This year’s St Kilda Film Festival - May 24 to 29 is looking like it’s going to be the best yet with 100 of Australia’s Top Short Films in the competition. Below is a brief run down on eleven of the top 100 short films in this year’s festival (with more films to come).
EVERYTHING GOES
Starring Hugo Weaving, Abbie Cornish & Sullivan Stapleton
Writer/Director: Andrew Kotatko
Based on the short story “Why Don’t You Dance?” by Raymond Carver, this film depicts the unlikely relationship that forms between a young couple building their future together and a lonely man getting rid of his past.
Awards: Winner – Gray & Perkins Lawyers Award for Best Short Film – Lexus IF Awards, 2004
Nominated – Best Narrative Short – San Francisco International Film Festival, 2005
THE WRITER
Starring Kym Gyngell, Krista Vendy, Mel Butel, Rob Carlton and John Flaus
Written/Directed & Producer by Matt Norman (International award winner)
“The Writer” is a film about one man’s passion for writing screenplays and his entwining of what’s real and what’s not in what seems to be his normal every day life.
BROTHERS
Starring Daniela Farinacci (Lantana), Luke Elliott and Jeremiah Tickell
Writer/Producer/Director: Berry Liberman
Every Friday for 45 years, two Jewish brothers, Max and David eat lunch at their favourite Italian café. One day this unbroken ritual will be altered forever by the arrival of a mysterious woman. In their struggle to understand each other and the impact of the war in their lives, they will learn about the fragility of love and family. A tradition born out of food and friendship will be the lasting bond that ties them together.
Festival screenings: Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films 2004 “Best of The Fest’ and World of Women International Film Festival 2004
THE INTRUDER
Starring: Asher Keddie, Bree Desborough, Dennis Linehan, Martin Terry
Writer/Producer/Director/Editor: Janine Hewitt
When Zoe, captive in her home and terrorised by a stalker, receives an unexpected visitor, she learns that when you’re trapped in the past, you have no future.
Festival screenings: Flickerfest – Sydney – January 2005
DENTALLY DISTURBED
Starring: John Safran, Ben Anderson, Kate Gorman, Damian Callinan
Directors: Craig Melville and Cameron Mitchell ( John Safran v’s God)
One man’s spiral into insanity as he tries to find the existence of dental floss.
Festival screenings: Soho Short Film Festival London, Tropfest Best Of The Rest- Audience Choice Award
BLUE POLES
Starring: Hallie Shellam, Sam Worthington, Mungo McKay, Emma Randall
Director: Darcy Yuille
Australia 1974, Libby, a tired hippy, is running from a failed relationship. She hitches a ride with a young farmer named Miles. Miles is on his way to Canberra to see the new Jackson Pollock painting “Blue Poles”. While they stop at a motel, Libby finds and reads Miles journal. She reviews the experiences they have shared in their short time together and she is both compelled and disturbed by the truths that lie in Miles’s words.
Blue Poles is a story about a woman coming to understand her conflicting desires and responsibilities.
Festival screenings: Sydney Film Festival 2004, Brisbane International Film Festival 2004, Temecula Valley International Film Festival USA 2004, Mill Valley Film Festival USA 2004, Cinema des Antipodes, St Tropez Film Festival France 2004, Flickerfest Sydney 2005
THE SCREE
Starring: Sara Groen, Steve Abbott, Paul Livingston, Paul McDermott
Narration: Ruth Cracknell
Writer/Director: Paul McDermott
Five strange friends set out on an adventure in a tiny boat. They discover a mysterious island. An island filled with bizarre vegetation and deadly creatures. One by one they meet a tragic end as they attempt to flee the island and escape the dreaded SCREE.
Festival screenings: Berlin International Film Festival 2004, Sydney International Film Festival 2004, Brisbane International Film Festival 2004, AFI Nomination – Best Short Film 2004, Australian Screen Composers Guild – Best Music score in a short film.
IN THE CAN
Starring: Daniel Fredrickson (Stringers)
Director: Damian McLindon
Comedy about a guy trying to get a can open!
CHEAP SEATS
Directed by: Phillip Danellon
Starring: Barry Otto
Barry Otto (Bliss, Strictly Ballroom) stars as Enjouér, an aging clown who’s lost his place in the world. Tim Sheehan is a boy who hasn’t found his yet.
Through the most fleeting yet poignant of connections, they remind us that hope springs eternal, and touch is often the key.
OUT OF THE CLOSET
Starring: Esme Melville and Paul Karo
Director: Aaron Firth Donato (completed his VCE in 2004 and madethe film for a grand total of $80!!)
Esme Melville is a resident of St Kilda and is one of the city’s oldest actors still treading the boards. Her most recent film work includes: After the Deluge(2003), Forbidden (2003), Bootleg (2002), Crackerjack(2002), Chameleon 2: Dark Angel (USA 2000), Siam Sunset (1999) and tv shows include Blue Heelers, Neighbours, Shorts Cuts and Secret Life of Us.
Paul Karo would be best know for his work as a regular on 70’s TV favourites Prisoner and The Box. Paul’s most recent movies include: Lucky Break (USA – 1994), A Cry in the Dark (Evil Angels – 1988), True Colours (USA – 1987) and Sword of Honour (1986).
DROUGHT
Starring: Mark Mitchell
