing, Playboy magazine and its founder Hugh Hefner, remains a point of discussion and holds strong presence within the collective consciousness. Long before the rise of “Alpha Males” on social media, there was Playboy Hugh Hefner, who became fuelled by his romantic grievances at a time when sexual liberation was on the horizon. The rules of abstinence of his puritanical upbringing made sense for a while, leading him to wait until marriage till the age of 22.

By: Ella Frydman After attending Audrey Hobert’s Staircase to Stardom tour on the 19th of May, I felt inspired. At first, I didn’t know what for— just an uplifting wave of liberation. I can only describe the experience as pure magic. Set below the starry-filled sky of the Forum in a crowd of just 2000, it still felt intimate. Her personality shone through each performance, constantly dancing, spinning and jumping around. The crowd carried the same energy— singing, dancing and crying along with her.

By: Huda Shehzad Federation Square. Photo Credit: Huda Shehzad On the evening of May 3rd, Melbourne’s Federation Square and Town Hall lit up blue. It wasn’t a sports celebration or a light show; it was a reminder. A reminder that across the world, the right to report the truth freely is not a given.

By: Isabelle Parker After a six-year hiatus following their highly acclaimed album The New Abnormal, rock legends the Strokes have returned with a new single titled ‘Going Shopping’. However, the song’s utter lack of substance has left many fans wondering: is this really what we’ve been waiting six years for? The whole time I was listening to ‘Going Shopping’, I was waiting for some kind of beat drop or transition into a line that held the song’s true soul and grit. But it never came.

By: Daiyan Mustansir Starting university can feel overwhelming, and for many Vocational Education (VE) students, that feeling’s often amplified. VE students learn very early not to expect much. Not much flexibility. Not much visibility. Not much patience. VE students come to RMIT from all walks of life. Some are studying straight out of school; others are returning after years in the workforce. Many are balancing paid work, family responsibilities, long commutes, and study all at once.

If you ask a random student on campus if they know about any upcoming RUSU events, they’ll probably look at you like you’re speaking simlish. They might also be part of the club that skips the Campus Buzz emails that perfectly summarises upcoming campus events (did you know that there’s a Student Dance Competition on the 17th of October?).

Paul McDermott is a staple in Australian entertainment. The comedian, musician, and TV personality has made several appearances in the Aussie spotlight throughout his career, including Good News Week, The Project, and the Festival of Voices. Paul is also an accomplished visual artist and has written a number of books, including his most recent project. In this exclusive interview, Paul talks about his current book, life in Naarm/Melbourne as an aspiring artist and the writing process.

Content Warning: animal violence/abuse, rape, murder & heavy violence Set in the hinterlands of Northern India, Sandhya Suri has written and directed a harrowing and gripping tale of a 28-year-old, recently widowed woman who has the same penchant for justice that a common man has, attempting to navigate through her now job as a policewoman within the moral confines of the justice system. Little does she know about the dark secrets it hides and the people it protects.

Content warning: This article mentions domestic violence, sexual violence, mental health issues, substance abuse and other topics that might be triggering for some readers. Short films in so-called Australia have been gaining traction over the last couple of years in conjunction with the screen industry down under.

“How many films did you see at MIFF this year?” That’s the first question you can expect the person sitting next to you at any of the festival screenings to ask you to make small talk. The answers vary depending on who you ask; my response is something that I have had to muster up the courage to say out loud even though it’s the last day of the festival.