FLICKERFEST'S list of alumni reads like a who's who of the Australian filmmaking industry: David Michod, the director of the much-lauded Animal Kingdom; Warwick Thornton of Samson and Delilah fame; Adam Elliot, creator of Mary and Max.
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Australia's only Academy Award-affiliated short-film festival kicks off in Bondi tonight with the festival crew hoping to unearth the newest local filmmaking talent.
While commentators lament our weakness in commercial, feature-length films, short films seem to be Australia's forte.
''Australians have carved out a niche for themselves in terms of exemplary short-film making, it's very impressive,'' said Eileen Arandiga, the director of the Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto and a judge of Flickerfest's Best of Australian program.
Since 2002 Flickerfest has screened 30 films that have then been either nominated for or won Academy Awards. In 2004 Adam Elliot's entry, Harvie Krumpet, won the Oscar for Animated Short Film category, and the Australian pair Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey's Flickerfest winner Miracle Fish was nominated for an Oscar in 2009.
Last year Australian short films took out prestigious titles at film festivals in Berlin, Cannes and Sundance.
''I think we've got interesting stories to tell, we're not afraid to make films that might be slightly different or even confronting, and the short form is far more conducive to that because you can make a story that wouldn't translate into a commercial feature film and doesn't have the pressure of the box office,'' said Ms Arandiga.
The director of Flickerfest, Brownyn Kidd, said Australian films were often suited to the short form and festival circuit.
''I think there's so much pressure on Australian films to compete with huge Hollywood blockbusters and how we define our success shouldn't be seen in those terms. It's very hard for Australian films to succeed in a very uneven playing field where Hollywood blockbusters obviously have much bigger marketing budgets.''
Elizabeth Tadic, 38, has entered a documentary, Umoja, about a group of Kenyan women who create a women-only village to shut out rampant domestic and sexual violence. She hopes the short film will help to spread awareness.
‘‘Originally I was going to make it an hour long film but I’d be up against films with million-dollar budgets whereas this film was made off the smell of an oily rag. Whilst we have a really supportive industry here there are a lot more opportunities for shorter films.’’
Flickerfest, now in its 20th year, has whittled 1793 entries down 108 films ranging from 60 seconds to 30 minutes and across categories including Australian, documentary, international and FlickerKids.
The festival has grown from a mere 200 entries in 1991, predominantly because of its prestigious affiliation with the Academy Awards, which means the festival’s two major winners are eligible for Oscar nomination.
Flickerfest runs until January 16 at Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach. Session tickets are $13/$15; season passes are also available. Sessions are 100 minutes and are rated M15+ except for Flickerkids. Call 9365 6888 for info. Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Elizabeth Tadic, 38, has entered a documentary, Umoja, about a group of Kenyan women who create a women-only village to shut out rampant domestic and sexual violence. She hopes the short film will help to spread awareness. ‘‘Originally I was going to make it an hour long film but I’d be up against films with million-dollar budgets whereas this film was made off the smell of an oily rag. Whilst we have a really supportive industry here there are a lot more opportunities for shorter films.’’ Flickerfest, now in its 20th year, has whittled 1793 entries down 108 films ranging from 60 seconds to 30 minutes and across categories including Australian, documentary, international and FlickerKids. The festival has grown from a mere 200 entries in 1991, predominantly because of its prestigious affiliation with the Academy Awards, which means the festival’s two major winners are eligible for Oscar nomination.
