Michael Shanks.
Michael Leonard and Jamie Helmer’s The Diver was awarded Best Australian Short Film at the closing of Flickerfest in Sydney yesterday evening, while Michael Shanks’ Rebooted took home the Best Australian Short Animation prize.
Other winners included Alana Hicks, who took home Best Direction in an Australian Short Film for Chicken and Lydia Rui, who was named Outstanding Female Director for This Perfect Day.
The Diver, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last year, follows Callan, played by Nicholas Denton, whose rage, chaos and confusion that can only be tamed by the soothing solitude of the world underwater. It was produced with Justin Pechberty and Damien Megherbi.
Jane Cho’s The Egg, produced by Ilana Lazar, also earned a special mention in the Best Australian Short category.
Shanks’ AACTA-nominated Rebooted, produced by Nicholas Colla and Chris Hocking, follows an ageing movie star – a stop motion animated skeleton monster from the 1960s – who modern movie studios won’t hire for blockbusters anymore.
DOP Gabriel Francis snared the best cinematography prize for Blackwood, while Backpedal‘s Jessica Mutascio won Best Editing and composer Radheya Jegatheva best score for The Quiet.
Flickefest festival director Bronwyn Kidd said: We are thrilled that the 2020 festival has been such a success with record crowds and great enthusiasm expressed for the programmes screened. It’s great to see short film so warmly embraced by audiences across our ten-day event. I would like to congratulate all of the films selected for Flickerfest in competition this year and all of tonight’s award winners.”
The full list of winners:
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS
Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film (Academy® Accredited)
Winner: The News (Albania/Spain)
Writer/Director: Lorin Terezi | Writer: Anila Balla | Producer: Anila Balla, Eduardo M Escribano Solera
Special Jury Prize
Winner: Wilma (Iceland)
Writer/Director/Producer: Hawk Bjorgnisson | Producers: Chanel Bjork Sturlodottir, Saemunder Thor Helgason, Kjarton Thor Thordarson
Yoram Gross Award for Best International Short Animation (Academy® Accredited)
Winner: Mémorable (France)
Writer/Director: Bruno Collet | Producer: Jean-François Le Corre, Mathieu Courtois
SAE Creative Media Institute Award for Best Use of Digital Technology in a Short Film
Mind My Mind (Netherlands/Belgium)
Writer/Director/Producer: Floor Adams Producer: Willem Thijssen, Tom Van Gestel
European Delegation in Australia Award for Best EU Short Film
Winner: The Land Over There (Drubenland) – (Germany)
Writer/Director: Arne Kohlweyer| Producer: Christoph Kulkula, Eike Goreczka
Highly Commended – The Jackpot (Germany)
Writer/Director/Producer: Alice von Gwinner | Producer: Hana Geissendoerfer
Australian now ASEAN Award for Best ASEAN Region Short Film
Winner: Stay Awake, Be Ready (Vietnam)
Writer/Director/Producer: Pham Thien An, Tran Van Thi
Finalist: The Tuk Tuk Of The Fifth Kind
Writer/Director: Anysay Keola | Producers: Mattie Do, Ho Hook Doong
Finalist: Limbo
Producers: Madelaine Miraflor, John Luke Miraflor
Director: John Luke Miraflor
Highly Commended: Best Script
Evening Stroll
Writer – Candra Aditya
AZURE Productions Award for Best Rainbow Short Film
The Distance Between Us & The Sky
Writer/Director: Vasilis Kekatos | Producer: Blackbird Production, Tripodes Production
Special Mention: My Brother Is A Mermaid
Writer/Director/Producer: Alfie Dale
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION AWARD WINNER
Flickerfest Award for Best Short Documentary Film (Academy® Accredited)
Winner: All On A Mardi Gras Day (United States)
Writer/Director/Director: Michal Pietrzyk | Producer: Celeste Caliri, David Favret,
Gabriel Bienczycki
Special Mention for Documentary
Kachalka (Ireland)
Director: Gar O’Rourke | Producer: Ken Wardrop
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS
Flickerfest Australia Award for Best Australian Short Film, (Academy® Accredited)
Winner: The Diver
Writer/Director/Producer: Michael Leonard, Jamie Helmer |Writer/Producer:
Michael Leonard |Producer: Justin Pechberty, Damien Megherbi
Special Mention: The Egg
Writer/Director/Producer: Jane Cho | Producers: Ilana Lazar
Flickerfest Award for Best Direction in an Australian Short Film
Chicken
Director: Alana Hicks
Yoram Gross Award for Best Australian Short Animation
Winner: Rebooted (Australia)
Writer/Director: Michael Shanks | Producer: Nicholas Colla, Chris Hocking/LateNite Films
John Barry Award for Best Cinematography in an Australian Short Film
Blackwood
Cinematographer: Gabriel Francis
Avid Award for Best Editing in an Australian Short Film
Backpedal
Winner: Jessica Mutascio
Avid Award for Best Original Music in an Australian Short Film
The Quiet
Winner: Radheya Jegatheva
Rebel8 Award for Outstanding Emerging Female Director In honor of Samantha Rebillet
This Perfect Day
Winner: Lydia Rui for This Perfect Day