Twenty-six works by AFTRS students and alumni will screen virtually and IRL at this year’s CinefestOZ Film Festival in Western Australia. Among the eleven features, fourteen shorts and two graduate student projects in the program are three world premieres alongside now familiar titles that have made recent appearances on the local festival circuit.
Making their world premiere in competition as part of the ‘Borderless Shorts’ session will be two AFTRS graduate shorts: Xanthe Dobbie’s Elagabalus and Jaslyn Mairs’ Sunburn.
Led by writer/editor Xanthe Dobbie (Master of Arts Screen, 2019), the Elagabalus team is comprised mainly of recent Master of Arts Screen and Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production graduates, including writer Samuel Herriman (with story by Xanthe Dobbie and Samuel Herriman), producer Alexis Talbot-Smith, cinematographer Sidat de Silva, composer Jorde Heys, production designers Lily Bennet and Max Boutwell Draper, costume designer William Tran, sound designer Rowan Yeomans, sound recordist Tahira Donohoe-Bales, first assistant camera addition camera Petra Leslie, first assistant director Archie Chew, second assistant director: Didi de Graaf, production assistant Alicia Easaw-Mamutil, standby props Jayden Chessells, assistant editor Hannah Smith and preproduction VFX supervisor: Andrew Brown.
Created as a student work for the Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, Sunburn was made by a team of 2018/19 graduates: director Jaslyn Mairs, writer/unit manager Claudia Bailey, producers Ben Bauchet and Lev Jutsen, cinematographer Gabriel Morrison, production/costume designer Sidonie Pitot, sound designer Eli Potter, sound recordist Tahira Donohoe-Bales, editor Angus Roche, continuity coordinator Vanessa Bray, sound designer/mixer Aidan Jessup and colourist Roger Stonehouse.
Also screening in the ‘Borderless Shorts’ strand will be Tâm, directed, produced, written and edited by Nora Niasari (Graduate Certificate in Documentary, 2011) and lensed by Sherwin Akbarzadeh (Graduate Diploma in Cinematography, 2011). This will follow its appearance at the 2020 Melbourne International Film Festival.
Director/writer Kriv Stenders (Bachelor of Arts (Film & Television) Camera, 1988) has two features in the festival this year, Brock: Over the Top, which he directed and wrote as well as Slim & I made with producer Aline Jacques (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Producing, 1998). In another world premiere for alumni is Moon Rock For Monday, which was shot by Glenn Hanns (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Cinematography, 2007), scored by Pru Montin (Master of Arts Screen, 2010) and edited by Rishi Shukla (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Editing, 2005).
Monica Zanetti’s Ellie & Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt) has been winning over audiences all over the country and winning Best Feature at Mardi Gras Film Festival. Made with a team of alumni including 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) and third assistant director Nicola Macindoe (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018).
After a special preview screening appearance at Melbourne International Film Festival, feature documentary Looky Looky Here Comes Cookie, written and directed by Steven McGregor (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Directing, 2001), produced by Anna Grieve (Bachelor of Arts (Film & Television) Production Management, 1985) and shot by Eric Murray Lui (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Cinematography, 1999; TV Training Certificate, 1994) and Leuke Marriot (Graduate Certificate in Camera Assistant, 2011) is set to screen. Also in the program is Unsound, by director Ian Watson (Graduate Certificate Screen: Creative Producing, 2018), producer Tsu Shan Chambers (Graduate Certificate Screen: Creative Producing, 2018), editor Scott Walmsley (Master of Arts: Film & Television, 2008), cinematographer Kent Marcus, (Graduate Diploma of Cinematography, 2013), co-producer/assistant editor Brian Chambers (Diploma of Editing, 2018) and second assistant director Hannah-Florence Macgregor (Advanced Diploma in Producing: Story, Audience, Finance, 2016).
After making it’s debut at Sydney Film Festival, Our Law written and directed by Cornel Ozies (Graduate Diploma in Cinematography, 2011) is also headed to CinefestOZ along with other features Paper Champions Directed by Jo-Anne Brechin (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2013), Swimming For Gold shot by Shing Fun Cheung (Master of Arts Honours: Film, Television and Digital Media Cinematography, 2004) and scored by Angela Little (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Screen Composition, 2007), and Disclosure, featuring production design by Juliet John (Specialist Extension Course Certificate Design, 1996).
