Goodbye... until the Regional Tour!

As we go on, 

We remember,

All the good times,

We had together. 

Awful song, lovely message. 

Tonight the 29th St Kilda Film Festival waved goodbye to another year of innovative and inspiring short films from across Australia (and the world -- for the International section). We've loved seeing y'all at The Astor, The Palais, Town Hall and Forum Hall, supporting the industry we all love in such a quintessentially 'Melbourne' setting.    

Congratulations to all the winners at tonight's Closing Night Awards -- you all deserve the great prizes on offer (including a whopping $10,000 for Best Short Film). For everyone who was nominated for an award, you should be proud too -- it takes a lot to stand out from such a strong field of entrants. In other Closing Night comments, Bob Franklin was in fine form as MC, delivering a dry-as-gin routine in hilarious fashion, and the venue looked very swish with colourful table displays and watercolour lighting effects a treat for the eyes. 

Listed below is a list of the winning films and people: 

Best Achievement in Production Design: Cryo – KAREN MURPHY
Best Achievement in Sound Post Production: Nullarbor - MATT BAUER
Best Original Score: The Missing Key - MILES NICHOLAS, JONATHAN NIX, KATHRYN BROWNHILL
SBS Award Winner: THE WILDING, Dir Grant Scicluna / Prod Jannine Barnes
Under the Radar – Best Youth Short Film: THE TROUBLE WITH ALEXANDER – Dir & Prod Blake Borcich
Best Achievement in Indigenous Filmmaking: YAPAWARNTI PALU RIJIKARRIJANI – Dir. Kai Raisbeck / Prod. Kai Raisbeck
Best Documentary: THE GLOBE COLLECTOR – Dir. Summer DeRoche / Prod. Andrea Distefano
Best Animation: THE MISSING KEY – Dir. Jonathan Nix /Prod. Garth Nix
Best Comedy: BOO! – Dir. Rupert Reid / Prod. Matthew Reeder
Best Actor: ANGOURIE RICE – Transmission
Audience Choice Award: THE PALACE – Dir. Anthony Maras / Prod. Anthony Maras, Kate Croser, Andros Achilleos
Craft Award: INTO THE SUN – Dir. Amy Gebhardt / Prod. Allison Lockwood
Craft Award Commendation: TEN QUINTILLION – Dir. Romilly Spiers / Prod. Romilly Spiers, Daniel Gregg
Best Director: Transmission - ZAK HILDITCH


BEST SHORT FILM: Transmission – Dir. Zak Hilditch / Prod. Liz Kearney


Well that's all folks, for the St Kilda Film Festival 2012! All the team have had a great Festival and we look forward to seeing next year's Top 100 entries, along with a whole new array of SoundKilda clips, new and exciting forums, and a new international program. 


I hope that you're all as excited about the future of Aussie film as we are! 


Remember: I'll be back to bring updates about the Regional Tour later this year! 


Intern (Max) Over and Out 

Things got arty at the after party

The Festival Wraps Up

Festival Friends,

Sadly, the curtain is soon to close on another year of the St Kilda Film Festival -- and what a year it has been! Yesterday the Top 100 sessions had solid attendance, alongside the Industry Open Day and the specialist Forums at the Forum Hall. As has become an annual tradition, Paul Harris hosted Film Buff's Forecast program, opening with, "We are coming live from the foyer of the beautiful, ornate few remaining picture palaces in Melbourne -- The Astor... it might be in a traffic gridlock but it's still looking in all its pristine glory".

Harris got to chat with Colin Usher, director of Top 100 documentary, the very sweet Betty's Tap Catz. Usher says "I like doing an uplifting documentary - so when the audience walks out of the theatre they feel happy about it". Betty's Tap Catz is the feel-good documentary about Betty Crocker ("not to be confused with the cookery icon" says Harris) a mature-aged dance teacher, motivating other elderly folks to get up and boogie down.

Another guest featured was the director of Tranmission Zak Hilditch. Harris mentions that it "has already had a pretty run and has played at several festivals including Tribeca" "yeah, it's been pretty exciting to meet other filmmakers and screenwriters". Funded by Screen Australia's 'Springboard' initiative, the film was made as teaser for a feature or at least "the mood and tone of a feature" as Hilditch says.

To catch the rest of yesterday's 'Film Buff's Forecast' check out http://ondemand.rrr.org.au/  for more filmy goodness.

Ten Things To Know Before You Shoot -- Forum on Friday, presented by Digital Pictures

Triple R's 'Film Buff's Forecast' -- direct from The Astor's wonderful Art Deco lobby

Remember that tonight is Closing Night, for which there are still tickets available to see the Festival's best and brightest be awarded for their efforts. It will be a great night of celebrating Australia's film industry and perhaps a good chance to network...

Also, there are the two final Top 100 film sessions (including the moving Adam's Tallit, the mesmerising documentary collaboration We Were Here, and the hilarious Picking Up At Auschwitz) the first session starts at 3.30pm, the second at 6.30pm. Also, we can't forget about the second Irish Shorts session (from 5pm), another fresh look at Irish culture.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the last night of St Kilda Film Festival 2012.
This isn't my last post, so don't get all teary... I'll be updating the blog with winners from tonight and information regarding the upcoming TOUR for Rural Victoria.

Lots of love,

Can't-Think-Of-Witty-Pseudonym-Intern

NEWS 08.05.12

As the Festival gets closer, more success stories are flooding in regarding our Top 100 films.  Excitement!

The Palace is Picture Perfect

Another win for Australian-Cypriot co-production of The Palace (the film won several awards at the South Australian Screen Awards), Nick Matthews has been awarded Best Cinematography in the short film category.

A tense and stark film, set during the political and social unrest in 70’s Cyprus, The Palace has been widely acclaimed since its release last year.   

The Palace screens at SKFF in Session 8 of the Top 100 program, Saturday May 26^th 3pm – 4.30pm

VCA Wins Youth Spirit

Victorian College of the Arts graduate Andrew Kavanagh has won the national Spirit of Youth Award thanks to his efforts on two short films, Men of the Earth and At the Formal – the latter of which will be screening at SKFF. Originally from North Carlton, Kavanagh will be travelling to Los Angeles and receive mentorship from Australian-born director Robert Luketic (of Legally Blonde fame) on Hollywood film sets.

At the Formal is a surreal thriller, with a darkly humorous twist, screens at SKFF in Session 13 of the Top 100 program, Sunday May 27^th 2pm – 3.30pm

AFTRS Cannes Do

 Australian Film, Television and Radio School is screening six of the school’s most outstanding short films in the Aus/NZ focused ‘Cinema des Antipodes’ program at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Two of the exhibited, ‘Emily’ and ‘Moth’ films will be in competition in the Top 100.

Emily, a psychological thriller (which was recently nominated for a Student Academy Award) screens at SKFF in Session 7 of the Top 100 program, Saturday May 26^th 1.30pm – 3pm

Moth, a story of escapism, screens at SKFF in Session 15 of the Top 100 program, Sunday May 27^th 6.30pm – 8pm

CONGRATULATIONS to the above films. Talent is emerging from everywhere and we’re thrilled to showcase some of Australia’s best right here, in St Kilda, in 14 days!

Xoxo

(Gossip) Intern