Flickerfest, Sydney’s unique outdoor summer film festival, has received an impressive record-breaking 1600 entries in 2010. Flickerfest is Australia’s only Academy® Award accredited short film festival with a program that offers competitive categories, International, Australian and Documentary.

45 Australian films, 39 International films and 13 documentaries –
have been chosen for competition with majority of the films screening as World Premieres and Australian Premieres. Official selection includes Australian films The Clearing, Franswa Sharl and Drowning (all world premieres) and, Logorama (France) The Nail (Iceland) and Runaway (Canada) all Australian premieres The total of 97 films in competition are all vying for key prizes, which include the Coopers Award for Best Film and the Yoram Gross Award for Best Animation both of which are Academy ®Accredited. Other prestigious awards include the SAE Award For Best Digital Production, Movie EXTRA Special Jury Prize, National Geographic Award for Best Documentary and a new award, the Madman Award for Best Australian Short Film

“I am extremely thrilled by the calibre of talent that has been selected for the festival this year. Short film is made out of passion, without a box office imperative - because of this, the area of the industry represents the most original and creative film making in cinema today. I’m very proud to be presenting such an amazing programme to Australian audiences across the country for Flickerfest 2010”.

AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION - 5 Programmes

AUSTRALIAN 1

MANS BEST FRIEND
Australia/7min/Video/2009
DIR: Luke Eve
WRIT: Michael Phelan
PROD: Luke Eve & Mim Davis
Man’s Best Friend is a black romantic comedy about a man forced to choose between his love for his wife and his love for his dog. His decision has hilarious consequences.
St Louis Film Festival 2009

THE WAKE
Australia/7min/Video/2009
DIR: Gemma Lee
WRIT/PROD: Charlie Clausen
Jonathan a well-meaning but hopeless misfit makes an unexpected arrival at the wake of his best friend’s father. Initially intending to offer his support Jonathan instead retreats to the front yard uncomfortable with the outpouring of grief from the mourners. He meets Charles the eight-year-old son of the deceased who is also hiding out and the two of them form an unlikely friendship.
Best of the Fest - Palm Springs International Short Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

DEAR DIARY
Australia/18min/Video/2009
DIR/PROD: Kane Christopher
WRIT: Allan West
Arthur is convinced that his wife Rhonda is trying to kill him accidentally. Arthur has recorded in his diary a number of ‘accidents’ that have happened to him recently -seemingly orchestrated by Rhonda. Late one night Arthur decides that he must leave Rhonda for he is in fear of his life.
But the truth will be revealed before the night’s end in a stunning climax.
Palm Springs International Shortsfest 2009
Australian Premiere

IMPRINT
Australia/12min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Edwin McGill
PROD: Annie Flynn, Jason Byrne
A young woman is caught between the love she feels for her daughter, a trauma from her past in Russia & the horrifying illusion it is creating in the present. Haunted by violent recurring memories of the execution of her family in their Moscow home by a “Mafya” assassin. Stalked by hallucinations of the killer, she in turn becomes the stalker as she seeks to rid her world of his powerful imprint and the memory.
Melbourne International Film Festival - Accelerator Program 2009; Raindance International Film Festival 2009

GPS
Australia/6min/Video/2009
DIR: Sam Bryant
PROD: Andrew Morris
Thompson a seven-year-old runt with a gift for direction has one dream in life - to be the voice of a GPS navigator. However he is devastated to learn that he has a debilitating lisp. Will his dream destroy him or is there light at the end of the tunnel for Thompson?
Cannes Lions Festival - France 2009; LA Shorts - USA 2009

SIDE BY SIDE
Australia/10min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Nassiem Valamanesh
PROD: Selena Tan
Landscapes familiar yet strange incite us to consider the liberation that comes from infusing the banal with the beauty of the absurd. Rabbits hop. Feathers float. A house travels. Fish fly. Owls hoot. A paper boat sets sail. A boy and a girl watch side-by-side, together yet alone.
Melbourne International Film Festival 2009

JAGDISH JI
Australia/7:30min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Claire Holland
PROD: Claire Holland
Jagdish Ji - An Indian immigrant driving taxis around the streets of Sydney. After months in Australia he’s still struggling to find his place. In contrast to the intrusive yet loving family he’s left at home he finds himself feeling alienated reclusive and alone. When he‚’s tested by a group of youths he meets in the early hours one Sunday morning he has a decision to make‚ to keep going or go home.
Australian Premiere

BOURKE BOY
Australia/11min/Video/2008
WRIT/DIR: Adrian Wills
PROD: Kath Shelper, Anusha Duray
A father and adopted troubled teenage son take a trip to the son's birthplace of Bourke where they try to find the right words to say to each other before it's too late.
Message Sticks Film Festival 2009

BOUNDLESS
Australia/18min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Stephen Kanaris
PROD: Lisa Shaunessy
Boundless is the story of Craig, a 35 year-old man with Down syndrome, whose quest for personal independence leads him to confront his dreams head-on.
Best Film, Best Director - St Kilda Film Festival 2009; Berlin Interfilm International Short Film Festival 2009