CinefestOZ’s First Nations filmmakers showcase, ‘Deadly Indigenous Shorts’ will feature several alumni-made works: St Kilda Film Festival-winner Out of Range directed by John Harvey; Kelli Cross’ Spirit of Happiness produced by Danielle Reston (Graduate Diploma in Producing, 2014), Michael Hudson’s Ties That Bind produced by Gillian Moody (TV Training Certificate, 1993) and lensed by Eric Murray Lui; Robbie Bundle’s Treaty – Unceded, produced by Samantha Dinning (Graduate Certificate in Cinematography, 2011); Doug The Human, also featuring cinematography by Eric Murray Lui (making his third appearance in the program) and Closed Doors, produced co-directed by Hunter Page-Lochard (Graduate Certificate in Story Development and Screenwriting Fundamentals) and Carter Simpkin. Closed Doors also showcases the work of composer Damien Lane (Graduate Diploma in Screen Music, 2011), production designer Natalie Beak (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Production Design, 2006), sound recordist Nicole Lazaroff (Certificate, 1990), boom operator Gavin Marsh (Specialist Extension Course Certificate Sound, 1994), script supervisor Mikaeli Stanton (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017) and stars Wayne Blair (Andrew Myer Fellowship recipient, 2017).
Several AFTRS alumni shorts will be showing as part of the ‘Shooting Stars Shorts’ program. Recently premiering at Sydney Film Festival, it’s another festival stop for Bust Stop Films’ Groundhog Night, directed by Genevieve Clay-Smith (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2014; Masters of Screen Arts, 2013) with Rawley Reynolds and written by 2019 Talent Camp participant Emily Dash. Sophie Saville’s Peach, made by a team of recent graduates including writer/producer by Rowan Devereux (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2013), composer Elise Cociuban (Master of Screen Arts, 2017), cinematographer Benjamin Powell (Advanced Diploma in Cine Essentials, 2016), editor Andrew Shanks (Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2016), production designer Courtney Covey (Diploma in Design for the Screen, 2016), 1st AC Benjamin Ryan (Bachelor of Arts (Screen) 2017; Foundation Diploma, 2017), 2nd AC Alyssa Montgomery (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018), gaffer Lucca Barone-Peters (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017) and best boy/continuity William Suen (Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2016). Screening alongside these will be Laura Nagy’s Hook Up and T.J. Power’s The Bus To Birra Birra with sound by Lachlan Harris (Graduate Diploma in Sound, 2012).
After winning the Best Documentary Award at St Kilda Film Festival and picking up an ADG nomination for Best Direction in a Documentary Subject, Karen Pearlman’s I Want to Make a Film About Women, will also be making its way to CinefestOZ.
The Immortal, showcasing the work of Goldie Soetianto (Graduate Diploma in Cinematography, 2013) costume designer Bec Sheedy (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2013), art director Diva Abrahamian (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2014) and set dresser Elise Moult (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2014) will screen. The program will be taking a look back at Aaron Peterson’s 2016 feature Zach’s Ceremony, shot by Robert Morton (Graduate Diploma Cinematography, 2009) and scored by Angela Little, in her second appearance in this year’s program.
All titles will be screening online and in theatres throughout the festival, running from 25-30 August.
Tickets and full program here.
AFTRS ALUMNI WORKS AT CINEFESTOZ 2020
FEATURES
Brock: Over the Top
Director/screenwriter: Kriv Stenders (Bachelor of Arts (Film & Television) Camera, 1988)
Disclosure (WA premiere)
Director: Michael Bentham
Production designer: Juliet John (Specialist Extension Course Certificate Design, 1996)
Moon Rock for Monday (World premiere)
DOP: Glenn Hanns (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Cinematography, 2007)
Composer: Pru Montin (Master of Arts Screen, 2010)
Editor: Rishi Shukla (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Editing, 2005)
Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt) (WA premiere)
Director: Monica Zanetti
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)
Looky Looky Here Comes Cookie (WA premiere)
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)
Our Law
Director/screenwriter: Cornel Ozies (Graduate Diploma in Cinematography, 2011)
Paper Champions (WA premiere)
Director: Jo-Anne Brechin (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2013)
Slim & I
Director: Kriv Stenders (Bachelor of Arts (Film & Television) Camera, 1988)
Producer: Aline Jacques (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Producing, 1998)
Swimming for Gold (WA premiere)
DOP: Shing Fung Cheung (Master of Arts Honours: Film, Television and Digital Media Cinematography, 2004)
Composer: Angela Little (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Screen Composition, 2007)
Unsound (WA premiere)
Director: Ian Watson (Graduate Certificate Screen: Creative Producing, 2018)
Producer: Tsu Shan Chambers (Graduate Certificate Screen: Creative Producing, 2018)
Editor: Scott Walmsley (Master of Arts: Film & Television, 2008)
Cinematographer: Kent Marcus (Graduate Diploma of Cinematography, 2013)
Co-producer/assistant editor/data wrangler: Brian Chambers (Diploma of Editing, 2018)
