The Media Resource Centre (MRC) has announced the finalists in the running for the prestigious 2008 South Australian Short Screen Awards (SASSAs) – to be presented next month (March 6) at a gala event at the Mercury Cinema, as part of the Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts.
The SASSAs – proudly driven by Toyota – are South Australia’s premier competition for South Australian short filmmakers – rewarding excellence & outstanding achievement. Now in their ninth year, the SA Short Screen Awards provide an exciting platform for filmmakers to showcase their creative & technical talents. Presented across 18 categories – the awards also recognise the integral role of key creative crew in the filmmaking process.
The finalists for the major category of Best Film, vying for a prize of $3,000 in South Australian Film Corporation professional funding plus $1,000 cash from Toyota, are six South Australian short films encompassing the genres of drama, comedy and experimental:
Best Film Finalists:
• Spike Up directed by Anthony Maras, produced by Kent Smith (Drama)
• Swing directed by Christopher Houghton, produced by Louise Pascale (Drama)
• Hard Rubbish directed by Adam Lemmey, produced by Sharyn Pancione (Comedy)
• Caught In A Loop, directed and produced by Sarah Crowest (Experimental)
• You Better Watch Out directed by Steve Callen, produced by Jules Callen (Comedy)
• Hole in the Water directed by Dimitrios Pouliotis, produced by Mathew Salleh (Drama)
MRC director, Ms Gail Kovatseff said the calibre of this year’s finalists was extremely high.
‘Without a doubt this has been the best year ever for local shorts,’ Ms Kovatseff said. ‘The awards and the after party are always great fun, but with so many brilliant films, it’s going to be a really special night this year.’
The winners of the 2008 SA Short Screen Awards – proudly driven by Toyota – will be announced at a gala event at the Mercury Cinema on the evening of Thursday March 6 (from 7.30pm) – followed by a star studded after-party. In the lead-up to the awards ceremony, the judge’s picks will be screened over three nights at the ‘Best of the Awards’ Public Screenings at the Mercury Cinema on Sat March 1, Monday March 3 and Tuesday March 4 from 7.30pm. Bookings can be made to all events by calling the Media Resource Centre on Ph: 8410 0979.
Finalists in all Categories of the 2008 South Australian Short Screen Awards
Best Film – presented by the South Australian Film Corporation & Toyota ($3,000 professional
development support from the SAFC & $1,000 cash from Toyota)
• Spike Up directed by Anthony Maras, produced by Kent Smith
• Swing directed by Christopher Houghton, produced by Louise Pascale
• Hard Rubbish directed by Adam Lemmey, produced by Sharyn Pancione
• Caught In A Loop directed and produced by Sarah Crowest
• You Better Watch Out directed by Steve Callen, produced by Jules Callen
• Hole in the Water directed by Dimitrios Pouliotis, produced by Mathew Salleh
Toyota Award for Best Drama ($1,500 cash)
• Spike Up directed by Anthony Maras, produced by Kent Smith
• Swing directed by Christopher Houghton, produced by Louise Pascale
• Hole in the Water directed by Dimitrios Pouliotis, produced by Mathew Salleh
Best Comedy – presented by dB Magazine ($500 cash from dB + a $500 MRC equipment & facilities
voucher)
• Better Late Than Never directed by Matt Vesely, produced by Sam King
• The Threat That Came Beyond Tomorrow to Destroy us all directed by Chris Anderson, produced Aimee Night
• Nightingale directed and produced by William Allert
• You Better Watch Out directed by Steve Callen, produced by Jules Callen
• Hard Rubbish directed by Adam Lemmey, produced by Sharyn Pancione
Best Documentary – presented by Logic Films (1 day online suite and 2 hrs in sound suite with a sound
engineer, valued $1,500)
• What the Future Sounded Like directed by Matthew Bate, produced by Claire Harris
• Invisible Army directed and produced by Sammy Riley
• A Fighting Chance directed by Mark Andersson, produced by Katrina Lucas
• The Gannets of Cape Jaffa directed and produced by James Maiden
Best Animation – presented by Logic Films (1 day in sound edit studio with sound engineer, valued $1,500)
