oc events

SWEETHEART (w/d. Matt Saville, p. Trevor Blainey, 2003, 13mins)
A mother. A son. A phone call. What begins as a normal phone call from a mother to a son takes some very surprising twists and turns, which reminds us what it is we love about our mothers - and how much we miss them when they are gone. From the creative team behind celebrated feature film Noise (2007) and short feature Roy Hollsdotter Live (2003)

LESSONS FROM THE NIGHT (d. Adrian Francis, p. Melanie Brunt, 2008, 8mins)
As dusk approaches and workers stream out of the city, Maia, a Bulgarian immigrant, is about to begin her day. She reflects on life, work and toilet bowls as she goes about her nightly cleaning round through silent, empty spaces. Adrian Francis' moving documentary was produced through Open Channel's Raw Nerve initiative and has travelled the world of film festivals since it's world premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival. At the Melbourne International Film Festival it was selected for the prestigious Accelerator program.

TOO FAR (d. Matt Peek & Cameron Ford, 2004, 7mins)
Water restrictions are just another type of socio-political repression and this Y2K tragi-comedy (and TropFest finalist) explores the sprinkler system at the heart of middle class suburbia. Lots of turf, plenty of garden hose, some casualties.

OPENING DAY (w/d. Justin Olstein, p. Siobhan Jackson, 2009, 5mins)
It's opening day at the Shortbread Children's Theatre school holiday pantomime. But for thespians Nick, Nicki, Leon and Janet - this has never been the gig of their choice. And, when Nick accidentally discovers some unsettling news about Nikki, he is forced to take stock of his own artistic predicament with all of it's shortcomings - and respond!

ONE IN A MILLION (w. Richard Marvin, d. Tom Vogel, 2009, 6mins)
In this black comedy hard man Les Naylor has a skeleton in his closet. The only other person that knows is his son. The secret? He's one in a million...

HARRY'S WAR (w/d Richard Frankland, 1999, 28mins)
Harry Saunders (David Ngoombujarra) prepares to go to fight for his country in the Second World War, but his fight is also for the rights of the Indigenous people. Harry carries the hope that fighting for his country will make a difference for his family and his people; that fighting along side the white citizens of Australia will eventually help Indigenous people to win citizenship also. A rare public screening of this multi-award winner from director Richard Frankland (After Mabo, No Way to Forget, Stone Bros) - the film is based on the life of his real-life uncle Harry Saunders.

CRACKER BAG (w/d. Glendyn Ivin, p. Jane Liscombe, 2003, 14mins)
Eddie spends her pocket money obsessively hoarding fireworks and carefully planning for cracker night. When it finally arrives she and her family head to the local football oval where, in the frosty air Eddie lights the fuse of her first cracker and experiences a pivotal moment, one of the seemingly small experiences of childhood that affects us for the rest of our lives. Palme D'Or winner for Best Short Film at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

SPARKY D COMES TO TOWN (w. Chris Mrksa, d. Maciek Wszelacki, 2001, 26mins)
Stretch’s (Samuel Johnson in his breakthrough role) Croatian family tries to keep him in line, but he is more interested in all-night clubbing with his Aussie girlfriend Emma (Petra Yared) doing Ecstasy. On the eve of a dance party with international headliner DJ Sparky D Stretch has just over 3 hours to find himself some dinner, make up with his girlfriend, please his parents, and score enough ecstasy to keep his buddies happy! AFI Award-winner for Best Short Film Screenplay.

APPRENTICE (w/d/p. Dustin Feneley, 2004, 5mins)
It's Tom's first day on the job. He's already having doubts about his chosen career. Jimmy's not making life any easier. An outstanding early film from the writer/director of Snow (Cannes Film Festival), Hawker (London Film Festival) and Eskimo Kiss (Revelation Film Festival)

PAUL'S BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (w/d. Glenda Tobias, p. Carmel McAloon, 2004, 12mins)
Glenda Tobias' moving documentary tells the deeply personal story of her brother, Eco Paul - wanderer, passionate environmentalist, vegetarian and Christian, who spends his days on the street collecting the garbage cast off by the city's consumerist hordes, and the nights catching up with friends by the city's soup vans. To his sister he is a misfit. That is, until she picks up a camera and enters his world, revealing many unexpected revelations about the nature of their relationship as brother and sister.

SIDE BY SIDE (d. Nassiem Valamanesh, p. Selena Tan, 2009, 10mins)
Rabbits hop. Fish fly. A house travels. A boy and a girl watch, side by side, together yet alone. Landscapes familiar yet strange incite us to consider the liberation that comes from infusing the banal with the beauty of the absurd. A modern fable told through the unique experimental stylings of writer/director Nassiem Valamanesh (Little Noel Wants to Fly, The Buidlings Are Talking, My Beijing Friend, This Being Human)

SMOOTH (w/d/p. Spike McKenzie, 2009, 5mins)
Luke bets Kevin that he can't pick up a chick within an hour. After several failed attempts Kevin is close to giving up, unaware that 'someone' has drawn a cock on his forehead.

FENCES (w. Chris Corbett, d. Tim Dean, p. Chris Corbett & David Jaffe, 2009, 7mins)
Lucas is eight years old. When his father, a detective, visits a crime scene he asks Lucas to wait in the car. Will he stay put, or is it too tempting to find out what’s on the other side of that fence?

CTRL + P (w/p. Jehan Ratnatunga, Gohulan Sivathasan, Vivek Srinivasan, Yohan Seneratne, d. Gohulan Sivathasan, 2009, 4mins)
The office is completely deserted, it's very late. What's the harm? So you hit ‘print' (Ctrl + P). A terrific comedy from 2009 Short & Sharp winner Jehan Ratnatunga (The Arrangement).