This year’s Comedy Award at St Kilda Short Film Festival 2008 went to Don’t Panic by first time director Luci Temple and producer Vilash Patel. The low-budget thriller-comedy was up against some formidable competition, including Nash Edgerton’s internationally acclaimed comedy Spider.
Don’t Panic explores the threat of terrorism in our midst. Kimberly (Jessica Napier) wakes after a one-night-stand with Pakistani-born Abe (Nicholas Brown) to discover a Koran, an aeroplane manual, and photos of Abe in combat gear. She fears the worst…
Patel accepted the Award on stage with an impromptu speech, with Sydneysider Temple kicking herself for her own absence. “I was down for the Opening Night and our screening, but couldn’t tear myself away from work for the whole week. If I’d had any inkling we’d be winning the Comedy Award… First hint came at about 9.30pm when I received an anonymous SMS congratulating me [ironic if you’ve seen the film], followed by several from friends. Initially I thought it might be an award for music/sound design or Jess’s performance. When I rang V, who had to whisper the news as the ceremony was still going, she had to repeat it a couple times before I’d believe my ears.”
Those who have seen the film can now vote in the IF Awards www.ifawards.com.au, or rate it on IMDB http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220879/ .
Don’t Panic gained competitively awarded production support from Metro Screen through the 2007 Raw Nerve initiative, and has screened at numerous local festivals, including winning an Audience Award from BooHoo Films, and Napier winning a Best Performance Award from Stinkwater International Short Film Festival.
Temple side-stepped into the director’s hat from scriptwriting, with Don’t Panic’s script previously a winner in the PGLA2 short script competition. She currently has feature projects in development with Louise Alston (Bunker Productions), Karl and Myles Conti (Conti Bros Films), and Tim Maddocks (Maddfilms). As a writer/director she has two shorts in the works, one reteaming up with Patel, and the other with Annmaree Bell (Azure Productions).
Patel worked in the New Zealand television industry for ten years in television programming and promotions before moving to Australia in 2005. Here she completed a Diploma in Film at Sydney Film School, made seven short films, and currently works at Channel 7 in Programming services. “We are so excited about this Award,” says Patel. “And extremely grateful to our talented and hard working cast and crew. At the risk of sounding obvious, we couldn’t have done it without them.”
Lead actress Napier is best known for roles in The Alice, The Illustrated Family Doctor, McLeod’s Daughters, Stingers and Wildside. Lead actor Brown is a NIDA graduate with experience in theatre, film, and television. He recently starred in an Indian musical opposite Bollywood film star Shilpa Shetty, and is in upcoming UK/Indian feature film Quick Slip Me a Bride.
Key crew who worked on Don’t Panic includes DoP Damian Wyvill, Production Designer/Art Director Martin O’Neill, Editor Peter Crombie, Composer Patrick Nellestein, Sound Designer Lucas Bone, and Digital Colour Grader Warren Lynch.
For more information, and photos available for download, please visit www.templefilms.com.au/dontPanic.html and www.myspace.com/dont_panic_film
[release by Temple Films]