Harry Quinlan’s A Rose for Katrina and Nick Russell’s Favourites are among the official selections for the shorts line-up of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, to take place June 5-16.
The former stars Benjamin Ilobuchi as Michael, a man hoping to make a good impression on his first date with Katrina (Megan Smart), only to be drawn into a strange mind game.
Quinlan wrote and directed the film, taking inspiration from filmmaker Robert Altman, particularly the opening shot of his 1992 film The Player.
The creative team includes producer Lawrence Phelan, of Recliner, and Melbourne cinematographer David McKinnar.
Tribeca will be the film’s international premiere, having previously screened at the St Kilda Film Festival and Flickerfest.
Quinlan said he was amazed an “odd little short filmed in a sharehouse in Brunswick” had been included in a festival of Tribeca’s calibre.
“It’s so encouraging for me and the team going forward and making more stuff, that these things that start so small can go so far,” he said.
Joining A Rose For Katrina in Tribeca’s narrative shorts section is fellow 2023 Flickerfest selection Favourites, which will have its New York premiere at the event.
The story follows a couple (played by Stephen Curry and Sibylla Budd), who face an impossible choice when their family camping trip turns deadly. The cast includes Tony Briggs, Maria Angelico, Chris Labbett, Imogen Labbett, and Amanda Russell.
Russell, who wrote the script with Nick Musgrove, while also serving as director and producer, said on social media he was “so, so excited” to have the film selected for Tribeca, paying tribute to his co-creator and “everyone involved who shared their unfathomably amazing talents with us”.
A Rose for Katrina and Favourites form part of a line-up that comprises 87 selections from 101 filmmakers, including 65 films in competition and 10 music videos. Australia is among more than 30 countries to be represented this year alongside Saudi Arabia, Côte D’Ivoire, Martinique, Chile, and Qatar.