Short explores dark secrets
Seasoned Bell-Shakespeare actor and Bondi filmmaker Christopher Stollery hopes his inaugural entry to the Flickerfest Short Film festival, a social commentary short called dik, will be a hit with judges and audiences.
Written and directed by Stollery, dik tells the story of a couple whose young son becomes the protagonist for the unravelling of their relationship following a late night argument.
Inspired, in part, from real-life, Stollery says the film has several different threads to it.
“We live in this climate where everyone is very protective of children but at the same time there is this extraordinary pan sexuality that is going on in the world at large, where sexual imagery is getting more graphic and sex is used to sell everything,” he says.
The contrast between these two ways of looking at the world prompted Stollery to ask what would happen if the “deep dark secrets lurking in the background were brought to the surface?”
He also reveals that a dinner party at which he was the lone male among a group of gay females also inspired the film.
“The conversation turned to sex and I was amazed by the assumptions they had about men.”
Stollery says he was particularly interested in their views given that as part of a minority group these women often find themselves dispelling assumptions and stereotypes made about their world.
“I’d love to say more but I don’t want to give away the story,” he chuckles.
Having spent much of the past 20 years as an actor, Stollery is relishing the opportunity to step into the director’s chair and have complete creative control over the project.
“I love it, I absolutely loved every minute of working on this project…it was amazing to write something and see it come to life exactly as I had imagined it,” he says.
“The process [of making films] has become so much more user friendly over the last 10 years and it’s exciting for short filmmaking because it means anyone can get their ideas out there and share their vision with the world.”
Stollery’s passion lies in creating films that strike a chord with people in their daily lives.
“I love modern French cinema which is about people and stuff that really happens in people’s lives,” he says. “Most of us haven’t and won’t ever actually see a gun but we are all in relationships, we can all relate to that stuff.”
But he is aware that filmmaking requires more than passion alone and says the film would not be competing in Flickerfest without the hard-working team involved in the project.
“I was amazed at the generosity of the people who contributed despite long days of filming and sometimes running over schedule,” he says.
“I’m very grateful to them and hopefully their efforts have not been in vain.”
Flickerfest, Australia’s premier short-film festival, returned to its Bondi birthplace last week, showcasing 108 entries from budding directors across the country and around the world.
Celebrating its 20th birthday this year, the festival has launched the careers of some of Australia’s best film-making talents including Adam Eliot, director of the Oscar winning short Harvey Crumpet and Animal Kingdom’s David Michôd.
This year’s line-up – a record 1793 submissions in all genres from drama to comedy, sci-fi, horror, animation and social commentary – is vying for top honours in categories such as FlickerUp, a competition for aspiring school kids, as well as GreenFlicks, a category for films with an environmental focus.
Flickerfest runs from January 7 to 16 at Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach. Individual session tickets and season passes available. Sessions are 100 minutes and are rated M15+ except for Flickerkids. To book call 9365 6888.