Second assistant director: Hannah-Florence Macgregor (Advanced Diploma in Producing: Story, Audience, Finance, 2016)
Zach’s Ceremony (2016)
Director: Aaron Peterson
Cinematography: Robert Morton (Graduate Diploma Cinematography, 2009)
Composer: Angela Little (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Screen Composition, 2007)
SHORTS
Elagabalus (World premiere)
Director/editor: Xanthe Dobbie (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Writer/continuity: Samuel Herriman (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Story: Xanthe Dobbie and Samuel Herriman
Producer: Alexis Talbot-Smith (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Cinematographer: Sidat De Silva (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Composer: Jorde Heys (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Production designers: Lily Bennet (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017; Foundation Diploma, 2013) and Max Boutwell Draper (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
Costume designer: William Tran (Graduate Certificate Screen: Editing, 2018; Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
Sound designer/boom operator: Rowan Yeomans (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
Sound recordist: Tahira Donohoe-Bales (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
First assistant camera addition camera: Petra Leslie (Second-year Master of Arts Screen: Cinematography student)
First assistant director: Archie Chew (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Second assistant director: Didi de Graaf (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
Production assistant: Alicia Easaw-Mamutil (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
Standby props: Jayden Chessells (Bachelor of Arts (Screen) 2017; Foundation Diploma, 2014)
Assistant editor: Hannah Smith (Diploma in Editing, 2017)
Preproduction VFX supervisor: Andrew Brown (Master of Arts Screen, 2019; Advanced Diploma in Visual Effects, 2017)
Groundhog Night (WA premiere)
Director/actor: Genevieve Clay-Smith (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2014; Masters of Screen Arts, 2013)
Screenwriter/actor: Emily Dash (Talent Camp NSW, 2019)
Hook Up (WA premiere)
Director: Laura Nagy (Foundation Diploma, 2010)
I Want to Make a Film About Women
Director/producer/editor: Karen Pearlman (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Editing, 2000)
Composer: Caitlin Yeo (Graduate Diploma in Screen Composition, 2002)
Production design: Valentina Iastrebova (Diploma in Screen Design, 2016)
Out of Range
Director: John Harvey (Graduate Certificate: Screen Drama – Screenwriting & Producing, 2008)
Peach (WA premiere)
Director: Sophie Saville
Writer/producer: Rowan Devereux (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2013)
Music: Elise Cociuban (Master of Screen Arts, 2017)
Cinematographer: Benjamin Powell (Advanced Diploma in Cine Essentials, 2016)
Editor: Andrew Shanks (Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2016)
Production designer: Courtney Covey (Diploma in Design for the Screen, 2016)
First assistant camera: Benjamin Ryan (Bachelor of Arts (Screen) 2017; Foundation Diploma, 2017)
Second assistant camera: Alyssa Montgomery (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
Gaffer: Lucca Barone-Peters (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
Best boy/continuity: William Suen (Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2016)
Sunburn (World premiere)
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
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)
Tâm (WA premiere)
Director/producer/screenwriter/editor: Nora Niasari (Graduate Certificate in Documentary, 2011)
Cinematographer: Sherwin Akbarzadeh (Graduate Diploma in Cinematography, 2011)
Ties That Bind
Director: Michael Hudson
Producer: Gillian Moody (TV Training Certificate, 1993)
Cinematographer: Eric Murray Lui (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Cinematography, 1999; TV Training Certificate, 1994)
Closed Doors
Directors: Hunter Page-Lochard (Graduate Certificate in Story Development and Screenwriting Fundamentals) and Carter Simpkin
Producer: Greer Simpkin (raduate Certificate in Business Administration (Creative Industries), 2011)
Composer: Damien Lane (Graduate Diploma in Screen Music, 2011)
Production design: Natalie Beak (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Production Design, 2006)
Sound recordist: Nicole Lazaroff (Certificate, 1990)
Boom operator: Gavin Marsh (Specialist Extension Course Certificate Sound, 1994)
Script supervisor: Mikaeli Stanton (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
Starring Wayne Blair (Andrew Myer Fellowship recipient, 2017).
The Bus to Birra Birra (WA premiere)
Sound: Lachlan Harris (Graduate Diploma in Sound, 2012)
Spirit of Happiness
Producer: Danielle Reston (Graduate Diploma in Producing, 2014)
The Immortal
Cinematography: Goldie Soetianto (Graduate Diploma in Cinematography, 2013)
Costume design: Bec Sheedy (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2013)
Art director: Diva Abrahamian (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2014)
Set dresser: Elise Moult (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2014)
Treaty – Unceded
Director: Robbie Bundle
Co-producer: Samantha Dinning (Graduate Certificate in Cinematography, 2011)
Doug The Human
Director: Gary Hamaguchi
Cinematographer: Eric Murray Lui (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Cinematography, 1999; TV Training Certificate, 1994)