PUSH UP
Australia/17min/Video/2008
DIR: Jason Christou
WRIT: Graeme Simsion
PROD: Graeme Simsion/Jason Christou
In 1961 Michael wanted a watch for Christmas. He got a cricket set instead. As the years pass we follow his family's ups and downs as Michael battles for the ultimate gift.
World Premiere

Duration 114 minutes

AUSTRALIAN 2

EARLY CHECKOUT
Australia/7min/Video/2009
DIR: Jim Lounsbury
WRIT/PROD: Clarke Richards & Dustin Clare
Chris is awoken by his extremely anxious best mate Dan who moments earlier may have accidentally strangled a girl to death while having sex. Tired and a little hung over the two friends do whatever they can to try and get rid of the body.
Palm Springs International Short Film Festival 2009

THE FARM
Australia/11min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Romaine Moreton
PROD: John Harvey
The Farm is a story that confronts transience depicting how folk who are always on the move create a sense of belonging and home. The Farm speaks to the economical cultural and spiritual convention of people who due to necessity must keep moving in order to afford a living.

THE COLOURS OF HOME
Australia/10min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Daniel Pront
PROD: Bianca Baroni
A home is made of millions of colours. As Mike and Karen’s relationship evolves these layers of colour become thicker and more complex. The Colours of Home is an observation of two people sharing the one place & the colours in their lives changing against a backdrop of world issues today.
Australian Premiere

WATER
Australia/18min/Video/2009
DIR: Corrie Jones
WRIT: Ian Meadows, Sarah Shaw and Corrie Jones
PROD: Sarah Shaw
Toby yearns for a life like any other 8-year-old kid but his mentally disabled father is a constant reminder that life for Toby will never be normal.
Nominated for AFI Award for Best Short Fiction Film 2009; Melbourne International Film Festival 2009; Sydney Film Festival 2009

INVASION
Australia/15min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Jessica Redenbach
PROD: Renee Crea
Katie arrives home to find a man in her house with a knife. She survives the brutal attack only to find the fight for her life has just begun.
Palm Springs Shorts Fest 2009
Australian Premiere

SEERSUCKER
Australia/15min/Video/2009
DIRE: Mairi Cameron
WRIT: Katelnd Griffin
PROD: Emily Smith
It’s 1964 and Margot’s first Holy Communion dress is made from a white seersucker tablecloth. Secretly drinking some of her father’s port she heads off to church queasy with nerves and liquor. During the ceremony the slightest hint of the Eucharist sets off her stomach and Margot makes a spectacle of herself in front of the whole parish.
Bronze Award – Australian Cinematographers Society 2009

FLOATING
Australia/15min/Video/2008
WRIT/DIR: Juliet Porter
PROD: Kylie Bryant
An early sea change for Anna and Dave. Fresh air. Fresh start. Anna battles against the current every day. It's time to make a choice to fight or to float.
Montreal World Film Festival 2009; LA Shorts Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

NUMURKAH
Australia/12min/Video/2008
WRIT/DIR: Ryan Coonan
PROD: James Hicks
While attempting to destroy their car and cash in on the insurance money,
Jim and Steve find themselves in a whole lot more trouble than they bargained for.
St Kilda Film Festival 2009

Duration: 103 minutes

AUSTRALIAN 3

SCARY THERAPY
Australia/4:30min/Video/2009
DIR: Suren Perera
WRIT: Stu Connolly and Doug Macleod
PROD: Donna Andrews & Stu Connolly
Scary Therapy is a short animated film featuring monologues of monsters visiting a life-coach. During the film we meet a vampire with first date nerves a zombie battling an addiction and a sexually confused swamp monster.
Animania Serbia 2009; Animest International Animation Festival 2009;
Klik! Amsterdam Animation Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

RALPH
Australia/10min/Video/2009
DIR: Deborah Mailman
WRIT: Deborah Mailman and Wayne Blair
PROD: Jessie Mangum
For Maddie it will take more than just dreaming about the Karate Kid to survive school, it will take a friend.
Best Short Film - IF Awards, 2009

BOXER
Australia/12min/Video/2008
WRIT/DIR: Michael Latham
PROD: Lester Francois
With the speed and grace of a middle-aged man Gary navigates his golf buggy through a giant warehouse only to encounter a defiantly misplaced box. Gary’s desire to organise and neatly shelve the box leads him to discover that there is something in the box... and it’s alive.
Nominated Best Short Film Dendy Awards - Sydney Film Festival 2009; Accelerator Program - Melbourne Film Festival 2009

BIG TROUBLE LITTLE FISH
Australia/12min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Fadia Abboud
PROD: Rebecca Cubitt
It is the Sunday of the Cronulla Race Riots. Ali is a security guard in a shopping centre in Western Sydney - is he a lover or a fighter?
Australian Premiere

YOUNG LOVE
Australia/7min/Video/2008
WRIT/DIR: Ariel Kleiman
PROD: Benjamin Gilovitz, Sarah Cyngler
Erno struggles to jog. He clutches his stomach with his right hand and winces with pain as he hobbles through a deserted farmland. His white socks are gathering mud with each step. It is clear that even though Erno is in torturous pain, it is not safe for him to stop.
Sundance Film Festival 2010; Palm Springs International Short Film Festival 2009; Raindance Film Festival 2009; Brooklyn International Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

