Now entering year 29, Flickerfest has launched into action at its local home and mainstay the Bondi Pavilion before proceeding to fifty-plus venues covering every State and Territory; concluding in Western Australia in May.

A fixture for short film fans and aspiring short and feature filmmakers in Oz and indeed across the globe, this year’s selection of 100 competition titles and a further 100 showcase additions were narrowed down from near 3,600 options.

With the 10 day Bondi run consisting of 23 programmes including several Australian, international documentary, LGBTQI and young filmmaker strands, Portuguese addition The Marvellous Misadventures of the Stone Lady from Writer/Director Gabriel Abrantes proved a stand-out of the Opening Night Highlights and indeed the first Best of International Strand where it also played.

Enjoying its Australian premiere at Flickerfest, the comedy chronicles varied museum fixtures who come to life at night, including the titular statue Liberte who, upon discovering her newfound freedom, breaks all the rules and leaves the Louvre to join a protest. Gorgeously rendered with some seamless digital effects so permitting the artefacts to emote, the additions of a very famous, very valuable old hippo and some hilarious credits addendums were but a few of the very well-earned laughs.

Closing out Opening Night A Family Affair (Australian premiere) from UK Writer/Director Florence Keith-Roach, which also plays in the Short Laughs Comedy strand, too proved an audience favourite. Covering another apparent misadventure, this time of a woman who, following her 30th birthday, wakes up in an unknown apartment, the refreshingly straightforward premise and laugh-a-minute performances from the two respective leads emerged as rewarding as the transpiring denouement.

Turning to the dramatic, Tattoo, an Iranian short from Dena Rassam and Farhad Delaram, detailing the severe and compounding harassment suffered by a young Iranian woman who attempts to navigate the State system to secure a drivers license, likewise emerged a highlight of its respective Best of International strand where the 15 minute addition enjoyed its NSW Premiere.

Flickerfest screens at the Bondi Pavilion from January 10-19 before proceeding to 50+ venues throughout each State and Territory this January-May

on FalkenScreen