Short Films
August 24
Gate, won many awards around the world, and enabled the director to direct a feature film September, which was released in 2007 to some acclaim. Gate is a comedy and stars Joel Edgerton as Gus, top dog of a shearing team. David is a young hopeful from the city seeking acceptance from the bush and from its people. After a hard morning’s work, they drift to the shearer’s quarters for morning smoko. Before smoko is finished a third shearer, Will, arrives. Someone has left the gate to the sheep paddock open and, according to Will, 800 sheep have escaped. Gus suspects Dave has left the gate open. Determined to discover the truth, Gus commences his own unique style of interrogation.
Director, Peter Carstairs attended AFTRS, but is also a qualified lawyer and works as a copyright lawyer to pay the rent. He is working on the script of another feature film.
Gate - 15 mins 2002
Director, Peter Carstairs
Australia
Gate (15 mins)
The Other Days of Ruby Rae (16 mins)
Dancing in the Dust (32 mins)
Ahmad’s Garden (14 mins)
Meditations on a Name (9 mins)
Loveproof (14 mins)
The Other Days of Ruby Rae - 16 mins 2000
Director, Vikki Blanche
Reverend Walsh has lost his faith. He finds it increasingly difficult to preach. Into his life comes the visitor, a ten year-old girl named Ruby Rae. With disturbing speed a mysterious relationship unfolds. Who is Ruby Rae? This beautifully photographed film is a tale of healing, redemption and the timeless quality of soul connections.
The film stars Norman Kaye and is directed by Vikki Blanche who is an actress who had parts in long-running soaps such as Neighbours and Phoenix.
Dancing in the Dust - 32 mins 2002
Director, Jenny Lowdon Kendall
This moving film was selected for screening at Cannes and has won other festival awards around the world. The film addresses the tragedy of the stolen generation, through the separate stories of a mother and her daughter. “Despite the blatant cruelty and injustice ... the film never descends ino a maudlin or simplistic sentimentality, but rather remains at all times, graceful, understated and controlled. ... The film is beautifully paced, has a wonderfully lucid formalism and weaves together the past and the present effectively.” From a brief review in the online journal, Senses of Cinema.
The director has a background in community work, which she continues to do.
Link
For detailed information about the film and its director click here. Please note the link given at the foot of the article is no longer active.
Ahmad’s Garden - 14 mins 2008
Director, Aaron Wilson
Set in one of our infamous refugee detention centres, this beautifully shot film tells the story of a young Afghan refugee, Ahmad, who attempts to create a home within his prison-like surroundings. The story may be slight but it is rich in emotion and characterisation. The film features the poetry of the Persian mystic, Hafiz of Shiraz and was inspired by an actual Afghan refugee.
Meditations on a Name - 9 mins 2007
Director, Bonnie Elliott
Wattle hates her name – she’s suffered through it her whole life. A long hot day on the road sees Wattle & her hippy father Rajen have it out once & for all, illustrating the difficulty of accepting our parents, and the necessity of doing so. The film was screened at the Berlin Film Festival, Sydney and many other festivals around the world.
Aaron Wilson has been writing and directing films since 2002 and many of his efforts have been well-received on the international festival circuit. He was born in rural Australia in 1976 but is now based in Melbourne. In 2006 he took part in a filmmaker residency programme with the Objectifs Centre for Filmmaking and Photography in Singapore.
Aaron is currently developing his first feature film, Triple Happiness, an intergenerational story about the rural Australian family.
Links
Official site - This is a very comprehensive and informative site. There is even the ability to view the film itself
Aaron Wilson’s website - see more of Aaron Wilson’s films and learn a little bit more about the man
Bonnie Elliott has worked primarily as a cinematographer and photographer, in film, television and advertising. As a DOP she has won several prestigious awards for her work.
Loveproof - 14 mins 2007
Director, Maia Horniak
Set in a world destroyed by chemical warfare and a declining population, a soldier brings his new love back to his Utopian home only to resort to desperate measures to stay together. The cast includes Alex Dimitriades, Megan Dorman and Lewis Fitzgerald. This film was also invited to screen at Cannes in 2007, and has been shown at many festivals around the world.
Maia Horniak was born in Paris to Czechoslovakian parents who later migrated to Australia. She acted as a child, but gained her film qualifications at the National Film School in Prague, the Royal Art Academy in Copenhagen and back home at the AFTRS in Sydney. She has made over ten shorts, worked in TV and advertising.
