Overview
This article is sponsored by our partners, Flickerfest.
As the director of Flickerfest for the past 16 years, Bronwyn Kidd has programmed thousands of short films — and seen many, many more. She's got such a strong eye, in fact, that three categories in the festival are Academy® Accredited, giving their filmmakers a track to the Oscars.
She shared with us her top seven films to keep a particularly close eye on at Flickerfest. So no getting distracted by the Bondi stars or ducking out for a drink at the bar when you see these titles flash on the screen.
"It's always hard with so many great short films to choose from, but here are some of my personal faves out of the 106 short films in competition handpicked from 2200 entries received from this years fest," says Bronwyn. "I'm a big fan of truly unique, creative short films, so these are just some of the ones that have stood out for me.
"One of the reasons I'm still so passionate about short film is that I believe that the short film format creates the opportunity to experiment and surprise without the pressures to conform of the commercial features world, and these shorts certainly fit that category."
SEQUENCE
Spain / 20min / 2013
A quirky short about everyones worse nightmare — what if you wake up one day and realise the entire world has dreamed about you?
216 MONTHS
France / 26min / 2012
Weird and wonderful. Nothing is comparable to the success of Maureen, the ventriloquist singer, except her belly: it is simply outrageous. But a shadow is hanging over her career and that of her manager husband’s. The entrancing voice that comes out of Maureen’s insides has a name: Charles. He will soon be 18, the rebellious age, and he has one sole objective in life: to be born.
THE MISSING SCARF
Ireland / 7min / 2013
Quirky and surprising. Albert the Squirrel makes a startling discovery: an empty space where once his favourite scarf lay. He heads off into the forest only to find everyone else is preoccupied with worries of their own. He helps who he can before moving on but never seems to get any closer to his goal. Ultimately, Albert’s problem is put in perspective by the friends he helped and the problems they faced and overcame together.
BUTTER LAMP
France/China / 16min / 2013
Sweet and exotic. A young photographer and his assistant suggest to Tibetan nomads to take their picture. Through these shots, the photographer will weave unique links with each of the various villagers.
THE KINGDOM OF DOUG
Australia / 15min / 2013
Josie and her fellow cult members have gathered in an ice skating rink to commit mass suicide. When Josie loses faith in Doug, her charismatic cult leader, she starts questioning their choice to die.
TANGO UNDERPANTS
Australia / 13:40 / 2013
Carolyn, a young Australian backpacker, travels to Buenos Aries, where she discovers not only the wonders of the tango but also the vital importance of the right underwear. Starring Emma Booth.
JAMBO AMANI
Spain / 32min / 2013
A group of Congolese FDLR militiamen have decided to renounce violence surrender their weapons and enter the reintegration programme of the the United Nations. Happy to leave behind the troubled mountains of North Kivu, they take a helicopter to the city of Goma, where a new life is about to begin.
They're all part of the packed Flickerfest 2014 program. Details and screening times are on their website.