Flickerfest

Celebrating its 22nd year of recognising excellence in abridged cinema, Australia’s leading short film festival, Flickerfest, returns with a smorgasbord of Australian and international content. With more than 2300 entries received for the 2013 competition, the touring program – which visits numerous regional centres and small towns as well as the major capitals – provides audiences around the country with a selection of the best submissions, compiled into one package of Australian shorts, and two sessions focussed on the international entries.

Numerous familiar faces and names feature in the home-grown contingent of short films selected for 2013, including Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver and lauded director Nash Edgerton. For the festival’s Brisbane season, two Queensland shorts – Huge and Captive – fly the local flag, demonstrating a knack for comedy from narratively different but thematically similar perspectives.

Venturing abroad, the program presents a combination of charming animated efforts, quirky comedies, and contemplative excursions into more serious territory. With films hailing from Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK, the festival endeavours to offer a snapshot of the best of the international short film circuit, including several world and Australian premiere screenings.

As always, the diversity of films on offer ensures there’s something in each session for all tastes – hits and misses included. Here are some of the many highlights from the festival’s three touring sessions.

Best of Australian Shorts program:

Dave’s Dead

The darkly funny Dave’s Dead proves that there’s no such thing as an ordinary funeral. When Tom (Luke Ryan, City Homicide) endeavours to pay his respects to his deceased best mate Dave (Patrick Brammall, A Moody Christmas), he instead discovers a murder plot involving underworld kingpin ‘The Butcher’ (Stefan Dennis, Neighbours), as well as a chance to right the wrongs of a life-long friendship. While the film’s concept is sweet and simple, star/writer Ryan and director Alethea Jones (When the Wind Changes) infuse their 15-minute short with heart and humour.

May

The old adage that appearances can be deceiving drives Patrick Fileti and A. Chris Moreira’s May, with the directing debutants subverting the standard stereotype of little old ladies. With her deliberate movements and devotion to her pet cat Rosie, the titular grandmother (Gertraud Ingeborg, 15 Amore) epitomises elderly living; her youthful, yoga-practising neighbour Emma (Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood, Underbelly) attempts to enliven May’s outlook, but finds that she too comes of age through their friendship.

Lois

Dual Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) stars in Lois, a short as endearing as its protagonist is impulsive. Swiftly but sharply exploring an unusual international journey steeped in Greek mythology, the film relies heavily upon Weaver’s innate comic sensibilities and extensive emotional range. In the film’s brief eight-minute running time, writer/director Alexandra Schepisi (daughter of Fred Schepisi) makes the most of her leading lady, as well as her scenic settings.

Huge

As the title suggests, Barry Branch (John Batchelor, Home and Away) was once much larger in size than he is now. A penchant for food has been replaced by a slavish dedication to calorie counting and exercising; however his physical reinvention is tested when the aspiring actor is asked to again increase his girth for the part of a lifetime. Written and directed by Shane Krause with co-scribe Shayne Armstrong (Acolytes), Huge playfully skewers the film industry’s aesthetic obsessions and the tradition of funny fat men.

Captive

Opening his mail on an ordinary morning, Herb (Paul Bryant, Crawl) finds a missing persons flyer bearing his likeness. A simple call to the number listed furnishes him with a choice between lifestyles, as writer, director and producer Michael Noonan (Down Under Mystery Tour) contrasts conventional middle age with something a little bit different. A sly, spry, wish fulfilment comedy.

Best of International Shorts programs:

Beerbug

Eccentric animation Beerbug toys with the exaggerating tendencies of alcohol consumption, in the world premiere season of Anders Mendia’s charming, caper-driven short. After a long day working at his roadside service station, all Joe wants to do is relax with a cold beverage; alas, every time he tries, his beer is stolen.

Curfew

Rules are made to be broken in Curfew – ditto preconceived ideas about family members. Just as Richie (actor/writer/director Shawn Christensen) sits in a bathtub ready to end his life, his estranged sister asks him to look after his pre-teen niece Sophia (Fatima Ptacek, Dora the Explora) for the evening. A coming-of-age journey eventuates for both reunited relatives, in a nuanced drama that doesn’t shy away from solemnity.

The Day My Nan Died

Death is neither delicate nor dignified for Nan (Deddie Davies, Doctors), with the end accompanied by ample lashings of drama. Despite dying in her sleep while her daughter (Alison Steadman, Gavin & Stacey) and son-in-law (Paul Copley, Downton Abbey) are out shopping, peace is delayed when neither notices her demise upon their return home. The farcical side of fatality pulses within David Willing’s (The Hive) deft effort, alongside amusing musings on humanity and mortality.

The Devil’s Ballroom

In a considered and clever effort from Norwegian filmmaker Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken (Tiden imellom), an Arctic explorer, committed to continuing their mission, consigns his friend to an icy grave. Alone and isolated, he perseveres, certain of his goal; but is his treacherous endeavour worth the risk, or will success elicit its own sordid payment?

Edmond was a Donkey

Everyone knew Edmond was different, his parents, colleagues and wife included. Yet amidst their pranks, taunts and judgement, no one knew how different Edmond felt until his inner sentiments began to manifest on the outside. With gorgeous, gentle animation and a tender and thoughtful tone, Franck Dion’s sensitive short ponders acceptance and identity.

The Parachutist

A very old woman and a very young man are kissing, high up in the air. Tom Tagholm’s (À bout de truffe) The Parachutist tells their tale, revealing the detail behind the unlikely series of events, complete with a long lost love story, science fiction fantasies, and a glimpse of the past meeting the future.

Flickerfest – Brisbane season

Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts

21 – 23 February

Visit the Flickerfest website for additional screening dates