The big names are hitting Australia's principal short film event this year in a line-up that will have film-lovers reeling. The
Astor and
Palais theatres will host the
St Kilda Film Festival, Australia's longest running and most competitive celebration of quick flicks.
St Kilda Film Festival
This year's festival offers a big-screen feast for cinephiles, with the likes of
Nadine Garner,
Matt Day,
Tim Lee and
Tom Gleeson making their directorial debuts, while
Barry Otto stars in
Seamstress, directed by his daughter,
Gracie Otto.
Other highlights include
Pet with
Josh Lawson and
Damon Herriman,
Oscar's First Kiss starring
Paul Capsis,
Nash Edgerton's world premiere of
Bear, written by
David Michôd, and
Angus Sampson in
Pop and
There's a Hippopotamus on our Roof Eating Cake.
On the doco front there will be an intriguing look into life as a middle-aged Jewish transgender woman with
Sally's Story, and
These Streets giving insight into the experiences of three Melbourne paramedics.
With only the top hundred submissions making it into the festival, and $40,000 in prizes on offer, competition is getting fierce. "It's increasingly difficult to whittle the field down to a hundred titles," says Festival Director
Paul Harris. "Those titles that make the final cut are of a uniformly high standard with no room for padding."
With only the best in the biz making it into the contest, the festival has gained increasing significance with the local film industry - but it doesn't stop there.
SOUNDKilda will again be taking audiences into the making of music videos, featuring clips from the teams behind the visuals for
Birds of Tokyo,
Megan Washington and
Dan Sultan, there will be a showcase of international short film, and also a special horror revival on May 28 with
Horrorpalooza.
Meanwhile, for those aspiring to get their own work on show, there will be free forums and information sessions held throughout the festival. According to Harris, who is also a renowned film critic, author, performer and lecturer, the crucial element for success is resolute originality. "If you want to produce short films that excite the imagination of audiences swamped by the vast visual imagery and technology of modern life, then you need to be innovative in your approach to form and content. You need to stand out from the crowd, and bearing in mind that each year we attract even greater numbers of submissions, it is imperative to lead audience taste rather than slavishly follow it."
St Kilda Film Festival kicks off May 24 and runs for six days. Full program details will be available on the
website from May 5.
