Press release from SPAA
DigiSPAA digital feature film competition has announced the finalists for its seventh annual competition run by the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA). This year the competition received 25 entries, showcasing the talents of independent filmmakers from Australia and New Zealand. Of these, four were chosen to vie for the prestigious award, which offers a recognised career boost and is worth $45,000 in cash and prizes.
Antony I. Ginnane, co-curator of DigiSPAA said, “Once again the entrants in DigiSPAA continue to be diverse and varied in scope and scale. All of the 25 entrants in 2011 showed wit and sensibility but four titles stood out and demonstrated the depth of our next generation of cinematic talent.”
The 2011 DigiSPAA feature film competition finalists are:
* PASSENGERS, Written and Directed by Michael Bond, Produced by Michael Bond, Cameron Daddo, JJ Rogers.
* LINE DISCONNECT, Written and Directed by Joseph Wong, Produced by Joseph Wong.
* 10 METRES, Written and Directed by Rory Noke, Co-Directed by Tim Smith, Produced by Michael Clarkin, Rory Noke.
* VANISHED, Written and Directed by Michael Adante, Produced by Michael Adante.
“'Passengers', starring Cameron Daddo and Angie Milliken, is a Pinter-esque tale of relationship dysfunction set in one night in Los Angeles,” continued Antony I. Ginnane.
The film examines the relationship between Australian married couple, Tom and Melony, living in LA during a Friday night trip to dinner with friends. Stuck in Friday night traffic, secrets are unveiled and tensions rise, bringing their marriage to a point of no turning back.
'10 Metres', follows the plight of a university student who is drugged and has a bomb strapped to his chest by a vengeful classmate. After Scotty realises he must stay at least ten metres from Carl or risk the bomb detonating, a chase across Melbourne ensues, culminating in police death, student murder and love found.
Antony I. Ginnane said, “'10 Metres' from South Australia, is a devilishly smart thriller and an almost text book example of using low budget as a plus.”
“'Line Disconnect', a wacky and subversive NSW spoof about the making of a ‘Contagion’-like horror film, is way out there,” Ginnane added.
Joseph Wong takes a hilarious look at the making of J-horror movie ʻHoneymoon Panic!ʼ in Australia by Japanese cult director, Toru Kitayama in 'Line Disconnect'. In the film, movie filming turns into a horror when crew members including the interpreter fall ill and Emma the tour coordinator finds herself taking on more than expected.
“'Vanished', almost from South Australia, is a nail-biting tale of kidnapping and distress that updates the ‘don’t go into the woods’ sub-genre with modern intelligence,” said Antony I. Ginnane.
The psychological thriller produced by Michael Adante shows how far a parent will go to seek revenge when six year old Emma is kidnapped not for money, but rather, retribution.
The finalist films will be available for viewing online through VEODigiSPAA and the winning film chosen by a panel of industry judges including: Antony I. Ginnane, President of IFM World Releasing; Daniel Scharf, Producer of Geoffrey Wright’s AFI Award-winning Romper Stomper; and Owen Johnson, SPAA Production Executive.
The winner will be announced at the SPAA Awards Dinner on 14th November and will receive $15,000 cash, $20,000 worth of post-production, a guaranteed screening of the winning film on the Movie Extra channel, plus a return airfare and free registration to the prestigious CineMart International Film Festival Rotterdam, in The Netherlands.