Matilda Brown with her dad, Bryan Brown, in Lessons From The Grave.
Matilda Brown will be an ambassador for AFI | AACTA’s annual online short film competition, #SocialShorts.
Brown joins the Blue-Tongue Films group – comprising Joel and Nash Edgerton, David Michôd, Kieran Darcy-Smith, Luke Doolan, Mirrah Foulkes and Spencer Susser – in the role.
Now in its third year, #SocialShorts allows viewers to watch and vote for short films from emerging Aussie filmmakers as they vie against each other in three categories: comedy, drama and open.
The online competition runs over three weeks; one category a week.
The winner in each category will receive a cash prize and a mentorship with #SocialShorts Ambassadors, as well as tickets to attend the 6th AACTA Awards Industry Luncheon presented by Blue Post at Sydney's Star, where they will have the opportunity to "make new connections and discuss new collaborations with industry leaders".
Brown said she was looking forward to sharing her experience with this year’s #SocialShorts entrants in a mentoring capacity.
“Short films are a key ingredient of the Australian film industry, but it’s competitive and one of the biggest challenges is having your work seen. #SocialShorts is a great platform for filmmakers to get their work seen, not only by the industry, but by a wider audience, and I’m looking forward to sharing my insights from filmmaking with this year’s winners in my role as an ambassador.
“The networking and collaboration opportunities which come from #SocialShorts are invaluable. This is a record year for #SocialShorts with over 50 short films in the competition, so I’m looking forward to seeing which short films will resonate with the voting audience in such a strong year of competition,” Brown said.
AFI | AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella said the exceptional growth in voting and entries over the three years since #SocialShorts launched was a testament to the important role the competition plays in promoting and nurturing emerging talent.
“Short film excellence has been recognised and awarded by AFI | AACTA for over thirty years, launching the careers of some of Australia’s top filmmakers. However, we saw an opportunity to extend the reach of the work of the talented short filmmakers who enter the AACTA Awards by creating an audience choice short film completion, which complements the spotlight shone on our Awards nominees and winners."
"Last year #SocialShorts attracted over 24,000 viewers and almost 14,000 votes. We’re hoping for even bigger numbers this year, with a record number of entries,” said Trewhella.
Audiences can vote for their favourite short films in each category on the #SocialShorts website and then share via Facebook. The winning film for each category is announced at the start of the following week.
Voters also have the chance to win a double pass to the 6th AACTA Awards ceremony and after party held at the Star Event Centre in Sydney in December, including flights and overnight accommodation.
www.socialshorts.com.au
www.facebook.com/AACTAawards