Join us at SAE Creative Media Institute for a free Film Masterclass!

Are you an emerging filmmaker looking to break into the short film industry? Don’t miss this exclusive masterclass where prominent industry experts will share their knowledge and give advice on how to get your big break into the film industry through short films.

Speaker 1:
Bronwyn Kidd, Flickerfest Short Film Festival Director

Bronwyn will share her expertise and some of her favourite classic Flickerfest shorts with aspiring and established filmmakers alike.

Bronwyn will discuss a range of topics including:
– What makes a short film irresistible to Oscar qualifying film festivals?
– Should you target the Australian or International film circuit?
– What are big Australian festivals looking for?
– Targeting the smaller festivals – why would you do it?
– How to get your film out beyond festivals and make money through distribution of your short
– What you need to know to make your film market-ready

Speakers 2 & 3:
Jamie Helmer & Michael Leonard – Golden Moss Films

Jamie Helmer and Michael Leonard are the founders of the production company Golden Moss Films. Under this banner the two have created three short films: Late October, The Knife Salesman and The Diver. Both The Knife Salesman and The Diver were selected as part of the Orizzonti competition at the Venice Film Festival (in 2017 and 2019 respectively). The Diver also won Best Australia Short at Sydney’s Flickerfest in 2020. With the collaboration of French production company, Les Valseurs, the pair are currently in development of their first feature film, Calm.

Jamie and Michael will cover:
– The creative process of making their short films
– How the success of their short films have developed their careers and put them on the pathway to a filmmaking career
– Why film festivals have been important to their exposure and industry recognition filmmakers
– What projects they are currently developing
– What they have learnt through making short films and sharing them with the world

Attendees will walk away from this masterclass with knowledge on how to present their films, an understanding of how film festivals work, tips on how to make their film festival application stand out and how to engage with the film industry.

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the short film industry and get your questions answered from experts.

SAE Institute, Melbourne | Lecture Theatre | 15th April 2021 | 2.30pm – 5.00pm

Limited spots available! Register to secure your seat today.

The Filmonik Kabaret is our yearly all-you-can-film buffet of creativity where everyone collaborate on as many films as they can in a shared production space called the Kinolab at Siteworks in Brunswick. We gather at Siteworks for the first production meeting on Friday April 16 7pm, present ourselves and then chaotic magic happens until the first screening Wednesday April 21. Then, a second session of filmmaking starts on the next day with a Sunday April 25 gala screening in mind. If you have only one day or one weekend to give it’s all good because some amazing work will be done in under 48-hour while others will have the opportunity to spread their work over more days for more projects. It’s a celebration of film, not a competition. No creative restrictions, no set teams.

A single $65 ticket for everyone; directors, cast, crew or any other type of film artisan. Ticket includes:
– Access to our collaborative space at Siteworks from the evening of Friday April 16 to Sunday April 25.
– Entry to the Wednesday April 21 screening.
– Entry to the Sunday April 25 screening.
– Screening of a short film at one of the screenings.

Secure a ticket now on Eventbrite ($4.66 fees) via the link at the top of the page or pay in person with Square contactless payment ($1.23 Square fees apply).

Previous Kabaret recap video:
https://fb.watch/4N6ZebE-c-/

————————–
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
—————————

– Writers: Show up at the Kabaret production meeting with a script and pair with a director to direct or co-direct your vision, or show up empty-handed and jump into any chat to brainstorm with directors who don’t yet have any specific project. Get credited with your “Original idea” by spreading your ideas around and see where they get traction. Get involved in even more projects as script doctor.

– Directors: We think that the Kabaret experience is best enjoyed improvised by using actors, crew, props and locations that suddenly become available to you and creating around it. You can choose to show up with a nearly completed script or heaps of ready-to-use ideas too. It is okay to use the Kabaret to cast and get a crew together for an existing script or project but be sure to stay nimble. If it is your first short film it will help if you arrive with some ideas of the story that you want to tell and everyone will assist so you make it to the end with a finished film. It’s also best to keep it simple to be able to make it to the finish line by refining your concepts.

