AFTRS Master of Arts Screen and Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production student films have been touring the world over and making an impact on the genre festival circuit.
Sushi Noh, written, directed and produced by Australian Film Television and Radio (AFTRS) student Jayden Rathsam Hüa, has won the Most Bonkers Short award and an Audience Award at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. The Familiars (director Millicent Malcolm, writer Octavia B. Martin, producer Alexis Talbot-Smith) was last night awarded Best Australian Short Film and Best Performance in an Australian Short Film (Milly Alcock) by the A Night of Horror International Film Festival.
Sushi Noh is currently screening at Sweden’s Lund Fantastic Film Festival and has also been selected for the upcoming New York City Horror Film Festival, following other festival outings this year, including the film’s world premiere at Encounters, the UK’s leading short film, animation and virtual reality festival and the Maniatic Film Festival in Spain.
As well as its success at A Night of Horror International Film Festival, The Familiars enjoyed a warm reception at the recent Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film festival in North America.
A number of other horror films by AFTRS students have joined Sushi Noh and The Familiars on the genre circuit throughout 2021.
Hyde (director Ruby Challenger, writer Erik Magnusson, producer Andrew McMartin) was nominated for Best Short at the Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival in the US and Best Original Score at the Ethereal Horror Fest & Awards in the US and was selected to screen at the Anatomy: Crime & Horror International Film Festival in Greece.
Barnacle Face (writer/director Jean-David Le Goullon, producers Alex Linder and Kaitlyn McMurtry) won the Audience Choice Award at the Sydney Underground Film Festival and was selected for the Atlanta Horror Film festival and the Horrorfest International in the US, and Australia’s A Night of Horror International Film Festival.
Endlessnessism (writer/director Liam Clark) had its world premiere at the Sydney Underground Film Festival.
The Replica (writer/director/producer Adam Daniel, producer Dayle Cogdon) had its world premiere at the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival and was selected to screen at Monster Fest.
Brunch Shift Massacre (writer/director Adam Boys, producer Tim Graham) screened at the Fantasm Shock Reel Cinema Film Festival in the US, the latest stop on the film’s seemingly endless tour of the globe.
These writers, directors and producers were joined on their films by fellow AFTRS students in key creative roles including cinematography, editing, sound design, music composition, production and costume design, and animation from across both the Master of Arts Screen and Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production programs at AFTRS.
“It’s fantastic to see the top local and international genre festivals embracing AFTRS films. The overwhelmingly positive response from the huge global audience of dedicated and discerning genre fans augurs very well for future success for these emerging filmmakers,” said AFTRS CEO, Nell Greenwood.
Jayden Rathsam Hüa, who wrote, directed and produced Sushi Noh, said, “The bulk of production for Sushi Noh took place at the height of COVID last year in Sydney. Everything felt so insular at the time, so it’s extra special to see its life begin across festivals around the world. We wouldn’t have been able to bring this project up from the ground without the resources and mentorship from AFTRS, for which I’m incredibly grateful. It’s so exciting for the film to have won the Most Bonkers Short prize and an audience award at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, and very affirming for all involved to see international audiences resonate with our spooky fish-sodden baby!”
