FLICKERFEST 2015
To kick off 2015, Flickerfest will be back for its 24th year of celebrating the most talented short filmmakers both locally and globally at the iconic location of Bondi Beach. The festival has been introduced as always with a trailer in the theme of a Hollywood film – this time with James Bond sent on a special mission to Bondi to deliver M’s (Robyn Nevin) short film before it is too late.
Bronwyn Kidd has been director of the world-class film festival for the past 18 years, and founded the Flickerfest short film bureau to distribute Australian films internationally, which now represents over 180 of Australia’s best shorts.
She has spent years making independent short films and documentaries of her own, but says her career is now solely focused on keeping Flickerfest running as one of the most exciting and prestigious short film festivals around the world.
Kidd has seen the festival grow from humble beginnings to Academy accreditation. “We’re academy accredited and we are at Bondi, at the beach, making it a very special location,” she says. “There are some amazing short films across the festival. This festival is highly selective so it’s only the best of the best.”
Over 2,400 entries from around the world were received for the festival this year, with only 100 to be selected. The filmmakers lucky enough to have their shorts chosen are in fierce competition for a number of eminent prizes including the Academy accredited awards for Best International Short Film, Best International Animation, Best Australian Short Film and Best Short Documentary, among others.
“We’re looking for films that are unique. They have to be inspiring, innovative and creative. It’s a very big process. It takes many, many months to chose the films,” says Kidd.
One of the short films selected this year is Whispers Amongst Wolves by local filmmaker from Surry Hills, Kevin Lim. The film is a drama-comedy about an alcoholic CEO called Shilo who has dinner with her long-suffering PA, Teddy, opening old wounds and depicting the horrors of co-dependence. The film features local talent, Matthew Backer and Sarah Aubrey.
Lim has always been interested in the relationship between coworkers and wanted to explore the complexities of the working relationship in his latest short film. “They spend so much time together, they get to see each other at their most vulnerable,” Lim says.
Whispers Against Wolves features a female protagonist played by Aubrey who is forced to confront her scars and undergo a life-changing transformation. The idea was born from conversations between Lim and his friends about failed relationships and a desire to create a stereotypically macho character in the form of a strong, three-dimensional female.
“Usually the female character is presented as the helper, or the evil bitch. I wanted to take that alcoholic corporate role and then turn it around. At the start she’s like Michael Douglas in Wall Street. Then you start to see it’s all a mask. She’s forced to take a hard look at herself,” continues Lim.
When it comes to the impeccable casting of Whispers Against Wolves, viewers are in for a treat. Both Aubrey (who is also known as one of Australia’s top voiceover actors) and Backer are NIDA graduates. Punters can also catch Backer in the Flickerfest International short, Latte e Miele (Milk and Honey), a compelling drama set in 1950s New South Wales. When Aubrey isn’t doing voiceover work or acting she can be found blogging over at Everyday Things Etc and playing in her band Girl Most Likely. Meanwhile, this year will see Backer gracing the stages of both Belvoir Street and the main stage at Sydney Theatre.
Another festival highlight is an Australian film by Mirrah Foulkes starring the supremely talented Jacki Weaver, Florence Has Left the Building, where a woman at the annual Christmas Eve concert at the Marigold House Assisted Living Facility is tired of all her friends dying and decides to have one last hurrah.
Flickerfest isn’t limited to Australian films, with the best short films around the world being showcased, like Boogaloo & Graham written by Ronan Blaney and directed by Michael Lennox from Northern Ireland. The film is about two young boys in 1970s Belfast who discover the facts of life with the help of their pet chickens, and is shortlisted for a 2015 Oscar for Live Action Short Film.
Other highlights of this year’s riveting line-up include The Karman Line from the UK, A Tropical Sundayfrom Mozambique, and Japanese film Oh Lucy.
Apart from the competitive programs at this year’s festival, there will also be a number of exciting showcase sessions including FlickerKids, Comedy Shorts, and a program about relationships called Love Bites. After the 10-day festival at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Pavilion, Flickerfest will tour nationally to 50 venues across all states of Australia.
Flickerfest 2015 will undoubtedly be a wonderful way to spend a few balmy summer evenings in January. The local event showcases a carefully curated selection of brilliant short films, commemorating a medium that allows for creative and innovative filmmaking uninhibited from the pressures of the box office.
Jan 9-18, 2015, Bondi Pavilion Theatre, Bondi Beach, Touring nationally Jan-May
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