CELESTIAL AVENUE
Australia/20min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Colin & Cameron Cairnes
PROD: Scott Alexander
Kath has been looking for love in all the wrong places. Then she finds herself in Chinatown. In the middle of a less than successful blind date she overhears the soulful Cantonese singing of kitchen-hand Ah Gong. Kath is intrigued. But is there more to Ah Gong than meets the eye? Celestial Avenue is an offbeat tale ‚ part karaoke video part cross-cultural comedy about love personal reinvention and a startled pigeon.
Talent Assist Award - SPAA 2009; Grand Prize – Rhode Island International Film Festival
Australian Premiere

THE NOT-SO-GREAT EUGENE GREEN
Australia/13min/Video/2009
DIR: Michael Hill
WRIT: Michael Hill and Jamie Messenga
PROD: Melanie Brunt
Eugene Green is a strange elderly man with a simple dream: to entertain his world through the art of vocal sound effects. Unfortunately he has an annoyingly small repertoire.
Sydney Film Festival 2009; Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2009; Nominated for Best Animation Short - AFI Awards 2009

CROSSROAD
Australia/8min/Video/2008
WRIT: Michael Hoath
DIR/PRO: Maziar Lahooti
A nobody becomes a local hero when he rescues two kids from a car wreck.
Western Australian Screen Awards

TWO MEN
Australia/4min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR/PROD: Dominic Allen
One man sees another man running towards him and ponders his motives.
Australian Dendy Short Film Finalist 2009; Best Shorts Winner - MIFF 2009

ZERO
Australia/13min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR/PROD: Christopher Kezelos
In a world that judges people by their number ZERO faces constant prejudice and persecution. He walks a lonely path until a chance encounter changes his life forever: he meets a female zero. Together they prove that through determination courage and love... nothing can be truly something.
Winner Gold Award - Australian Cinematography Society 2009
Australian premiere

Duration: 104 minutes

AUSTRALIAN 4

WAR PAINT
Australia/3:30min/Video/2008
WRIT/DIR: Heather Phillips
PROD: Sara Taghaode
War Paint is a simple story which asks its audience to explore much larger themes & world issues.
A woman applies her make up while listening to 'Just a thought' her favourite morning radio program but why is she putting on this make up? For men? For power? For herself?

JACOB
Australia/12min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Dena Curtis
PROD: Darren Dale and Rhea Stephenson
George and Milly and Max and Gina live on a small station in the middle of the outback. While George and Max are away fencing Max receives news that Gina has given birth to their son Jacob. Four months later George and Max return home. Max is thrilled at the prospect of father meeting son for the first time. However he is truly shocked.
Melbourne International Film Festival 2009

HAPPY COUNTRY
Australia/13min/Video/2008
WRIT/DIR: Corrie Chen
PROD: Miranda Worthington
A pregnant Chinese woman and her over-confident Chinese husband both trying hard to be "Australian" set off for Sydney in their battered station wagon and discover that distance is not confined to the landscape.
Melbourne International Film Festival 2009

THE WATER WAS DARK AND IT WENT FOREVER DOWN
Australia/12min/Video/2009
DIR: Miranda Edmonds and Khrob Edmonds
PROD: Kate Beverley
During a holiday at the beach, a young girl tries to escape the drowning influence of her mother.
The girl swims to an island inhabited only by birds. It is there she realises that only the strong survive.
Rhode Island Intl. Film Festival 2009; International Film Festival of Ireland 2009;
Santiago International Film Festival 2009; South Africa International Film Festival 2009

TINGLEWOOD
Australia/18min/Video/2009
DIR: Alexander von Hofmann
WRIT: Alexandre von Hofmann and Antony Webb
PROD: Antony Webb, Alexander von Hofmann
When a family sets up camp deep in the Tinglewood forest they encounter an unknown force that leads to a violent battle to survive the night.
Peoples Choice Award, Best Actor, Best Sound Award, Best Visual Effects Award - WA Screen Awards 2009

THE PIZZA
Australia/15min/Video/2009
DIR: Johnny Tran
WRIT: Michael Mohammed Ahmad
PROD: Lien Aguilar
The Pizza is a drama about the complex nature of friendship and family relationships in a close-knit Lebanese family in Western suburban Sydney. At the heart of the story is Moey an honest young man who struggles to understand how a simple well-intentioned gesture can become so misunderstood by those around him.
World Premiere

TOMORROW
Australia/15min/Video/2008
WRIT/DIR: Simon Portus
PROD: David Curzon
Kirsten is a young teenager from a small country town. Laura is a businesswoman on her way to Brisbane. When their journeys coincide Kirsten and Laura make a connection that runs deeper than their differences.
Berlin Film Festival Generation 14plus 2009; Nominated for an AWGIE Award - 2009
Australian Premiere

LIEBERMANS IN THE SKY
Australia/18min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR:: Richard Vilensky
PROD: Jessica Redenbach
Liebermans In The Sky is an offbeat comedic journey through fatherhood, waterbeds & Cabalistic folklore. On the worst day of his life, Alan Lieberman, beleaguered waterbed salesman, begins to realize that like levitation, there are some things in life we cannot achieve. Sometimes falling is just the way of the world.
Nominated for Best Short Film, Best Short Screenplay - AFI Awards 2009; Nominated for Best Direction in a Short Film - ADG Awards 2009

Duration: 107 minutes

AUSTRALIAN 5

THE LAUNDROMAT
Australia/6:30min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Tim Melville
PROD: Dominic Allen
Could such a strange encounter lead to romance?

