Australian feature films The Rocket and Satellite Boy have been selected to screen at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013.
Both films will screen in the children's Generation program (via the Generation Kplus competition specifically geared towards young people aged from four to thirteen). The screening will also mark the world premiere for The Rocket, which has been nominated for the Best First Feature award at the festival. The film follows a Lao boy, who is thought to bring bad luck, who leads his family across war-torn Laos to the dangerous Rocket Festival.
Indigenous feature Satellite Boy will also screen in Berlin after initially premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012. The film is about a young boy trying to save his outback home from developers.
“It’s tremendous to see these cross-cultural stories of children from up-and-coming Australian talent, reaching out to international audiences,” Screen Australia’s head of marketing Kathleen Drumm said in a statement.
At the 2012 Berlin Festival, Australian short film Julian screened in the Generation Kplus section and won the Crystal Bear – Best Short Film award. Another Australian short film, Bino, was also recognised in the Generation Kplus category while short films Kiss and The Wilding were shown in the Generation 14plus section.
THE ROCKET
96 mins
Synopsis: A boy who is believed to bring bad luck leads his family and a couple of ragged misfits through Laos to find a new home. After a calamity-filled journey through a land scarred by war, to prove he’s not cursed he builds a giant rocket to enter the most lucrative but dangerous competition of the year: the Rocket Festival.
Production Company: Red Lamp Films Pty Ltd
Producer: Sylvia Wilczynski
Exec Producers: Bridget Ikin, Triphet Rookachat, Michael Wrenn
Associate Producer: Pauline Phayvanh Phoumindr
Writer/Director: Kim Mordaunt
Cast: Sitthiphon Disamoe, Loungnam Kaosainam, Thep Phongam
International Sales: LevelK ApS
Australian Distributor: Curious Film
SATELLITE BOY
90 mins
Synopsis: Pete is 10 years old and lives in the outback with his grandfather in an old abandoned outdoor cinema. When his home is threatened by developers, Pete travels to the city with his best friend Kalmain to try and save his home…
Production Company: Satellite Films
Producers: David Jowsey, Julie Ryan
Writer/Director: Catriona McKenzie
Cast: David Gulpilil, Cameron Wallaby
International Sales: Celluloid Dreams
Australian Distributor: Hopscotch eOne Films