– Actors/actresses: Some will participate by playing in as many films as possible, their aim being to get a ShowReel together quickly – others will try to find one or two projects that really connect with them. If you are trying acting for the first time, team up with a director who will use your casting features efficiently and let you improvise without drowning you in a long rigid script.

– Musicians: If you want to get your music in films, this is the time. Compose an entire score. Use your back catalog to save some time and socialise. Run around the Kinolab to create unique sound effects. Chill out in the Kinolab playing music and get cast in an improvised project for your music talent. Get someone to record you just for fun and your archives. Connect with filmmakers for videoclips and other collaborations in the future.

– D.O.P.s and Post-production artisans: Chances are you will shoot, edit, do special effects or any other post-production job for your portfolio & reel and with full credit in mind. Have fun, make contacts for future projects.

– Other participants: Get your special skill or talent out there; costumes, dance, production management, props, access to special locations. Get to see how people work on set by helping around. Get inspired to make short films yourself by learning about the process by being around as a background actor. Take pictures of sets so that the crew can share that moment with others. Just hang around and have a few beers

———–

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as traditional custodians of this land. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. We extend our deepest respects to all First Nations peoples. Indigenous sovereignty has never been ceded.

After its explosive premiere at Sundance, FFFA is thrilled to present Prisoners of the Ghostland, directed by renegade Japanese auteur Sion Sono and starring cult favourite actor Nicolas Cage, as our opening night film for 2021. Tickets include KAIJU! Krush beer on arrival.

6pm – Drinks sponsored by KAIJU! Krush

6:30pm – Prisoners of the Ghostland Australian premiere screening

***

Held in a jail in the heart of Samurai Town, a fantastical melding of Westworld and Tokyo Disney, shotgun-toting outlaw Hero (Nicolas Cage) is freed after the Governor’s granddaughter goes missing. The only man desperate enough to embark on the rescue mission, Hero battles through the post-apocalyptic world in search of the runaway woman, all the while wearing a leather bodysuit rigged with timed explosives.

Presenting a wildly entertaining cross-cultural mash-up, the gonzo English language debut of Sion Sono is the inevitable and crazy collaboration we never knew we needed.

Join us for a digital Q&A with Lapsis director Noah Hutton, hosted by Board Member for the Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival and co-host of the genre film podcast Spooky Bitch Gang, Crystal Pettit.

Co-presented by Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival.

***

After a series of documentaries, director Noah Hutton ventures into the fictional world with this debut feature.
Channeling the problems with the gig economy and critiques on modern workforces, Lapsis acts as an impending prophecy of faceless corruptors of inequality. This sci-fi world asks us how far away this dystopian future really is, or if in fact, it is already here.

Director Miles Hargrove joins us for a digital Q&A, hosted by FFFA Artistic Director Hudson Sowada.

***

Kidnapped by FARC, a drug cartel in Colombia, father, husband and beloved environmental journalist Tom Hargrove is held for a $6,000,000 ransom. A turbulent government and threats of guerrilla warfare stop the US government and Hargrove’s workforce from engaging in open dialogue, leaving all negotiations to be facilitated by his family. Miles Hargrove, Tom’s son, captured the gruelling process all on film.

20 years since the incident, Miles and his family have collated, processed and presented the event in a true crime, found-footage documentary unlike any other put to screen. The impulsive decision-making, psychological trauma and unrelenting love of the family come to life in raw, emotional and breathtaking cam-corded footage. An extraordinary feat of documentary filmmaking, Miracle Fishing is an astonishing act of cinematic catharsis that only the Hargroves can ever understand.

Director Gillian Wallace Horvat joins us for a live digital Q&A, hosted by FFFA Artistic Director Hudson Sowada.