SHOCKWAVES
Australia/18min/Video/2009
DIR: Serge Ou
WRIT: Michael Cove
PROD: Michael Tear
“Our town” as Terry the star of talk radio loves to call it could be any town. Any town in Australia today where to the accompaniment of the phone-in and the opinionating of breakfast radio people stir dress set off for work or school or shops. On this day there is no reason to suspect anything different. But hidden amongst the callers treated with the Terry’s usual cavalier disdain is one man who will make this a day tragically unlike any other.
Tampere International Film Festival 2009; Best Editing - St Kilda Film Festival 2009

SCHADENFREUDE
Australia/9min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Peter O’Brien
PROD: Elene Pepper
A man's desperate quest for his lost shoe becomes a symbol for the inexplicable. He is forced to hop towards his dark truth through a suspect world filled with a potent concoction of wonder and madness that enthralls and tortures him. He can’t escape!
Finalist In Competition – Budapest International Film Festival 2009; Adelaide Film Festival 2009; St. Kilda Film Festival 2009

CALYPSO
Australia/9:30min/35mm/2009
WRIT/DIR: Jack Parry
PROD: Marianna Parry
The story of an old man’s escape from dying. In the not-too-distant future our elderly are left to be cared for by machines. George, an abandoned, terminally-ill man, has been left to end his life surrounded by a circle of mechanized carers in a cold, sterile hospital ward. His only solace is what little can be seen from his window. Until one night George has a visitor…
World premiere

HUNTED
Australia/22min/Video/2009
DIR: Stuart Moulds
PROD: Scott Alexander
On the outskirts of a future Melbourne Bud a Department of Human Collection contractor hunts illegal citizens. When Zak is caught and taken back to his place of refuge things start to go wrong. Delays forms and more applications keep haunting Bud as he tries to process Zak and move on to the next job.
Australian Premiere

MANDARIN PEEL
Australia/4min/Video/2009
DIR: Anna McGrath
PROD: Aaron Wilson
Mandarin Peel explores memories and dreams of childhood, focusing on the experiences of two girls in the dry Melbourne summer.
Locarno International Film Festival 2009; London Film Festival 2009

STRANGERS IN A SUSHI TRAIN
Australia/7min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Anna Brady
PROD: Fiona O’Connell
All Hank wants is a quiet bite on his way home from work. But when sinister messages suddenly appear concealed beneath his sushi he realises he’s being watched, and it’s not by the octopus at the end of his chopsticks. Somebody in that sushi bar knows his past ‚ & it’s on a bullet train hurtling right towards him. Hank’s about to discover that like sashimi revenge is a dish best served cold.

DROWNING
Australia/20min/Video/2009
WRIT/DIR: Craig Boreham
PROD: Annmaree J Bell
Things are changing for Mik. His world has been turned upside down by the sudden death of his big brother forcing him to redefine his place in his family and the world. The one solid thing in Mik’s life is his best friend Dan. But Dan has a new girlfriend. Drowning is a journey through the final moments of childhood as two friends are dragged toward their adult lives. Realisations of their place in the world their familial responsibilities and awakening sexualities shape the men they will become and their changing relationship with each other.
World Premiere

AUNTY MAGGIE AND THE WOMBA WAKGUN
Australia/11min/Video/2009
DIR: Leah Purcell
PROD: Bain Stewart & Lisa Duff
Aunty Maggie and Uncle Peter struggle to feed their three nephews. The arrival of some chickens provides a new food source...Eggs! When the new rooster becomes more of a headache and nearly dies, Aunty Maggie's quick - thinking shocks the family and makes her famous.

Duration: 107 minutes

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION - 2 Programmes

DOCUMENTARY 1

PHOTOGRAPH OF JESUS
UK/6:30min/VIDEO/2008
DIR: Laurie Hill
Looking for photographs of Jesus, Yetis or of Hitler in 1948? Help is at hand with this documentary-fantasy based on true stories of requests for impossible images. Real-life archives become the stage where fact and fiction collide, belief runs amok and unruly images have a life of their own.
Gold Plaque For Best Experimental Short Film Chigago 2009; Best Animation - Tampere Film Festival 2009; Best New British Animation - Edinburgh International Festival 2009; Telluride Film Festival 2009; Annecy Film Festival 2009

CICADA
Australia/9min/Video/2009
DIR: Amiel Courtin-Wilson
PROD: Sally Hussey
An incendiary visceral monologue, cicada is a retelling of the first memory of Daniel P Jones who, aged 5, witnessed a brutal execution style murder.
Cannes Directors Fortnight 2009; Official Selection Sheffield Documentary Festival 2009

