The story of a young Aboriginal dancer that struggles with acceptance of his culture outside of the theatre, and a real-life insight into the claustrophobic worlds of three young men who fell down the ‘blackpill’ rabbit hole have taken top honours at this year’s Sony Catchlight Film Festival.
Jahvis Loveday’s Bangay Lore and Guillym Davenport’s Pitch Black were awarded the fiction and non-fiction prizes, respectively, at the festival’s awards pm Saturday night, with Bronson Moyle’s video for the song Baby Prince by Shake (featuring Blessed) crowned best music video and Tyler Kang receiving the student fiction award for The Extra.
Now in its third year, the event recognises filmmakers from Australia and New Zealand that use a Sony camera to tell their stories.
Judging this year’s finalists were Yolanda Ramke (Non-Fiction), Gracie Otto (Fiction), Simeon Bryan (Student Fiction), and Sony Music Australia (Music Video).
Sony Digital head of imaging for Australia and New Zealand Jun Yoon said the quality of this year’s winning films indicated the Australasian film industry was in good hands.
“On behalf of the Sony filmmaking community, I extend a huge congratulations to all our finalists and winners across the film categories and cinematography laurels,” he said.
“The creativity, dedication, and passion of these gifted storytellers was so evident in the work they submitted.”
The full list of winners is as follows:
Fiction Winner
Bangay Lore by Jahvis Loveday
Shot on: Alpha 7S III
Synopsis: Bangay Lore, meaning spear in the Dyirbal language of Far North QLD, is a short film that showcases how aboriginal culture is perceived when it is performed on stage and when it is expressed in everyday society. It is about the limitations wrongly placed on the expression of aboriginal culture. It follows the journey of a young aboriginal dancer as he struggles with acceptance of his culture outside of the theatre.
Non-Fiction Winner
Pitch Black by Guillym Davenport
Shot on: FX6 & Alpha 7S III
Synopsis: Pitch Black is a docu-drama designed to take audiences inside the claustrophobic worlds of three young men who fell down the ‘blackpill’ rabbit hole and are struggling to reckon with their action. Mark and Luke now claim to be ex-incels and are trying to shed their destructive mindset – but have their beliefs really changed or are echoes of a hateful ideology still ringing out? Aaron is on the opposite path; a downward spiral into the abyss. Full of self-loathing and rage, he lives in a bleak reality that revolves around filming self-destructive ‘blackpill’ vlogs in his car.
Music Video Winner
Baby Prince – Shake ft. Blessed by Bronson Moyle
Shot on: FX6
Synopsis: The music video has a samurai/ninja aesthetic overall and the story follows a young man who has his heart set out for the princess. They have had a bond in the past however gatekept by the emperor, her father. He has done awful things to gain power and she is trapped. We see a flashback to another timeframe where the artist approaches a wise sensei. He becomes his mentor and shows him the path he must take. The video concludes by coming back to the present time as a battle takes place.
Student Fiction Winner
The Extra by Tyler Kang
Shot on: Alpha 6400
Synopsis: A young Asian actress named ‘Kaylee’ auditions for a series of roles in an upcoming major film. Kaylee’s initial excitement quickly fades away when she realises she is being typecasted into Asian stereotypes. Each audition soon becomes a battle for her own agency, as she wrestles between her self-expression of the role and the casting director’s stereotypical vision of each role.
Special Laurels judged by Stefan Duscio ACS
Best Cinematography in Fiction
Subject by Fraser Whitehead
Best Cinematography in Non-Fiction
Where the Dreamings Come From by Matt Deavin
Best Cinematography in Music Video
Baby Prince – Shake ft. Blessed by Bronson Moyle
Best Cinematography in Student Fiction
Hills Hoist by Angus Becke-Smith
Best Sony Lens Work
Where the Dreamings Come From by Matt Deavin