***

The formula for the perfect murder is in the hands of Gillian Wallace Horvat. She stars in, directs and writes this debut feature surrounding the inspired acts of a semi-fictionalised version of herself in the pursuit of the perfect murder. This distinctly original meta-narrative deals with a crazed protagonist’s desire to become a filmmaker at all costs. Using the barrier of the camera and creative licence, the film captures her hilarious and terrifying pursuit to become the filmmaker the world wants her to be.

Alongside searing dark comedy, Horvat holds an acute magnifying glass to the film industry and the experience of women in the medium. I Blame Society puts us in the driver’s seat of a fierce visionary pushed over the edge.

Director Martin Laroche joins us for a live digital Q&A, hosted by FFFA Artistic Director Hudson Sowada.

***

A civil war shakes Canada. Valérie is the sole survivor of a mass execution in which her boyfriend is killed. Years later, she’s in a new relationship. At the Long Term Care Centre where she works as a caregiver, she befriends Jeanne, a well-read and witty resident. What ensues is a surreal journey that mixes grounded realism with the bizarre as the lines between time, reality and identity blur.

In a time when social unrest and division is the norm, it’s not so far-fetched to imagine the ‘free world’ turning on each other and committing atrocities in the streets. With a sensibility reminiscent of the works of David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman, the stage is set for Léane Labrèche-Dor’s spellbinding performance in a film that explores survivor’s guilt, the grieving process, the distance of time, the power of love, and the joy of being alive.

Join a group of ecstatic (and exhausted) filmmakers all premiering a short film they’ve made in the last 5 days in a shared production space. Some filmmakers had only 48 hour or 72 hours to execute their vision but some will be editing up to just a few hours before screening. Expect comedies, drama, suspense, some stop-motion, docos maybe, experimental stuff, trashy goodness and action. Short QA after the films give insight into the production.

The Filmonik Kabaret is our yearly event, an all-you-can-film buffet of creativity where everyone collaborate on as many films as they can in a shared production space called the Kinolab at Siteworks. Chaotic magic happens until the first screening Wednesday April 21. Then, a second session of filmmaking starts on the next day. It’s a celebration of film, not a competition. No creative restrictions, no set teams. Come and enjoy the creative explosion.

ENTRY FEE $7
Exact change at the door, Square contactless payment with $0.28 fee or ticket presale on Eventbrite with $1.47 fee.

No need for a ticket if you plan on attending the whole Kabaret event and make films. The separate ticket will give you access to this screening.

Check our other events to get more details about Kabaret and how to participate.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2554134684887941

Director Ben Hozie joins us for a live digital Q&A with filmmaker and programmer Kai Perrignon. Co-presented by Static Vision & Trash Night

***

The pale blue light of computer monitors illuminate the grungy corners of New York. Professional online gambler Jack becomes obsessed with a San Franciscan cam-girl, Scarlet, played by a bewitching Julia Fox (Good Time). Conversations between them soon deepen and the customer-client line blurs. But it’s a chance encounter in Chinatown that takes this relationship to its boiling point.

Director Ben Hozie interrogates the nature of online relationships in this transgressive modern erotic parable. With quirky humour the film explores digital fantasy and the existential isolation of a digital world. The two leads bring this immersive vision of New York to life and ask us to ponder the meaning of love when connection is just one click away.

Welcome to HRAFF 2021.

The festival theme this year is Shifting Patterns – a nod to the individual, social and systemic changes we are witnessing or working toward at this moment in time.

The essence of this theme is balance – balance of ideas, voices, priorities, perspectives and power. Balance enables us to move forward. Balance creates space for clarity, to help us see things as they really are. When in balance, we can accept and embrace change. We delight in the details we discover about ourselves and each other, we find courage to contend with what we no longer accept, and find motivation to act in support of balance for others.

Patterns become clear. We connect the dots, and create conditions for change. We choose to let go, we choose to move forward. We recognise that movement is constant, essential, and powerful.