CARL STORMER AND HIS DETECTIVE CAMERA
Norway/20min/Video/2009
Carl Stormer is one of Norway’s pioneering photographers. This film fictionalises Stormer’s first and rather unique project, his spy photography of 1890’s Kristiania.
Australian premiere

YAJILARRA
Australia/26min/VIDEO/2009
DIR: Melanie Hogan
In 2007 a group of Aboriginal women from the Fitzroy Valley in Australia's remote northwest decided enough was enough. Their community had experienced 13 suicides in 13 months. Reports of family violence and child abuse were commonplace and alcohol consumption was rising at an alarming rate. Something had to be done. Something had to change.
Screened At The United Nations In New York 2009
Australian Festival Premiere

SIDE BY SIDE
Denmark/37min/VIDEO/2009
DIR: Christian Sonderby Jepsen
Two neighbours live side by side, but they haven’t spoken for more than 15 years. Instead they have built not just one, but two hedges that separate them. Side by Side is a moving portrayal of human beings, which bubbles with dry humour.
Australian Premiere

THE HERD
Ireland/4min/video/2009
DIR/PROD: Ken Wardrop
A farmer & his mother discuss the arrival of a strange animal amongst their herd of Limousin cattle
European Short Film Awards Nominated Best Documentary 2009

Duration: 102 minutes

DOCUMENTARY 2

GLOTTAL OPERA
Australia/3min/Video/2009
DIR: John Fink
PROD: Deborah Szapiro
Writers: John Fink and Sally Stevens
Mesmerizing, disturbing, hilarious, compelling, repelling.
Mill Valley Film Festival 2009; World Wide Short Film Festival 2009

WAGAH
Germany/13.30/Video/2009
DIR: Supriyo Sen
PROD: Hennig Kamm, Fabian Gasmia
Each evening, the only border crossing between India and Pakistan on a 1000 km stretch becomes the sight of an extraordinary event: Thousands of people gather to witness the ritual closing of the border, after which the masses get as close as possible to the gate to greet their former neighbours.
Berlinale 2009 - Berlin Today Award; Karlovy Vary, Crystal Globe; Zineba Bilbao, Grand Prix

7.57AM-PM
France/11min/VIDEO/2009
DIR: Simon Lelouche
PROD: Patrick Salama, Simon Lelouche
Is music accessible to all? On May 25th 2009 Renaud Capucon interprets Glucks masterpiece, La Melodie Orphee on Line 6 of the Paris metro. Two Days later he gave a sold out concert at the prestigious Theatre Champs- Elysees in Paris.
Public Prize
Australian premiere

MY UNCLE BLUEY
Australia/17min/Video/2009
DIR: Britt Arthur
PROD: James Grandison
A personal story about the things that tear families apart, what brings them back together and how your family is your family always.
Official Competition IDFA 2009; Winner Atom award For Best Documentary Short 2009; Winner ADG Best Direction In A Short Film 2009

BETWEEN DREAMS
France/Russia/Finland/11Min/Video /2009
DIR: Iris Olsson
PROD: Matthieu Darras
A Third class sleeping car of the Trans-Siberian railway train traveling through Russia.
What are the passengers dreaming of and which of their dreams will come true.
Message To Man St Petersburg Russia 2009; Full Frame Documentary Festival USA 2009

NOTES ON THE OTHER
Spain/13min/Video/2009
DIR: Sergio Oksman
WRIT: Carlos Muguiro and Sergio Oksman
PROD: DOK films
Each summer, a crowd of Ernest Hemingway doubles meet in Key West, Florida, to choose the authentic Hemingway after Hemingway's death. One day in 1924 the real Ernest Hemingway also wanted to be someone else. The film is the story of this hypothesis.
Best Short Film Award Warsaw film Festival 2009; Official selection IDFA 2009

SALT
Australia/26min/Video/2009
DIR: Michael Angus, Murray Fredericks
WRIT/PROD: Michael Angus
SALT is a short documentary on photographer Murray Fredericks’ extreme journeys to capture the heart of the world’s most featureless landscape on Lake Eyre, South Australia.
Winner International Documentary Association 2009; Distinguished Documentary Of The Year; Nominated Best Short Documentary AFI awards 2009

IRENE
Scotland/10min/Video/2009
DIR: Lindsay Goodall
PROD: Finlay Pretsell
A short documentary about Irene, a 92 year-old who doesn’t want to be put into a home for the elderly.
Australian Premiere

Duration: 104 minutes

ACADEMY® ACCREDITED INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME

INTERNATIONAL 1

RUNAWAY
Canada/9min/35mm/2009
DIR: Cordell Barker
PROD: Derek Mazur, Michael Scott
Happy passengers are having a great time on a crowded train, oblivious to the fate that awaits them around the bend. The ensuing crisis leads to a class struggle that is as amusing as it is merciless. Naturally there are victims, but in the end everyone is equal.
Cannes Film Festival 2009; Annecy Film Festival 2009; Toronto Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

THE NAIL (NAGLINN)
Iceland/15min/35mm/2008
DIR: Benedikt Erlingsson
PROD: Orn Marino Arnarson Thorkell Hardarson
Robert is an important man with big responsibilities. One day he has an accident that blurs the border between the man and the beast within. Robert acts out and suffers the consequences.
Special Mention of Jury - Clermont Ferrand Film Festival 2009; London International Film Festival 2009; Helsinki International Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

