Stuffed.
Stuffed, the student film written and directed by AFTRS Masters of Screen Arts graduate Warwick Young, has won the Best Foreign Film category at the International Beverly Hills Film Festival, where it was in competition with films – including features – from around the world.
Young completed his Master of Screen Arts in Directing degree at AFTRS in 2013, during which he made Stuffed, for which he was awarded the 2013 European Union Film Award and was nominated for a 2014 Australian Directors Guild Award.
The film has been touring the festival circuit since, screening at the 2014 UK Film Festival, where it won Best Student Film; the 2014 Sydney Film Festival, where it competed in the Dendy Award for Best Australian Short film; the 59th Valladolid International Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Foreign Short Film; the 2015 Flickerfest International Film Festival; the 2015 St Kilda Film Festival; the 2016 New Filmmakers LA Film Festival; the 2015 Byron Bay International Film Festival and the 2015 39th Cleveland International Film Festival.
Stuffed also screened at the 2015 Down Under Berlin Film Festival, for which Young won the New Talent Award; the Cinéma des Antipodes program at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival; and the Recontres Internationales du Cinéma des Antipodes at 2015 Saint-Tropez Film Festival, where Stuffed was runner up for the Nicolas Baudin Prize for Best Short Film.
“The awards ceremony for the festival was a black-tie gala dinner held in true Hollywood style at the luxurious Sofitel – Beverly Hills", Young said from LA.
"I had absolutely no warning and was completely taken by surprise when the award was announced at the Gala. There were so many quality foreign films in the festival, including feature films. Obviously, Stuffed is a short film, so to be given the Best Foreign Film Award was completely unexpected, and I am truly honoured. I had a fantastic team working with me on this film and this is a wonderful recognition for everyone.”