A rumination on the societal expectations of womanhood told through children at play has won Best Australian Short at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).
Pernell Marsden’s The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste, which follows the titular young characters as they play games of romantic rivalry and motherhood, was among seven winners to share in $50,000 as part of the MIFF Shorts Awards on Saturday night. This year’s jury comprised writer, director, and former TV journalist Beck Cole; COO at Mushroom Studios COO, entertainment lawyer, and producer Bethany Jones; and artist, film director, performance-maker, writer, and artistic director of Back to Back Theatre Bruce Gladwin.
In a statement, they noted the “impressive” performances in Marsden’s short film, which managed “to deliver a powerful message about the expectations placed on girls and young women in Australian society today while also offering some hope for change”.
“The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste invites its audience into the playful world of two young girls living on a farm in regional Australia,” they said.
“When one of the little girls, Augie, is challenged to kiss a handsome scarecrow, she soon discovers that she has bitten off more than she can chew and the girls’ friendship is quickly challenged.
“The cinematography and production design complement the dramatic narrative beautifully and the editing was also exceptional.”
This year’s City of Melbourne Grand Prix for Best Short Film went to Nebojša Slijepčević’s The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, in which the filmmaker recreates the 1993 Štrpci massacre in Bosnia, building tension before eventually revealing the titular character. A co-production between France, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Slovenia, the film was awarded the Cannes Short Film Palme d’Or earlier this year.
Of the other categories, Australian filmmaker Dylan Ferenc Nyerges received the Emerging Australian Filmmaker Award for Bőr (Skin), Àlex Lora Cercós’ The Masterpiece (Spain) took out Best Fiction Short Film, Aylin Gökmen’s Ever Since, I Have Been Flying (Switzerland) was named Best Documentary Short Film, Alexey Evstigneev’s Father’s Letters (France, Russia) won Best Animation Short Film, and Tomonari Nishikawa’s Light, Noise, Smoke, and Light, Noise, Smoke (Japan) was awarded Best Experimental Short Film.
The 2024 MIFF Shorts program boasted more than 60 works of short-form content selected from some 35 countries and carefully curated into nine packaged presentations.
The MIFF Shorts program continues to screen in cinemas until August 25, with a limited selection available to stream for free across Australia through MIFF Online.
The full list of winners is below:
City of Melbourne Grand Prix for Best Short Film
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
VicScreen Erwin Rado Award for Best Australian Short Film
The Meaningless Daydreams of Augie & Celeste
Award for Emerging Australian Filmmaker
Dylan Ferenc Nyerges
Award for Best Fiction Short Film
The Masterpiece
Award for Best Documentary Short Film
Ever Since, I Have Been Flying
Award for Best Animation Short Film
Father’s Letters
Award for Best Experimental Short Film
Light, Noise, Smoke, and Light, Noise, Smoke