THE SIX DOLLAR FIFTY MAN
New Zealand/15min/35mm/2009
DIR: Mark Albiston & Louis Sutherland
PROD: Wendy Cuthbert
Set in 1970's New Zealand, The Six Dollar Fifty Man follows Andy, a gutsy 8 year old boy, who is forced to break out of his make-believe superhero world to deal with playground bullies.
Short Film Special Distinction - Cannes Film Festival 2009; Melbourne International Film Festival 2009

THE CLEARING
Australia/18min/Video/2009
WRI/DIRECTOR: Seth Larney
PRODUCER: Lisa Shaunessy
Adam awakes in a clearing in the jungle, injured and with no memory of how he arrived there. He searches for clues but soon realizes he is running in circles. Will Adam be able to escape the clearing and discover the truth?
World Premiere

MIENTE (SHE LIES)
Spain/15min/35mm/2008
DIR/WRI/PROD: Isabel De Ocampo
Doina wants to give a birthday present to her young sister, but she has to risk her own life to get it.
Winner - Goya Award for Best Fictional Spanish Short Film 2009
Australian Premiere

NATURE CLASSES (CLASSES VERTES)
Belgium/France/18min/35mm/2009
DIR: Alexis Van Stratum
7-year-old Jonathan is packing his suitcase. He'll be leaving for school camp tomorrow. His mother, however, does not want him to go. And we all know how much havoc a mother's love can cause.

Clermont Ferrand 2009
Australian Premiere

ONE OF THOSE DAYS
UK/14min/35mm/2009
DIR: Hattie Dalton
PROD: Ed King & Kelly Broad
We’ve all had one of those days‚ when nothing seems to go right, when life just seems to be dealing you one poor hand after another. Unfortunately for Howard Whittam that day is Judgement Day.

Audience Award - Palm Springs Film Festival 2009; Nomination - Fuji Films Shorts Festival 2009; Toronto Film Festival 2009

Duration 104 minutes

INTERNATIONAL 2

THE CAT PIANO
Australia/8min/35mm/2009
DIR: Eddie White & Ari Gibson
PROD: Jessica Brentnall
A vibrant city of singing cats is preyed upon by a shadowy figure intent on performing its own twisted feline symphony.
Best Short Animation - Sydney Film Festival 2009; Best Animation Short - Melbourne Film Festival 2009; AFI AWARD Best Short Animation 2009

LAS PELOTAS
Switzerland/15min/35mm/2009
DIR: Chris Niemeyer
PROD: HC Vogel
A junior football tournament in an Argentine province. Proud parents Chato and Lopez are feeling a little nervous; the Capital’s most important recruiters have come to look for new talent among the junior players. Shortly after the game a scout declares to Chato and Lopez that their children aren’t good enough, that neither of them have enough talent. The brains of one combined with the legs of another… now that would be something!
Golden Leopard - Locarno Film Festival 2009; Encounters Film Festival 2009; Interfilm Berlin International Short Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

SÉANCE FAMILIALE
France/28min/35mm/2008
DIR: Cheng-Chui Kuo
PROD: Pamela Varela
A French TV crew breaks into a Taiwanese family home in Taipei for a real TV programme during a weekend. After a short thought and seducing by the possible winnings, Lin’s family accepts to be followed by the cameraman Pierre for two days. Little by little, Pierre’s camera has become a new way of communication in this family. Everyone delivers their way of life and thinking, and maybe a little secret...

Grand Prize - Best European Short Film Festival 2008; Audience Award - Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2009; Best Fiction, Best Script, Best Actress Golden, Harvest Awards for Outstanding Short Films - Taiwan Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

LITTLE MISS EYEFLAP (SKYLAPPJENTA)
Norway/9min/35mm/2009
DIR: Iram Haq
PROD: Gudny Hummezvoll, Kristin Hellebust
Skylappjenta is the story of a Norwegian-Pakistani girl who escapes the forced marriage her family has planned for her, breaking with her own culture.
Australian Premiere

THE MAN INSIDE
Ireland/14min/35mm/2008
DIR: Rory Bresnihan
PROD: Lucy Dyke
A short story in memory of Lisandro who accidently locked himself in.
Best Short Fiction Under 15 Minutes - Palm Springs 2009

LARS & PETER
New Zealand/Denmark/15min/35mm/2009
DIR: Daniel Borgman
PROD: Katja Adomeit
A naive and innocent boy accidentally witnesses his widowed father in a desperate act.
Official Selection - Cannes Film Festival 2009; Melbourne International Film Festival 2009

CONNIE
Switzerland/8min/35mm/2009
DIR: Judith Kurmann
PROD: Laura Zimmermann
Connie is new in town. She soon becomes acquainted with Mani, who rules the village with her gang of moped girls. Connie quickly realizes that she needs a moped. With help from the local boys Connie gets her moped and gone is the serene summer day: Bubble gum is popping, lollypop sticks are snapping; Connie challenges Mani to a duel.
Prix Action, Best Swiss Newcomer - International Film Festival Locarno 2009
Australian Premiere

