The long-running Brisbane International Film Festival is back in the flesh for its 2020 edition. Across 11 days, BIFF 2020 will celebrate contemporary international and Australian screen culture with new release features, documentaries, short films and curated strands, alongside screenings with live music, conversations, panel discussions and more.
The jam-packed program features 20 works by AFTRS students and alumni: six features, three documentaries and 11 shorts.
Making its world premiere at the festival is Lost Boy, the graduate film of Peter Skinner (Master of Arts Screen, 2019; Graduate Diploma in Directing, 2013), which beautifully captures the inner turmoil of a volatile young bartender played by Michael Sheasby (The Nightingale) who shows up to work with a black eye and is challenged by his boss, played by Aussie legend Ben Oxenbould, to drop his macho persona. Lost Boy earned Peter Skinner a 2020 Australian Directors’ Guild Awards nomination; winners will be announced later this year.
Also celebrating their world premieres are Mystic Pines by writer/director Zoe Pepper (Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2012), A Problematic Gesture Toward Auteur Theory by regular collaborators and recent graduates James Robert Woods (Master of Arts Screen, 2018) and Stephanie Jane Day (Master of Arts Screen, 2018), and Firestarter:The Story of Bangarra by Andrew Myer Fellowship recipient Wayne Blair.
Making its next stop on the festival circuit is Sunburn, the graduate film of Jaslyn Mairs (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019), which is fresh off the back of its world premiere at Cinefest Oz in Western Australia, while High Ground co-produced by Greer Simpkin (Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (Creative Industries), 2010) and Bloody Hell directed and edited by Alister Grierson (Master of Arts (Film and Television) Directing, 2003) will make their Australian debuts.
Features Elli & Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt), Never Too Late, Combat Wombat, documentaries Brazen Hussies and Looky Looky Here Comes Cookie, and shorts 37 Things, I Want to Make a Film About Women, A Man and a Cat, Hook Up, Earl’s Town, The Eggand Call History continue their festival journey, playing to Queensland audiences for the first time.
Brisbane International Film Festival runs from 1 to 10 October. Tickets are on sale now.
STUDENT AND ALUMNI WORKS AT THE 2020 BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Elli & Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt)
First assistant director: Hattie Archibald (Master of Arts Screen, 2018; Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2013)
Executive producer: Brian Cobb (Graduate Diploma in Producing & Screen Business, 2011)
Editor: Nicole Thorn (Graduate Certificate in Editing Drama, 2012)
Production designer: Jamie Cranney (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2011)
Third assistant director: Nicola Macindoe (Bachelor of Arts Screen, 2018)
High Ground (Australian Premiere)
Director: Stephen Maxwell Johnson
Co-producer: Greer Simpkin (Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (Creative Industries), 2010)
Never Too Late
Director: Mark Lamprell
Music: Angela Little (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Screen Composition, 2007)
Graphic artist: Jonah Booth-Remmers (Graduate Certificate: 3D Animation, 2009)
Foley mixer: Stuart Melvey (Master of Arts Screen, 2018)
Combat Wombat
Director: Ricard Cussó
Additional sound designer/re-recording mixer: Thom Kellar (Graduate Diploma in Sound, 2011)
Bloody Hell (Australian Premiere)
Director/editor Alister Grierson (Master of Arts (Film and Television) Directing, 2003)
The Dressmaker
Director/writer: Jocelyn Moorhouse (Diploma Directing, 1983)
Producer: Sue Maslin (Master of Screen Arts and Business, 2013)
Brazen Hussies
Director: Catherine Dwyer
Executive producer: Sue Maslin (Master of Screen Arts and Business, 2013)
Looky Looky Here Comes Cookie
Director/screenwriter: Steven McGregor (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Directing, 2001)
Producer: Anna Grieve (Bachelor of Arts (Film & Television) Production Management, 1985)
Cinematographers: Eric Murray Lui (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Cinematography, 1999; TV Training Certificate, 1994), Leuke Marriot (Graduate Certificate in Camera Assistant, 2011)
Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra (world premiere)
Director/writer: Wayne Blair (Andrew Myer Fellowship, 2007)
37 Things
Director: Zane Roach
Producer: Adam Lemmey (Foundation Diploma, 2009)
Co-composer: Benjamin Speed (Graduate Diploma: Film & Television – Screen Composition, 2008)
I Want to Make a Film About Women
Director/producer/editor: Karen Pearlman (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Editing, 2000)
Music: Caitlin Yeo (Graduate Diploma in Screen Composition, 2002)
Production design: Valentina Iastrebova (Diploma in Screen Design, 2016)
Lost Boy (world premiere)
Director/writer: Peter Skinner (Master of Arts Screen, 2019; Graduate Diploma in Directing, 2013)
Producers: Susannah Wolff, David Shyegun (Graduate Certificate Screen: Creative Producing, 2018)
Cinematographers: Calum Riddell (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Production Design: Michael Price (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2012)
Editors: Jarrod Young (Graduate Certificate Screen: Editing, 2018), Peter Skinner
Script editor/continuity/stills photographer: Orla Doyle (current Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production student)
Script consultants: Damien Higginbotham (Master of Arts Screen, 2019; Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2013), Lachlan Marks (Graduate Certificate Screen: Screenwriting, 2018)
Camera operator: James McVicker (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
1st AD: Archie Chew (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
3rd AD: Alicia Easaw-Mamutil (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Continuity: Jeremy Nicholas (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Standby props: Belle Blamey (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2013)
Set dressers: Alexandra Muir (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018), Eirena Sapounas (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
Sunburn
Director: Jaslyn Mairs (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
Screenwriter/unit manager: Claudia Bailey (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
Producers: Ben Bauchet (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019) and Lev Jutsen (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
Story: Jaslyn Mairs
Cinematographer: Gabriel Morrison (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
Production/costume designer Sidonie Pitot (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
Sound recordist: Tahira Donohoe-Bales (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
Editor: Angus Roche (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
Continuity: Vanessa Bray (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
Sound designer/sound mixer: Aidan Jessup (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
Colourist: Roger Stonehouse (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
A Man and a Cat
Director: Kevin Spink
Cinematographer: Shing-Fung Cheung (Master of Arts Honours: Film, Television and Digital Media Cinematography, 2004)
Sound designer: Thom Kellar (Graduate Diploma in Sound, 2011)
Hook Up
Director/writer: Laura Nagy
Earl’s Town
Sound Mixer: Roger Middenway (Master of Arts: Film & Television – Sound Design, 2008)
Mystic Pines (world premiere)
Director/writer: Zoe Pepper (Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2012)
The Egg
Director: Jane Cho
Editor: Lucas Baynes (Diploma in Editing Fundamentals, 2016)
Call History
Director/producer/screenwriter: Lillian Patterson (Foundation Diploma, 2011)
Producer: Rachel Argall (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2012)
Editor: Amalia Walker (Foundation Diploma, 2011)
A Problematic Gesture Toward Auteur Theory (world premiere)
Director: James Robert Woods (Master of Arts Screen, 2018)
Producers: James Robert Woods, Stephanie Jane Day (Master of Arts Screen, 2018)
Sound designer/mixer: Stuart Melvey (Master of Arts Screen, 2018)
