by FilmInk Staff
Thirteen documentaries by students from the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) will launch exclusively on SBS On Demand from Monday 1 June.
The partnership between AFTRS – Australia’s national film and audio school – and SBS On Demand is now in its fifth year of successfully presenting this curated showcase of student documentaries.
Offering distinctive perspectives of the world around them from the next generation of Australian filmmakers, the AFTRS Documentary Showcase is an exciting opportunity for second-year Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production students to show their work to a nationwide audience.
The films are the result of a production brief to create short-form documentaries that reflect contemporary Australia, in all its diversity.
Spanning a compelling range of stories, voices and perspectives, the documentaries are a mix of formats and narratives and include: a mixed-media animated documentary exploring the mysterious occurrence of glowing orbs in the remote Australian outback; an intimate family portrait contemplating the experience of growing up with same-sex parents; an exploration of a Palestinian-Australian man who uses his love of the ocean to stay connected to his homeland through a program that brings joy and hope to the children of Gaza; and an observational study of the collaborative process between a rapper and a music producer as they compose melody and harmony.
Shadow of Hope, written and directed by Mitchell Nielsen – which tells the story of a young Burmese man struggling to escape the weight of a brutal and unforgiving military coup – recently screened at the Rochester Film Festival in New York, and will be part of this year’s Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and the Lighthouse International Film Festival.
La Piazza has also been selected for the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival; and Phenomenawill screen in the International Animation Showcase of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
SBS On Demand and SBS World Movies programmer Alex Walkden said: “SBS On Demand is proud to continue our partnership with AFTRS, showcasing a new wave of Australian short documentaries from the country’s next generation of storytellers. Rich in insight and originality, these films sit proudly alongside the world-class slate available to our audience, with exceptional talent shining through in authentic, diverse and thought-provoking stories told with purpose and fresh perspective.”
AFTRS Director, Production & Facilities, Darren Chau said: “SBS provides our AFTRS students with an industry commissioning brief, Network editorial feedback and distribution pathways to audiences via SBS On Demand. We’re so incredibly proud of this wonderful partnership and initiative with SBS which is unparalleled in tertiary screen education, developing and amplifying the voices of these top emerging storytellers across the leading platform for world-class diverse stories.”
The AFTRS Documentary Showcase will be available to stream free from 1 June on SBS On Demand here.