CITIZEN VERSUS KANE
France/18min/35mm/2009
DIR: Shaun Severi
PROD: Christophe Starkman
When death arrives on the set of a low budget remake of “Citizen Kane” threatening the production. A manipulative producer is left with the dilemma of stopping the film at great financial loss or continuing by any means necessary
Canal Plus Award - Clermont Ferrand Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

Duration 115 minutes

INTERNATIONAL 3

LE PETIT DRAGON
France/8min/35mm/2009
DIR: Camille Moulin-Dupree
PROD: Jean Francois Le Corre
Thirty-five years after Bruce Lee’s death his soul reincarnates in a little doll. With self-confidence the rubber-made toy leaves to discover the massive world around him.
Australian Premiere

CALIFORNIA DREAMS
Germany/18min/35mm/2009
DIR: David Wnendt
PROD: Christian Langer
Today is Jonas’ 14th birthday. He wears glasses, is slightly overweight & the girls don’t even know he exists. His best and only friend gives him a coupon for California Dreams as a birthday present.
SAE Award - Interfilm Berlin International Short Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

IN OUR BLOOD (DANS NOS VEINES)
France/Belgium/15min/35mm/2009
DIR: Guillaume Senez
PROD: Frederic Jouve, Isabelle Truc
17 year old Lionel, beaten by his father, is becoming a dad…
Nomination - Prix Unifrance du Meilleur Court-Métrage - Cannes Film Festival 2009;
Bilbao International Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

HORN DOG
USA/4min/35mm/2009
DIR: Bill Plympton
PROD: Biljana Labovic
“Horn Dog” is the fourth film in the famed Oscar nominated “dog” series. Here are more misadventures from our plucky canine, as he fends off an obese dog, attacking oysters, and a wayward killer violin bow, while trying to win the love of his heart’s desire.
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2009; Palm Springs International Film Festival 2009;
Shortsfest Anima Mundi 2009
Australian Premiere

AFTER TOMORROW
UK/16min/35mm/2009
DIR: Emma Sullivan
PROD: Annalise Davis
Returning to the village of his estranged wife, James grows increasingly concerned when the sinister owner of the guest house refuses to let him leave. A psychological suspense with a surprising yet moving denouement.

Cannes Official Selection 2009, Edinburgh International Film festival 2009; Winner Best British Short Film Curto Circuito 2009; Youth Jury Prize - Alcine Madrid Jury Special Mention

RAIN (L’ONDEE)
France/10min/35mm/2009
DIR: David Coquard-Dassault
PROD: Pascal Le Nôtre, Julie Roy, René Chénier
In this animation, a sudden rainstorm is unleashed on a city. Everyone seeks refuge. Activity slows down and nearly stops. Some pedestrians wait in bus shelters, others are determined to risk it. When the clouds thin out, life continues. The downpour has been a moment's respite in never-ending human business.
Clermont Ferrand 2009; Cannes Semaine De La Critique 2009; Annecy 2009
Australian Premiere

THE DINNER (Vascora)
Hungary/27min/35mm/2009
DIR/PROD: Karchi Perlmann
The Dinner revolves around a day in the life of a small rural Hungarian family during the riots of September 2006. The day starts when the adult son of the family slips and falls during the morning feeding and is laying unconscious in the pigpen. As the day ends and the sun sets, the story also unwinds but not without the proverbial irony we know life to be.
Special Mention Corto Cortissimo - Venice Film Festival 2009; Bronze Palm Award - Mexico International Film Festival 2009; Spirit Award - Brooklyn International Film Festival 2009; Best of Fest - Palm Springs International Short Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

PARKING
Spain/11min/35mm/2009
DIR: Jorge Molina
PROD: Zoe Berriatua
An executive goes to get his car… when he discovers that someone else has beaten him to it.
Manhattan Short Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

Duration 109 Minutes

INTERNATIONAL 4

WHAT’S VIRGIN MEAN?
UK/2:20min/35mm/2008
DIR: Michael Davies
PROD: Sandra Gorel
Sometimes little questions need big answers...
Los Angeles International Film Festival 2008; Palm Springs International Film Festival 2008; Dresden Short Film Festival 2008

MIRACLE FISH
Australia/18min/35mm/2009
DIRECTOR: Luke Doolan
PRODUCER: Drew Bailey
8 year old Joe has a Birthday he will never forget. After friends tease him he sneaks off to the sick bay wishing everyone in the world would go away. He wakes up to find his dream may have become a reality.
Sundance Film Festival 2009; Winner Youth Jury Prize, LA Award - Aspen International Film Festival 2009; Dendy Award for Best Live Action Short 2009; Craft Award + SBS Television Award - St Kilda Film Festival 2009

CIGARETTE CANDY
USA/13min/35mm/2009
DIR: Lauren Wolkstein
PROD: Brigitte Liebowitz
Forced to play the role of "the hero" at his homecoming party a traumatized teenage Marine forms an unlikely bond with a rebellious young girl.

