[press release from Tsuki]
Sydney Film School graduate Brian Lien has won the Grand Prix at the 4th One Take Film Festival in Zagreb Croatia for his excellent short film 7:23.
Running at a full 6 minutes, 7:23 is a wonderfully sweet and profound comedy that captures a shared moment between two strangers on a busy evening commuter train. A woman falls asleep on the shoulder of a straight laced business man. She never realises, but he, firstly taken aback, will clearly cherish this moment for some time to come.
I’m very excited to have won this award. It’s a really unique festival and I’m happy that such a simple film, that is also incredibly personal to me, is able to say something to people on the other side of the world – Brian Lien, Director 7:23
Held over 3 days, from 20 – 22 November 2008, the One Take Film Festival celebrates international films of any length and any genre, that are shot in one take without interruption, from the moment of turning the camera on to the moment of switching it off. This unique festival features films that do away with a seemingly indispensable aspect of filmmaking – editing – and thus all types of cuts, dissolves, fades or transitions, to primarily emphasise the aesthetic of filmmaking.
7:23 was shot in 2007 as Lien’s graduation Thesis film for Sydney Film School, winning the SFS Chairman’s Award at the annual school film festival, with a cash prize of $5000.
In 2008 it screened at the St Kilda Film Festival, Dungog Film Festival, Japanese Film Festival and the Asian Symposium of Film (Singapore) amongst many, before going on to win the Grand Prix at the One Take Film Festival (Croatia).
Lien ‘s film screened at the One take Film Festival along side Sydney Film School Director Ben Ferris’ feature film Penelope, which played as Opening Night Film. In 2004 Ben Ferris’ short film Ascension also won the festival Grand Prix. All these excellent examples of creative filmmaking follow in the footsteps of films such as Alexander Sokurov’s Russian Ark which opened the inaugural festival in 2003.