Through this lens HRAFF 2021: Shifting Patterns has been created, with the intention to offer the stage for the people and organisations who are leading the way in this regard. Shaped by the generous storytelling of the many artists, activists and advocates in our program, and brought to life by us, for you.

OPENING NIGHT EVENT | MUSIC & FILM | 6:30pm Thursday 22 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

FAREWELL AMOR (2020)
Reunited after a 17 year separation, Walter, an Angolan immigrant, is joined in the U.S. by his wife, Esther, and teenage daughter Sylvia. Now absolute strangers sharing a one-bedroom apartment, they discover a shared love of dance that may help overcome the distance between them.

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, director Ekwa Msangi crafts a vibrant, eye-opening film full of music, atmosphere, and emotional complexity. There are three sides to every story in Farewell Amor, an intergenerational, and truthful exploration of family, and rediscovery.

Director: Ekwa Msangi
Country: USA
Year: 2020
Duration: 101 minutes
Language: English and Portuguese with English subtitles
Genre: Narrative

FEATURING A PRE-FILM PERFORMANCE BY NIASHA
As a Singer, songwriter, and spoken word poet (maybe even a dancer), Zimbabwean-born soul performer NIASHA is the true definition of dynamites come in small packages.

Tickets and full program available via the link in our bio. Presented in collaboration with the @usconsulatemelb
 and @westernedgeyoutharts .

Director Rodney Ascher joins us for a digital Q&A with Static Vision co-founder and programmer Felix Hubble.

Co-presented by Static Vision.

***

Are we living in a simulation? Is the world around us fabricated? Where does virtual reality stop and the real world begin? These questions, consolidated through simulation theory, have existed on the fringes of popular culture and have been building momentum for years. From Plato’s cave to Elon Musk’s Twitter feed, the film is a staggering synthesis of perspectives that capture a poignant 21st century existential crisis.

As demonstrated in his previous film, Room 237, acclaimed director Rodney Ascher is no stranger to left-field ideas. He uses voices on the fringes to uncover deeply human anxieties, drawing on a variety of sources from conspiracy theorists to scientists and philosophers, to craft a conceptual, considered and sensitive trip down the rabbit-hole.

EVENT #2 | MUSIC & FILM | 6:15pm Friday 23 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

UNDERPLAYED (2020)
Electronic music was born from the ideals of diversity, community, and inclusivity, and yet in 2019 only five of Billboard’s top 100 DJs were women.

Filmed over the summer festival season, New Zealand-born director Stacey Lee’s Underplayed presents a portrait of gender, ethnic, and sexual equality issues through the female pioneers, next-generation artists, and industry leaders who are championing change. Ultimately, the film explores gender disparity that transcends music and finds relevance in many of today’s industries. It will leave you pumping your fist in solidarity with these DJs while simultaneously bopping your head to their infectious beats.

Director: Stacey Lee
Country: Canada
Year: 2020
Duration: 87 minutes
Language: English
Genre: Documentary

FEATURING A PRE-FILM PERFORMANCE BY JACKI TUT
Jacki Tut is a South-Sudanese Australian artist from deep in Melbourne’s South-East. Not seeing herself as belonging to any single genre, Jacki instead moves through RnB, Soul and Hip-Hop to cultivate her sound.Her most recent single “Black Tears” will be released April 9 on all streaming platforms with her EP dropping in the second half of 2021.

FEATURING A SHORT FILM BY GRID SERIES

EVENT #3 | SHORT FILMS | 9:00pm Friday 23 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

6 short films encapsulating a range of voices and stories. This program celebrates the victories, exposes the struggles and highlights the everyday trivialities of women, transwomen and non-binary people.

End-O
Alice Seabright | UK | 2019 | English | 15 mins | Narrative | Australian premiere

Jaq wants to have sex. But her Endometriosis is out to sabotage her with chronic pain and unpredictable bleeding – at the very worst time.

