Aussie Nazi Sci-fi flick? 10 directors adapting Tim Winton? All is revealled by our man at MIFF!

Oscar Hillerstrom’s latest update from the Melbourne International Film Festival…

Now if you’re a fan of short films, film festivals are the place to see them. The competition is fierce, and the potential of the filmmakers is quite astronomical. The beauty of this kind of thing is actually finding talent, world-class talent, before the rest of the world, and sharing it.

I was having a chat with a couple of short filmmakers this week, and they’re literally bursting with good ideas. Not the annoying, ‘wow, paint drying tells us… who we are’, kind of ideas, but the kind of ones where you go to yourself … ‘hmm, I just met Hipster David Lynch’.

In any case, if you’re worried about the future of film, or the future of Australian film, don’t be. Of course, you’re probably interested in who won the awards at MIFF this year – here they are:

50th MIFF SHORTS AWARDS WINNERS

City of Melbourne Grand Prix for Best Short Film
A Fine Youg Man (Canada)
Dir. Kevan Funk.

Film Victoria Erwin Rado Award for Best Australian Short Film
The Palace (Australia, SA)
Dir. Anthony Maras

Transmission Films Award for Emerging Australian Filmmaker
At The Formal (Australia, Vic)
Dir. Andrew Kavanagh

Cinema Nova Award for Best Fiction Short Film
Green Crayons (Canada)
Dir. Kazik Radwanski

Swinburne Award for Best Documentary Short Film
Leonid’s Story (Germany/Ukraine)
Dir. Rainer Ludwigs

Holmesglen Award for Best Animation Short Film
Nullarbor (Australia, Vic)
Dir. Alister Lockhart & Patrick Sarell

Melbourne International FIlm Festival Award for Best Experimental Short Film
A History of Mutual Respect (Portugal)
Dir. Gabriel Abrantes & Daniel Schmidt

As you know, I’m a bit of a fan of Sci Fi, so I can tell you that one of the actors in the winning film, A Fine Young Man is none other than Paul McGillion, Doctor Carson Beckett from Stargate Atlantis. Go Canada!

Now, if you can’t make it to Melbourne for the rest of the week (MIFF goes on until August the 8th) then I suggest heading over to Mubi where there’s a selection of free films playing right now, including Leonid’s Story, winner of best documentary short.

So shorts – that’s one aspect of the future of film-making. The future is here in other ways, too. There’s also feature films playing here at MIFF (duh) – but the really cool stuff is when you rub shoulders with the who’s who of what’s what and ask them ‘so, Rob Connolly, director of Balibo, what’s on next?’ and he says ‘Oh, you know, stuff’. Then later, after a few more shots, says ‘The Turning’. ‘You mean like Tim Winton’s The Turning?’ ‘Why, yes! But instead directed by 10 directors, including Cate Blanchett, Robert Connolly (obviously), Ashlee Page, Jonathan auf der Heide, Tony Ayres, Cate Shortland, Rachel Ward, Benedict Andrews, Claire McCarthy, Shaun Gladwell, Mia Wasikowska, David Wenham, Rhys Graham, Gideon Obarzanek and Stephen Page.’

Which is nice.

Producer and ex GM of Palace, Tait Brady, one of the judges of the short film competition (and a charming man) has something even more delightful – an Australian science fiction film! A seriously awesome-sounding science fiction film. Here’s the nutshell: 250 years in the future, the world is run by giant spider Nazis, who, of course, as humans, won World War 2. Years of genetic manipulation and special effects mean you have something akin to Gary Oldman at the end of ‘Lost in Space’, but with a Nazi helmet. The only way to save humanity – time travel. So, the usual. What’s it called? The 25th Reich. Directed By Stephen Amis, it’s currently in post-production.

No, I’m not making it up. Really. It’s got an official webpage here and an iMDb entry here. Will more than likely be out in 2012.

Which again, is nice.

Anyway, enough chatter from me. I have to get back to work, judging the new EU films in the TeleScope program. So far, my mind has been blown, with everything from Austrian pedophiles (Michael) to Swedish horse acrobats (She Monkeys), and then there’s the stuff in between – like the Swiss director who created a film from shots taken from his balcony and phone messages (Day Is Done) , or the Catalan film about Russian Ghosts wandering around the countryside, in sheets (Finisterrae). http://miff.com.au/program/telescope.

Cheerio,

Oscar.

PS. Hobo With A Shotgun = Awe.Some. Hilarious, gore-filled genius.
Dialogue gems include: ‘If life gives you razor blades, make a baseball bat – with razor blades!’