By Christine Westwood
We canvassed some of the twenty finalists. They come from all walks of life and the broadest spectrum of film experience. Their responses give a snapshot of what it means to create Australian short films today. Aspiring filmmakers reading this should be fascinated and inspired by these filmmakers’ passion and commitment.
Isaac Elliott worked as a tradie before a motorcycle accident left him in a wheelchair. “I got a camera and began filming motorcycle events and then in 2011 moved to Melbourne to study film at Deakin University. My undergrad film, A Silent Waltz played in many regional festivals around Australia and internationally. It means so much that people responded to the countless nights and 18 hour days that go into making a film.
“For Lexus, I submitted my Honours graduating film A Static Wind Blows. It follows a teenage girl forced to spend a night in a small country town with her auntie’s foster children. Like all my films it’s rooted in my experiences growing up in Alice Springs and small town South Australia. The film was funded through a crowdfunding campaign and my own personal savings. Just to be recognised at this level is an amazing feeling. 2017 – what a ride!”
“It is a brilliant and rare opportunity to effectively realise a quality independent film without compromise,” says Beth Armstrong of being selected as a finalist. “The short I submitted was a comedy/drama, You Cut, I Choose, the study of a sibling relationship spanning four decades. I funded this myself and was writer/director. It premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival, toured nationally with Flickerfest and was nominated for an Australian Directors’ Guild award.”
As well as this early recognition for her work, Armstrong already has formidable experience in the industry.” I’m a graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School and have made six short films, winning multiple awards internationally. I was recently granted the director’s attachment with Mel Gibson on Hacksaw Ridge and I’m working towards my feature film.”
“I’m in some amazing company,” says actor Arthur Angel. “My short film evolved from this idea that I had been working on for the last few years, which was an episodic drama about a paramedic who does some questionable things.
“My co-writer James Thompson and I were going to shoot a sizzle reel to show a little of this world and to also form part of our pitch down the track. But instead I shot an origin story of our main character as a young child. It was privately funded, and by that I mean I had to beg, borrow and try to convince friends to invest in the idea!
“Having worked as an actor for the last 20 years, I was fortunate enough to work with some amazing people, from directors like Geoffrey Wright, Michel Apted, to Kriv Stenders and some extraordinary actors along the way. I learnt a lot from some great people over that time.”
New Zealander Oran Franco won a film competition at age 18. The prize included a trip to Melbourne where Franco discovered the Victoria College of the Arts and never looked back.
“I’ve made a number of short films that have won awards and screened at festivals around the world including Flickerfest and the UK Jewish Film Festival. The short film I submitted is Good Boy and centres around a middle-aged man named Alex whose elderly mother is terminally ill. She wishes to die but needs his help to do so. Having to keep this a secret from his family, Alex struggles to find a way to grant his mother’s final wish and must finally face committing the ultimate act of love alone. I wanted to explore the human drama and conflict inherent in a request of such potent magnitude and the moral dilemma that this character would face.
“To fund Good Boy I took out two separate loans, did a crowdfunding campaign on Pozible with my producer and put in whatever money I had left in order to get us over the line. We also asked for many favours. I am still dumbfounded by the sheer generosity of people who contributed money, time and expertise to help us make this film. I honestly feel that making a movie is like some dark voodoo magic. I still don’t really know how it all comes together, especially in the low-budget/indie world – but it sure is a miracle!”
David Hansen says, “I have done a fair bit of work in the Indigenous sector at home and abroad and love working with different cultures to create something fresh and unique to present to wider audiences. My submission is Slingshot. It won 25 awards and played at BFI London Film Festival. I had to self-fund the film because no one wanted to fund it. Here’s to believing in yourself! Being a finalist is great. You get heaps of exposure in the industry and a chance to take the next step in your career. It also means your work will be watched by a massive audience which is what you need when breaking from shorts to features.”
Sean Meehan began his career as a cameraman in 1996, leaned his directing craft on commercials, eventually creating his own production company. The drive to tell his own stories led him to shoot his first short, the self-funded Lost Face. He reminds us that film is always a huge exercise in collaboration. “To be honest, the whole process was about asking politely for help,” he says. “I’m still massively grateful to everyone who participated in getting the film made.”
“Film is an incredible medium,” says Emily Avila, whose film entry, In A Cane Field, is a story of traumatic loss. “Film opens up a world to be stepped into and experienced by an audience. I landed my first film job at the Brisbane International Film Festival and now run the Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival. Watching countless short films is excellent training for making them! I want to spend my whole life learning to master film storytelling.”
“We look for a broad range of genres, countries and styles,” says Moodley of the short film festival selection criteria. “We try to show striking, original and memorable works.” With such a passionate group of emerging filmmakers, representing the tip of the iceberg of people putting energy and resources on the line to tell great stories, their selection work is cut out of them.
Find out more about the Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship.
