Open Channel is proud to announce that the winning Short & Sharp pitch is Inside, Off Sight by Indonesian-born Arsisto Ambyo.
As described by Arsisto ‘Inside, Off Sight challenges Melbourne’s reputation as the world’s multicultural capital, and looks at how some Indonesian immigrants have been pushed away from fulfilling their potential to contribute…The film will explore new ways of filmmaking, inspired mainly by Jean Rouch and the cinema verite movement. The story will be based on a collaborative writing process involving the Indonesian immigrants, and young Indonesians and Australians.’
Short & Sharp judge Sue Maslin stated that the project ‘promises to be an exciting, cinematic and richly textured insight into the experience of Indonesian immigrants in Melbourne. [The judges] were inspired by Arsisto Ambyo’s vision, energy, humour and desire to ask difficult questions.’
Joining Sue Maslin on the judging panel were Melbourne director Alkinos Tsilimidos, AFC’s Claire Jager, HRAFF’s Al Cossar, and Open Channel’s Executive Producer Gai Dunlop.
This year, Open Channel was proud to partner with the inaugural Human Rights Arts & Film Festival. In another first for Short & Sharp, the judges gave an Encouragement Award to The Barbers of Baghdad by Fouad Hady. Sue Maslin described this project as ‘a timely documentary which helps us to understand the incomprehensible danger faced by ordinary citizens of Baghdad on a daily basis – in this case, barbers who can be killed for cutting hair in ways which depart from the strict Shariah codes. Recurring attacks on such humble shops in which people socialise has the intended effect of spreading extreme fear throughout the community. It was clear to us that filmmaker Fouad Hady, himself a barber, had assembled hours of compelling footage revealing a story that must be told and deserves full encouragement.’
Congratulations to all our pitchers whose thought-provoking stories produced an event of such high quality.
[release from Open Channel]