Press release from Bondi Film Festival
The 11th annual Bondi Short Film Festival has announced the 14 finalists for 2011. Chosen from over 200 submissions, the finalists represent some of Australia’s most talented independent filmmakers.
Bondi Short Film Festival director, Francis Coady said “Each year we are blown away by the exceptional quality of submissions and 2011 is no different. It was really difficult to choose just 14 finalists from so many amazing films. I’m really looking forward to presenting the final selections to our audience.”
The award categories presented by this year’s Festival sponsors include: Showtime Movie Channels ‘Best Film’, Getty Images ‘Best Cinematography’, Lenovo ‘Best Actor’, The Coady Group ‘Best Music’, Les Jamelles ‘Best Script’, Spectrum Films ‘Best Design’ and ‘People’s Choice’. Finalists compete for a prize pool valued at over $10,000 and films will be judged by a panel of film industry heavyweights.
The 11th annual Bondi Short Film Festival finalists:
Berry Bliss – directed by Andrew Pearce
This seemingly innocent film follows the light-hearted adventure of a bunch of balloons that travel through the picturesque countryside.
Voyeurnet – directed by Stuart Parkyn
Trent likes Kate, who rides the same tram as him from school. Trent is becoming addicted to internet porn and the longer he surfs the more extreme his interests are getting. Trent finally talks with Kate on the tram, but his motives are more than just simple flirting.
Breathless – directed by Peter Ireland
A mother who has lost her young son in a drowning copes with her grief by submerging herself in their backyard swimming pool. Her dangerous obsession is taking its toll on the family and her estranged ways are dampening and destroying the relationships around her. When her husband threatens to fill in the backyard pool, she is sent careening into the depths of her own grief and returns herself to the solace of the pool to re-live a final moment with her beloved son.
Something to Tell You – directed by Pete Gleeson
Gary has struck up a relationship with a woman he likes on an Internet dating site. The time approaches when they must meet but he is yet to tell her he has a severe physical disability. As he reveals the details of his condition to her, we witness the arduous process of simply getting to bed. As the reality of his physical situation becomes clear, so too do the odds of him remaining a romantic contender.
Deserted – directed by Henry Zalapa
'Girl' awakes from a deep slumber to find herself surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of the Mojave Desert. Stretching out as far as the eye can see in every direction around her, having no idea where she is, or how she got there. With only a signal-less phone, she tries to piece together what is happening to her. Marching towards an out-of-place light in the distance, her memory intermittently loops back to the night before – A strange conversation with her distant boyfriend in their home in the Hollywood Hills. As these memories become clearer and she discovers items which have been left purposefully on her person, she slowly realises what has taken place and what part she played in her own predicament.
Warm Winter – directed by Xin Li
The relationship between an international student and his mother is explored in Harbin, China. It is hard for a mother to say goodbye to her child, especially when the child is studying far from home for many years. They quarrel just before the son departs and leaves the mother yearning to say a final farewell. She rides her bicycle through the snow to the airport but will she make it in time to say goodbye?
Letters Home – directed by Neilesh Verma
Jas, an isolated international student from India, struggles to adapt to his new found homeland in Sydney, Australia. Until he meets Tara, a local, at the convenience store where he works.
Maurice – directed by Adam Rosenberg
Maurice has been washing car windscreens for just over eight years. He currently works on the corner of Johnston St and Parramatta Rd, Sydney. Many years working this job has given Maurice an interesting perspective on the city and the people who live in it. Over the past few years Maurice has become somewhat of a local celebrity, building relationships with many of the individuals living and working in the area. He is upbeat, positive and greets every car that passes with a wave and a smile from underneath one of his many trademark hats. Maurice proves the point that everybody has a story to tell, sometimes we just need a little help finding people to listen!
Henry and Aaron’s Perfectly Adequate Christmas – directed by Antony Webb
T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring expect for Aaron who was setting a bear trap.
Mongrel’s Creed – directed by Tom Noakes
Set in a future dystopian reality, this dark comedy is about Jim Gravel, a jaded and miserable lifetime employee of the omnipresent ‘Company’. Jim is condemned to the soul-destroying task of reprogramming rebellious citizens into more controllable, obedient workers, until he is ordered to reprogram an enthusiastic, life-affirming man-child named Robbie.
Murder Mouth – directed by Madeleine Perry
You can’t eat a steak without killing the cow. Could you kill what you had for dinner? Maddie a 21-year-old meat eater decides to take the question into her own hands.
Physics of Harvesting – directed by Amy Mack
A young girl struggles against the laws of physics and native fauna to create a vegetable garden.
Squeeze – directed by Will Goodfellow
Escaping through a claustrophobic sewage pipe, a convict encounters an unexpected traveler.
The Unspoken – directed by Jason Van Genderen
What do you say when you know you're losing someone you love? This confronting story looks at the filmmaker's personal journey as he reaches out to his dying father through a filmic letter. Not wanting to leave anything unspoken, this film shines a light on a lifetime of invisible affirmations between a father and his son.
WHAT: 11th annual Bondi Short Film Festival
WHEN: Saturday, November 26th 2011
WHERE: Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach
TICKETS: Moshtix – www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 438 849
COST: $33 + booking fee
TIMES:
* Matinee Session – 3pm (Main Theatre) Doors open at 2pm

* Evening Session 1 – 7:30pm (Main Theatre) Doors open at 6pm
* Evening Session 2 – 8:15pm (Seagull Theatre) Doors open at 6pm