Anna Lindner, Nisa East and Yasemin Sabuncu are the 2025 recipients of the Adelaide Film Festival and Samstag Expand Moving Image Commission for their project 5 Steps for Better Living, Maximum Gains and Manifesting Your Most Optimised Self.
The satirical work will explore hyper-masculinity and the wellness industry using dark humour and immersive installation design.
The team will recieve $100,000 to develop the work across both Adelaide and Sydney over 2024/2025, for presentation at the Samstag Museum as part of the 2025 Adelaide Film Festival.
“We are beyond thrilled to be selected as recipients of the AFF Expand Lab 2025 Moving Image Commission, and so humbled to have pitched alongside a wildly talented cohort of artists and filmmakers,” said Lindner, East and Sabuncu in a joint statement.
“As a team that embodies a multitude of perspectives: femme, disabled, Muslim, queer, neuro-spicy working class – we seek to make work that holds a mirror to these knife-edge times we’re all living through. We’d like to thank AFF, Samstag, the mentors and the selection panel for seeing the value in our vision. We’re looking forward to bringing this work to life.”
In addition, two projects that came through the 2023 Expand lab will be mentored by South Australian cultural organisations:
- Art Gallery of SA will mentor the project LAST CHANCE TO VISIT WORLDWORLD by Jake Bresanello (SA), Conor Mercury (SA) and Bryce Kraehenbuehl (SA). A documentary-style exhibition comprising micro-documentaries focussing on several people’s stories of loss within their time at Worldworld, an imagined theme park.
- Illuminate Adelaide will mentor Infinite Terrarium by Chris Luscri (VIC) and Tully Arnot (NSW). A closed biosphere, a space outside of time. Plants, insects, fungi, algae are cared for by an AI custodian that works alone, that waters, burns off, plants anew.
Adelaide Film Festival CEO and creative director Mat Kesting thanked all participants in last year’s lab, who came together to develop projects exploring a range of issues and themes.
“The $100,000 2025 AFF/Samstag EXPAND Moving Image Commission is a substantial commission and thanks to supporters including The Balnaves Foundation the commission has been increased from the $60,000 awarded following AFF EXPAND Lab 2022,” he said.