Actors, filmmakers, members of this years jury seasoned campaigners and a bevy of Flickerfest alumni flocked to Bondi for an evening of short films under the stars.
Flickerfest’s celebrates it’s 30th Anniversary as Australia’s largest short film festival. Flickerfest has been the launchpad for many filmmakers, actors, directors and production crew in the Australian cinematic landscape. 
To mark the ocassion, the opening night screening featured special video messages from Flickerfest alumni including Paul McDermott, Adam Elliott, Rachel ward, David Michod, Nash Edgerton and Warwick Thornton.
Celebrating beachside in an all new location, with a pop up garden bar and outdoor cinema, the opening screening was an exciting showcase of highlights previewing the light hearted, humour and thought provoking works that fill this year’s season who were selected from over 2700 submissions:
A hilarious animation that takes the bipolarity of Brad Pitt’s fight club fused with Marvel comics action. Eliminating his rival hamsters, angel fish, chameleon and snake who were the prospective owners’ preferred choice of pet, the rage kicks in as the parkour maneouvreung ninja hamster slays his competition. Be careful what you wish for Roborovski, because the ending you get when you finally leave the pet store may not be the one you expect!
Will Ferrell stays true to form finding humour from material he is given. Playing a therapist, his son David interrupts a life threatening session of one of his patients as work and home life comes to a head! Such a simple plot packed with stomach belching laughs, the cast (Fred Hechinger and William Jackson Harper) don’t miss a beat in the delivery of this tales punchlines.
“Once that poison is released into the ecosystems of that relationship it can never be recovered.”
As a Vampire Diaries and The Originals fan,
Phoebe Tonkin’s directorial debut showed a new side to her storytelling challenging human nature’s immediate response to cast judgement and jump to conclusions.
Co stars Markella Kavenagh (Romper Stomper, Picnic at Hanging Rock) and Milly Alcock (Reckoning) play the carefree kindred spirits cleverly leading us down a path which we think we have figured out.
Its a reminder that we don’t know what is going on upstairs or have any inkling into the personal struggles people we encounter have when it can be so easy to discard them based on what we observe on surface level.
When it comes to the way diversity and stories in first nation culture are told we realise after seeing this film that we have barely begun to scratch the surface. Notions of dreamtime spirits and superstition are touched on and embellished in which a new horror genre unique to Australia is born. Soft edge shots and emotionally intense close ups will have you jolting from your seats as Shari Sebbens and Moyne Wyatt (The Sapphires, Redfern Now) play on our fears from the moment they bring their newborn baby Jacob home. There’s definitely something here that is yet to be fully exploited with the promise of 40,000 years of history to draw from in this kind of horror story.
A very cute story and unlikely pairing that warms the heart that contrasts the harshness of reality and helplessness and the hopes and dreams of innocence and youth.
Due to our seating in row U, this foreign film was difficult to follow as subtitles were blocked out of view for most of the time.
Guests in attendance included long-time Flickerfest supporters and members of this years Jury including Paul McDermott, Alyssa McClelland, Nel Minchin and Craig Boreham to name a few. Tim Robards who stars in The Swimming Chair, locals and Bondi Hipster Christiaan Van Vuuren and wife (one third of comedy trio Skit Box) Adele Vuko, Michael Sheasby (Hacksaw Ridge), Claudia Karvan of whom will present the award this year for Best Emerging Female Director alongside cast members of Stan Original ‘Bump’; Nathalie Morris and Carlos Sanson Jnr amongst many others including Waverley Council Mayor Paula Masselos
Flickerfest 30th Anniversary celebrations and screenings continue until 32 January before touring across cities nationally.
Where – Flickerfest Festival Garden, North Park Beachfront, Bondi Beach
Photography: Enzo Amato / Society Group
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