PRESS RELEASE
The St Kilda Film Festival is proudly presented and produced by the City of Port Phillip and runs from Thursday 22 to Saturday 31 May 2014 at St Kilda’s Palais and Astor Theatre.
Now ACADEMY AWARD® accredited, St Kilda Film Festival is proud to announce its partnership with the prestigious Palm Springs International ShortFest, bringing the best of North America to St Kilda for four exclusive showcases.
The Palm Springs International ShortFest is renowned worldwide for the extraordinary community of filmmakers it attracts and for the quality and scope of its programming, screening more than 300 films from 40 countries each year.
Film lovers will be treated to four specially curated programs from the 2014 Palm Springs International ShortFest at The Astor Theatre as part of the St Kilda Film Festival:
• Saturday 24 May – Animation and Documentary Showcase (5:30pm)
• Sunday 25 May – Palm Springs Showcase One (7:30pm)
• Friday 30 May – LGBT Showcase (6:30pm)
• Saturday 31 May – Palm Springs Showcase Two (6:30pm)
Festival Director Paul Harris is thrilled to align the St Kilda Film Festival with the esteemed international event, priding itself on helping short filmmakers build substantial international networks.
“The St Kilda Film Festival is proud to partner with the Palm Springs International ShortFest, providing a glimpse into the remarkable talents of filmmakers from around the world,” said Mr Harris.
Director of the Palm Springs International Film Festival and Palm Springs International ShortFest, Darryl Macdonald, will feature as the St Kilda Film Festival’s international guest.
“We are excited to give Melbourne audiences an exclusive opportunity to view this selection of award winners andaudience favourites from recent Palm Springs International ShortFest line-ups.”
“Australian shorts have always played a key role in Palm Springs ShortFest (winning two major awards there last year alone), and this selection of recent American and International short films vividly reflects the St Kilda Film Festival’s own widely respected role in discovering and promoting exceptional talents in the short filmmaking field,”said Mr Macdonald.
Highlights of the international program include:
• Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution – Director Matthew VanDyke
Shot on the ground with a hand held camera, this documentary exposes the Syrian struggle for freedom,
experienced by a 32-year-old rebel commander and 24-year-old journalist
• Wild Horses – Director Stephanie Martin
Mirelle Enos (The Killing, World War Z) stars in this story of cruelty, courage love and memory, as two
generations bear witness to the brutality of wild horse round-ups in the American West
• Penny Dreadful – Director Shane Atkinson
A poor schmo gets pulled into a kidnapping-for-hire scheme in this Coen-esque comedy
• P.D.A – Director Patrick Hancock
As a gay couple goes for a walk in a LA neighbourhood, a question arises between them: why is one of the
pair so resistant to holding hands in public?
The full St Kilda Film Festival program will be launched on Wednesday 30 April at the Film Buff’s Trivia Night, held atSt Kilda Town Hall and hosted by Peter Rowsthorn. For further information and to purchase tickets please visit www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au
As Australia’s oldest and largest short film festival, the St Kilda Film Festival showcases exceptional films by emerging artists, providing the most comprehensive overview of the national short film industry.