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Freiraum Gästehaus
AUSSIE SHORTS ‘22
Celebrating and showcasing extraordinary talent from Australian filmmakers at home, in Berlin and abroad. See our full line-up of shorts below!
SATURDAY 22.10.22 | 14:00
G’DAY: THE SHORT FILM
by MICHAEL GRACEY
AU | 2022 | 9 min | Adventure
This short will also screen on opening night at 19:00
Every great adventure starts with G'day.
When they meet in a gift shop on the Great Barrier Reef, souvenir kangaroo Ruby (Rose Byrne) and toy unicorn Louie (Will Arnett) form an unlikely friendship.
Watch as Ruby takes Louie on an amazing adventure around Australia, discovering new experiences, connecting with Indigenous cultures and along the way, learning the true meaning of an Aussie welcome.
With set design by the Land Down Under and produced in association with ridiculously friendly locals, G'day: The Short Film will have you convinced there’s nothing like Australia.
A special premiere screening presented by
MOONRISE
by Rowena Potts
AU | 2021 | 12 min | Arthouse
What if we actually listened to what the Moon had to say? Based on an original poem by award-winning Australian author Ceridwen Dovey, Moonrise invites us to consider the Moon’s point of view in the face of increasingly exploitative human activity in space.
Director Rowena Potts is a Sydney-based filmmaker and mother of two. She studied documentary at AFTRS and holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from NYU. Her short films often explore the relationship between people and animals, as well as our unfolding relationship with off-Earth environments.
they saw the sun first
by stefan hunt
AU | 2021 | 12 min | Arthouse
BAFTA-winner BEST SHORT FILM 2021
A genre-bending art-house documentary using dance and physicality to explore themes of youthfulness, fear, regret and ageing. Interview snippets, canvassing perspectives of elderly NYC citizens are interpreted by younger generations through performance and dance.
Director’s Statement: “With all my grandparents gone, I felt a real lack of eldership in my life. I feel like we are bombarded with these authoritative opinions from young people on the internet, but where is the advice of those who have walked this earth the longest?”
Director Stefan Hunt is an Australian director based in Byron Bay. His directing journey began in 2006 when he decided to travel through the USA in an ice-cream truck, armed with a camera and child-like resolve to cast an eye on all 50 states. He’s since gone on to direct multi-award-winning documentaries, commercials, music videos and TV series, working alongside some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
PILE’
by tONY RADEVSKI
AU | 2017 | 15 min | Sci Fi | Animation
PILÈ ('Little Bird') is a short drama that captures a moment in a boy's life where his masculinity and morality are in opposition, and the life or death of an unwanted reptile is in his hands.
Director Tony Radevski is an award winning writer, director and producer from Sydney. His work focuses on animation and sci-fi. His films have received accolades from top festivals such as Berlinale Talents, Flickerfest Sydney, and L.A. Shorts International Film Festival.
VAUGHAHYDE
by ADAM MUNNINGs
AU | 2022 | 6 min | Music Video
A new take on the “children of the revolution” narrative, the film is raw, intimate and unapologetic. A representation of sweaty dance floor moments, interconnectedness and transformation.
Tasmanian born, Berlin based director Adam Munnings studied performing arts from a young age before launching into an international career as a model, DJ and choreographer. Since moving to Berlin to pursue a career in film, his work has been selected for the Bucharest Fashion Film Festival, Berlin Commercial and Berlin Music Video Awards and has had projects featured in Vogue Portugal and Metal Magazine.
sex lives
by thomas hudson
AU | 2022 | 13 min | Drama | European Premiere
Things get complicated when Ali and Sean realise they have entirely different knowledge of each other’s solo sex life.
Director Thomas Hudson is an award-winning filmmaker based in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. He loves to make films about guilt, romance, regret and love, and he proudly brings together collaborators from both Newcastle and the nearby filmmaking capital Sydney.
His new short film Sex Lives is his latest collaboration with Sarah Bishop and Cameron James following the success of their award-winning short film Late Moves, which premiered at Flickerfest and led to writing and development collaborations with ABC television.
waves
by natalie gee
AU | 2021 | 7 min | Arthouse
Like the ebbs and flows of waves in the ocean, a woman rides out different stages of an anxiety attack and through memory and space regains control and relief.
Director Natalie Gee is an Australian filmmaker and curator living in Brooklyn, NY. A film programmer for Santa Barbara International Film Festival, she has curated feminist film nights at the Brooklyn Museum. Featured on NoBudge, her experimental short Queendom was nominated for Best Experimental film at Miami Short Film Festival. Natalie shadowed Oscar-nominated director Steph Green on HBO’s The Deuce, with James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and was the recipient of an artist grant from the Jerome Foundation for her short Buried, currently in post-production.
RICOCHET
by MALA GHEDIA
AU | 2019 | 20 min | Drama | German Premiere
Isolated and despondent, Natalie is trying to piece back her life after her divorce. All her choices have led to emotional dead-ends until she unexpectedly meets musician Nick, who grabs her attention with his witty lyrics and fresh charm. Their encounter can go either way and what’s left will stay with them forever.
Director Mala has been telling stories since she was very young. Growing up in rural Australia to an Indian family of six children, she spent her time directing her siblings in little family “living-room-plays”, creating a wild mix of stories based on Hindu mythology and Alice in Wonderland.
Later she went on to study filmmaking at university in Sydney before completing an acting degree in London.
Her first short film No Monsters in Berlin (writer, lead actor), won accolades in Cannes and New York and had special screenings at the United Nations. Ricochet is her directorial debut. Currently, Mala has two TV series projects in development and is one of the festival directors of the Down Under Berlin Film Festival.
karl heinz
by andrew robb
AU | 2022 | 4 min | Comedy
A grumpy driver installs a technical upgrade in his old car with unexpected results.
Director Andrew Robb is an award-winning filmmaker based in Sunshine, Melbourne. Credits include the short Tofu Man (nominated for best docu at St. Kilda Film Festival), the People’s Choice favourite My Ghoul and the no-dialogue comedy Cook Book.
With only a few days available with the lead actor (visiting from Germany), Andrew shot Karl Heinz on a mobile phone. This meant a more rudimentary style, but was a great choice for mounting all over the outside of the car, getting tight interior shots and capturing the story without a crew, in the time available.