By FilmInk Staff
“After sixteen years, The Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival has grown into one of the region’s major events, and to see it expand to a four-day festival that showcases some of the best Australian and international short films is an outstanding achievement,” says Gympie mayor Glen Hartwig.
Like so many Australian and international film festivals, The Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival in Queensland has been cruelly impacted by the long and lingering effects of Covid, but has ridden out the shifting scheduling and widespread confusion brought on by the pandemic with gutsy aplomb. “We’re delighted to play over seventy Australian shorts this year, and we’re honoured to bring our audiences the world premieres of seven films and the Australian premiere of more than thirty,” says festival director Jackson Lapsley Scott. “Filmmakers in this country are making some truly world-class work…the future of Australian cinema looks exciting.”
And you can taste that excitement at the 2022 installment of The Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival. This edition of the festival includes 170 short films assembled into 40 feature-length sessions structured around themes from “Family Dynamics” to “Festival’s Fringe”. The films will be competing for $10,000 in cash prizes judged by an industry jury, who will also attend the festival. Vanessa Gazy is an alumni of the festival, and creator of worldwide Netflix hit Echoes and Stan Original Eden. She joins the jury alongside co-founder of the Queensland Film Festival John Edmond, president of the Noosa Film Society Holly Pittman, and emerging playwright Sofia Abbey. Winners are announced at the festival’s Awards Ceremony on Saturday 29 October, which will also be streamed online. Also attending the festival is the soon-to-be-announced 2022 Patron, with past patrons including Aaron Pederson, Wayne Blair, Margaret Pomeranz and The Speirig Brothers.
There will also be a host of workshops and special events, all of which combine to make The Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival a true stand-alone on the Australian cultural calendar. “It’s a unique opportunity to make strong natural connections with people in the industry from across the country,” says festival director Jackson Lapsley Scott. “Share a beer under the stars, watch some films, compare notes, then boogie to some live music – we’re about making friends more than contacts.”
For all information on The Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival, head to the official website.
