Friday, March 23, 2007

flickerfest 2007 - opening night

Last night I ventured out with a good mate to KinoDendy cinemas in Collins St, to catch the Opening Night of Flickerfest. Currently in its 16th year running, Flickerfest is Australia's most competitive International short film festival. For $14 apiece we were treated to a swag of award-winning films from around the world, varying anywhere from 6-20 minutes in length - not to mention the catered (booze included) afterparty, where they served up these gorgeous little lamb cutlets with pomegranite seeds on top.

Pretty swish, eh?
You'd better believe it.

We actually sat in front of Christine Rogers, the old Prof Comm admin officer and my tutor from Writing Media Texts last year. The film she was invoved with didn't make the cut for the Melbourne screening, but apparently she'll be working on some bigger and better things in the UK and LA next month. It's always good to see Melbournians heading off into the big smoke... unfortunately, we missed our chance to talk with the two directors of the Melbourne short that's on everyone's lips at the moment, Booth Story. Shortly before the screening, Kassimir Burgess and Edwin McGill gave a quick thank you speech, which I probably would have appreciated more if I'd known how good the film was going to be.

Brilliant stuff. I gave an incoherent, gushing review in the tute today, which probably didn't articulate any good reasons why my fellow students ought to suss this film out, only that it would have them rolling in the aisles and send shockwaves of patriotism down their spines. I guess clever, local cinema always takes me by surprise.

They were all pretty good though. Another stand-out effort was 'Dreams and Desires', which gets double points for originality.. Who'd have thought to rip off dodgy home-made camcorder footage in the style of animation? Really understated yet really effective. My lack of innovation really depresses me when I watch this sort of stuff.

Hoping to get along to tomorrow or Sunday's screenings, but can't foresee having the extra time or money to do so. Bah humbug.

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