• The Courier directed by Simon Herden, produced by Bettina Hamilton
• Work in Progress directed and produced Fleur Elise Noble
• Learnalilgivenanlovin directed by Shannon J Cross
Best Experimental Film ($1,000 Panasonic digital camera from Toyota)
• Mona directed by Charlotte Rose Hamlyn and producers David Thring and David Ngo
• Checking In directed and produced by Lisa Hill
• Caught In A Loop directed & produced by Sarah Crowest
• 3 Hot Tales directed and produced by Linda Kennedy
Best Direction – presented by OASIS Post ($4,000 on-line editing)
• Anthony Maras – Spike Up
• Adam Lemmey – Hard Rubbish
• Steve Callen – You Better Watch Out
• Chris Houghton – Swing
• Chris Anderson – The Threat That Came Beyond Tomorrow to Destroy us all
• Dimitrios Pouliotis – Hole in the Water
Best Screenplay – presented by the State Library of SA ($700 cash plus AWG membership and entrance to
all events in 2008)
• Dave Wade – Je Te Love
• Peter March – The Sound of Water
• William Allert – Nightingale
• Steve Callen – You Better Watch Out
• Adam Lemmy – Hard Rubbish
• Cath Moore – Swing
Independent Arts Foundation Best Performance Award ($1,500 cash)
• Paul James Herbert – Road to Burdon
• Nick Bennett – Hole in the Water
• Vi Nguyen – Swing
• The Ensemble Cast – Caught In A Loop
• William Allert – Nightingale
• Elysia Boyd – Hard Rubbish
Best Cinematographer (Psycholites voucher valued at $300, a pair of Sennheiser headphones from AV Central
valued at $320 and 1 year Australian Cinematography membership valued at $143 + a $500 MRC equipment and
facilities voucher)
• Simone Mazengarb – Caught In A Loop
• Maxx Corkindale – Hard Rubbish
• Aaron Schuppan – Hole in the Water
• Nick Matthews – Spike Up
• Ernie Clark – You Better Watch Out
Best Composition – presented by MRC ($500 cash + $500 MRC equipment & facilities voucher)
• Tom Harrer – Mona
• Daniel Varricchio – Hole in the Water
• Scott Illingworth and Adrian Zammit – The Courier
• Tom Harrer – The Hunter
• Sean Timms – You Better Watch Out
Best Editing – presented by Apple (Final Cut Pro valued at $1,049 rrp)
• Richard Coburn – Swing
• Simon Herden – Checking In
• David Ngo – The Hunter
• Anthony Maras – Spike Up
• Chris Kellett – 3 Hot Tales
• Cleland Jones – Hard Rubbish
Acdesign Best Production Design ($1,000 cash)
• Charlotte Rose Hamlyn – Mona
• Bluey Byrne – The Sound of Water
• Bluey Byrne – The Threat That Came Beyond Tomorrow to Destroy us all
• Andrada Tudor – Hard Rubbish
• Robert Webb – You Better Watch Out
• Rita Zanchetta – Swing
Best Sound – presented by Digidesign (Mbox 2 Factory valued at $785 rrp plus a $500 MRC equipment and
facilities voucher)
• Martyn Zub – Spike Up
• Pete Best – What The Future Sounded Like
• Mirek Krecji – The Sound of Water
• Duncan Campbell – Checking In
• Colin Zammit – The Courier
• Duncan Campbell – Caught In A Loop
Innovation in Digital Media ($3,000 professional development support from the South Australian Film
Corporation)
• Journeys from Heartache to Hope – produced by Marion Burns, directors Sonja Vivienne, Martin Potter, Tanya
Rowden-Tiago, Will Sheridan, Anna Svedberg, Antony Cirocco, Luke Gibbs
• Family Values – director, Sonja Vivienne, produced Martin Potter, Chris Joyner & Sonja Vivienne
• The Moviemaker SA – Alma Mater High – directors Alex Alexander and Yasmin Clement, produced by Alex
Alexander
Performing Arts/Musical Video – presented by Ausmusic ($250 cash and SA Music Business Course valued
at $295)
• The Next Bob Dylan – directors Storm Ashwood & Nic Datson, produced by Storm Ashwood
• Urban Spice – director Dan Monceaux, produced by Dan Monceaux and Emma Stirling
Office for Youth Best Emerging Filmmaker ($2,000 cash)
• Matt Vesly and Sam King – Better Late Than Never
• Charlotte Rose Hamlyn – Mona
• Maxx Corkindale, editor – The Only House on the Street
• Peter March – The Sound of Water
• Fleur Elise Noble – Work in Progress
• Chris Anderson – The Threat That Came Beyond Tomorrow to Destroy us all
Emerging Producer – presented by Flinders University ($1,000 cash)
• Aimee Knight – The Threat That Came Beyond Tomorrow to Destroy us all
• Sharyn Pancione – Hard Rubbish
• Mathew Salleh – Hole in the Water
• Katrina Lucas – A Fighting Chance
[release from Foster Hill PR & Marketing]