Husband and wife duo writer Vanessa Marion Varghese and director Stefan Hunt have won Best Australian Short Film at this year’s Flickerfest for Yeah The Boys.
Produced by Alex Taussig, the film follows six young Aussie men as they sink beers over an afternoon and well into the night. Emoting only through lewd gestures, chokeholds, crowd surfs, and chugging shoeys, they somehow say everything without uttering a single word.
Varghese and Hunt were on hand to accept the prize from actor and 2024 Flickerfest jury member Rahel Romahn, with the director paying tribute to the festival for recognising the film’s message and the “money, blood, sweat, and tears” that go into shorts.
“It’s a real honour to have this film play for an Australian audience because Aussie larrikinism is something we celebrate so much in this country, but when is it not fun?” he said.
Australian winners on the night included Kalu Oji’s What’s In A Name (Best Direction in an Australian Short Film), Brent D McKee’s Duwarra Wujara (Best Australian Animated Short Film) and Lucy Coleman’s Lean In (Best Australian Comedy Short Film).
Of the other individual prizes, Jay Perry and Shaun Perry received Best Screenplay for Cold Water, Jack McAvoy was awarded Best Cinematography for Dancing Girl & The Balloon Man, Phoebe Taylor took out Best Editing for How Can I Help You, and Best Original Music went to Samuel Weiss for Gorgo.
Portrait director Grace Louey was named Outstanding Emerging Female Director, an award given in honour of the late French-born Australian film director, actress, screenwriter and producer, Samantha Rebillet.
Sunday’s ceremony brought the curtain down on the ten-day festival at Bondi, with the event to now hit the road on a national tour to all states and territories across Australia.
Festival director Bronwyn Kidd said it had been great to see short films so warmly embraced by audiences in the beach-side suburb.
“We are thrilled that the 33rd Flickerfest 2024 has been such a success, with many filmmakers present to introduce their films, passionate crowds and great enthusiasm expressed for the programmes screened,” she said.
The 2024 Flickerfest winners are:
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS
Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary Short Film (Academy® Qualifying)
Finding Alaa (UK/Canada)
Director: Myriam Francois
Producers: Lesley Birchard, Christopher Mitchell, Adam Grimley, Dominique Young
Flickerfest Special Jury Award for Documentary Short
Remember, Broken Crayons Colour Too (Switzerland)
Writer/Director: Ursa Kastelic, Shanet Clemmings
Producer: Fillipo Bonacci
RAINBOW LGBTQI COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS
Azure Productions Award for Best Rainbow Short
Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped In Black) (Australia)
Writer/Director/Producer: Matthew Thorne | Writer/Director: Derik Lynch
Producer: Patrick Graham
EU In Australia Award for Best EU Rainbow Short Film
Slow Down The Fall (Germany)
Writer/Director: Camille Tricaud | Director: Franziska Unger
Producer: Felix Herrmann, Maximilian Bungarten
SPECIAL MENTIONS OF THE JURY FOR RAINBOW SHORT FILM
Happy New Year, Ms. Luna
Writer/Director: Andy Diep | Producer: Michelle Ny, Vada Gock, Yingna Lu
Flowers From Another Patio (Flores Del Otro Patio)
Writer/Director: Jorge Cadena Writer: Li Aparicio Candama |
Producer: Yan Decoppet, Gabriela Bussmann
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS
Panasonic LUMIX Award for Best Australian Short Film (Academy® Qualifying)
Yeah The Boys
Writer: Vanessa Marion Varghese | Director: Stefan Hunt | Producer: Alex Taussig
Spectrum Films Award for Best Direction in an Australian Short Film
Director Kalu Oji for What’s In A Name
Yoram Gross Award for Best Australian Animated Short Film
Duwarra Wujara
Writer: Dinah Norman a-Marrngawi | Director/Producer: Brent D McKee, John Bradley
AFTRS Award for Best Screenplay in an Australian Short Film
Jay Perry and Shaun Perry for Cold Water
John Barry Award for Best Cinematography in an Australian Short Film
Jack McAvoy for Dancing Girl & The Balloon Man
Avid Award for Best Editing in an Australian Short Film
Phoebe Taylor for How Can I Help You
Avid Award for Best Original Music in an Australian Short Film
Samuel Weiss for Gorgo
Specsavers Award for Best Australian Comedy Short Film
Lean In
Writer/Director/Producer: Lucy Coleman
Producers: Lucy Hayes, Deanne Weir, Kartanya Maynard
Rebel8 Award for Outstanding Emerging Female Director In honour of Samantha Rebillet
Grace Louey for Portrait
FLiCKERUP YOUTH COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS
AFTRS FlickerUp Award for Best Youth Short Film
Tea’s Ready
Writer/Director/Producer: Enes Guven
Special Mention for AFTRS FlickerUp Award for Best Youth Short Film
Hot Chip
Writer/Director/Producer: Edie Farrar-Matson
The Locket
Writer/Director: Charli Fletcher | Producer: Raymond Mendez
Chrysalis
Writer/Director: Raphael Dunn | Producer: Hilda Bezuidenhout, Karen Dunn
Yoram Gross FlickerUp Award for Best Youth Animated Short Film
Self Portrait
Writer: Nina Street, Grace Louey | Director: Grace Louey | Producer: Phil Ross, Beier Zhang
Avid FlickerUp Award for Best Editing in A Youth Short Film
Fever Bloom
Writer/Director/Producer: Finn Harrison
Saba Premium Beverages FlickerUp Jury Award for Youth Short Film
Noonday Demon
Writer/Director/Producer: Rylee O’Keeffe