THE TAXIDERMIST
UK/22min/35mm/2009
DIR: Bert & Bertie
PROD: Louise Knight, Andy Welch, Miles Wilkes
A fantastical love story that will knock the stuffing out of any tail that has gone before!
Best Film Over 15 Minutes - Palm Springs International Film Festival 2009; LA Shorts Festival 2009; Rhode Island Film Festival 2009; Montreal World Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

SEEDS OF THE FALL (SLITAGE)
Sweden/17min/35mm/2008
DIR: Patrik Eklund
PROD: Mathias Fjällström
Middle-aged couple Rolf and Eva live in a passionless relationship. They wear and tear at each other and Eva begins to feel sexually frustrated. One night she tries to seduce Rolf. He dismisses her but then something happens that will change their relationship forever.
Cannes Critics Week 2009; Best Short Film - Interfilm Berlin 2009; Best Fiction - Brest European Film Festival France 2009 Grand Prix.

JAULAS
Mexico/10min/35mm/2009
DIR: Juan Jose Medina
PROD: Ana Zamboni
A hostile environment is a difficult to overcome for two misfits a cycle of abuse and exploitation in the midst of desolation.
Festival Internacional De Cine en Guadalajara Mexico 2009; Huesca Film Festival 2009; Special Jury Prize - Palm Springs Film Festival 2009, Best Animated Short.

STEALING THE CORN (ROBUTANJE KORUZE)
Slovenia/11min/35mm/2009
DIR: Martin Turk
PROD: Ida Weiss
What happens if you are caught by the owner while stealing the corn?
International Film Festival Lljubjana; International Film Festival Bratislava
Australian Premiere

SEA DOGS DEVOTION (SEEMANNSTREUE)
Germany/11min/35mm/2008
DIR: Anna Kalus
PROD: Anna Kalus
Sea dog cannot accept the death of his beloved Alwine. She used to banter with him often with these little games…Based on a poem by Joachim Ringelnatz (1883-1934).
Clermont Ferrand 2009 - Best Animated Short
Australian premiere

HE WOULD NEVER DO THAT (ÉL NUNCA LO HARÍA)
Spain/14min/35mm/2009
DIR: Anartz Zuazua
PROD: Mónica Blas, Koldo Zuazua
Laura asks the three kings for a grandfather
Best Short Film - Festival Medina Del Campo 2009; Canal Plus Award - Festival International De Cinema Mediterranean Montpellier 2009; Kinofest Film Festival Bucharest 2009
Australian premiere

Duration 118 Minutes

INTERNATIONAL 5

KJFG No.5
Hungary/2min/35MM/2008
DIRECTOR: Alexei Alexeev
PRODUCER: Studio Baestarts
Three “professional” musicians, the Bear, the Rabbit and the Wolf, are jamming in the forest, till the Hunter and his hound crash the party…
SACEM Short Film Award - Annecy International Film Festival 2008; Special Jury Prize for Excellent Humour - International Film Festival Berlin 2008 Audience Award
Australian premiere

NEXT FLOOR
CANADA/1130Min/35mm/2008
DIR:Denis Villeneuve
PROD:Phoebe Greenburg, Caroline Binet
WRIT:Jacques Davidts
During an opulent & luxurious banquet, complete with cavalier servers & valets, eleven pampered guests participate in what appears to be a ritualistic gastronomic carnage. In this absurd & grotesque universe, an unexpected sequence of events undermines the endless symphony of abundance.

Cannes Critics Week 2008 - Best Short Film (Canal Plus Award); Odense Film Festival 2009 - Grand Prix

MISSEN
Netherlands/12min/35mm/2009
DIR: Jochem de Vries
PROD: Reinette van de Stadt
A 7-year old girl is taken to school by her mother. Today the young girl is going on a school trip with her class. It seems taking her daughter to school isn’t a very ordinary occasion for this mother.

Cannes Film Festival 2009; Sao Paolo Film Festival 2009
Australian premiere

THE SHOES OF ARISTEU (OS SAPATOS DE ARISTEU)
Brazil/17min/35mm/2008
DIR: Daniel Tonacci
PROD: Rebe Guerra
Humiliated right up until her deathbed, a transsexual will receive a special final homage from her soul sisters.
Clermont Ferrand 2009
Australian Premiere

LOGORAMA
France/16min/35mm/2009
DIR: H5 Collective (France)
PROD: Nicolas Schmerkin
Spectacular car chases, an intense hostage crisis, wild animals rampaging through the city and even more in Logorama!
Kodak Prix Award - Critics Week Cannes Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

LUXURY
Poland/39min/35mm/2009
DIR: Jaroslaw Sztandera
PROD: Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Filmowa
The lives of two boys converge at the central train station in Warsaw a day before Christmas.
One is a teen prostitute nicknamed Luksus (Luxury) and the other is a beggar with a dog.
The older one, because of his age, has just finished his ‘career’. The younger one is only a step away from it as he has come into possession of a valuable notebook.
Clermont Ferrand 2009; Brooklyn Film Festival 2009; Brussels Film Festival 2009
Australian Premiere

FRANSWA SHARL
Australia/14min/35mm/2009
DIR: Hannah Hilliard
PROD: Linda Micsko
Twelve year old Greg has inherited his father’s competitive streak. On a family holiday to Fiji they have different ideas about where Greg should focus his talents. When his creative pursuits fail to amuse his father Greg sets out to win him back. Based on a true story.
World Premiere