Unliveable [Inabitável]
Matheus Farias, Enock Carvalho / Brazil / 2020 / Portuguese / 19 / Narrative / Australian Premiere

The world experiences a phenomenon never seen before. Marilene searches for her daughter Roberta, a trans woman who went missing. While running out of time, she discovers a hope for the future.

Mothers Of
Ross Lai | Canada | 2019 | English, Spanish | 19 mins | Documentary | Australian premiere

The unconscionable story of Teodora del Carmen Vasquez, who suffers a stillbirth at full term and is cruelly sentenced to an 11-year jail sentence in El Salvador under some of the harshest anti-abortion laws in the world.

Doublespeak
Hazel McKibbin | USA | 2020 | English | 10 mins | Narrative | Australian premiere

A young woman grapples with the aftermath of reporting sexual harassment in the workplace in this 2021 Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee.

A Fool God
Hiwot Admasu Getaneh | France | 2019 | Amharic | 18 mins | Narrative | Australian premiere

When young Mesi steps in for her squeamish brother to perform a traditional — male-only — ritual, she faces blame for the negative outcome. Instead, she defiantly questions the wisdom of her elders’ beliefs, in Hiwot Admasu Getaneh’s magical realist and gently irreverent drama.

Many Bloodlines [êmîcêtôcêt]
Theola Ross | Canada | 2020 | English | 11 mins | Documentary | Australian premiere

A Cree filmmaker and her white partner document their pregnancy and journey to parenthood. From the search for an Indigenous donor and midwife to their concerns about raising a child as an interracial queer couple, the joy of having a child together gives them the courage to overcome any obstacle.

Session runtime: 90 mins

A collection of short films from around the world that have positive, uplifting or humorous endings for LGBTIQ+ characters.

https://gpff.ferve.tickets/Events/Happy-Endings-2021-Mixed-Shorts-Cinema

Flex
It all started, when Charles (Charles Gould) saw a man flexing his muscle in a TV advert as a young boy. After a break-up with his long time girlfriend, Charles explores parts of his sexuality that he never allowed himself to explore before.
Director: Matt Porter, United States, 16 mins, English

From A to Q
22 year old Alex wakes suddenly from a dream where she’s intimate with her best friend Kayla. This awakening for Alex, who has never been with a girl before, forces her to navigate her new feelings.
Director: Emmalie El fadli, United Kingdom, 19 mins, English

What If?
After a bad break-up, Jess focuses on rebuilding her life and her self esteem. Dating someone new might help, but what if it all goes wrong? There’s only one way to find out.
Director: Teresa Garratty, United Kingdom, 10 mins, English captions and British Sign Language

Bye
A university student tries to go on several dates, only to realise many people are close minded when it comes to accepting bisexuality.
Directors: Gabriela Carbone, Casey Chapter, United States, 3 mins, English

Vuelta Al Sol
A young transgender man César struggles with the expectations of some of his family members during a birthday party. His brother shows love and support and affirms his identity.
Director: Judith Corro, Panama, 7 mins, Spanish with English subtitles

Anna
Encouraged by her conservative and disapproving mother, Elsa has decided to come out to her grandmother. Her grandmother’s response in not what she or her mother are expecting.
Director: Sylvain Certain, France, 5 mins, French with English subtitles

Bodies of Desire
Bodies of Desire is a spoken-word film that captures four sets of lovers amid passion. A sensual celebration of universal love, self-acceptance and desire, inspired by Varsha Panikar’s poetry.
Directors: Varsha Panikar and Saad Nawab, India, 4 mins, English with English subtitles

Furious Saint Jack & Otter, Alone
A lonely young man narrates his leap from isolation to ecstasy when he meets a beautiful stranger at a bar.
Director: Ethan Roberts, United States, 6 mins, English

Avocado Toast
When a young woman comes out as bisexual to her suburban parents, she is shocked by their own revelation.
Director: Sam Coyle, Canada, 15 mins, English

Pastry
Romance blossoms between an inspirational baker and a businesswoman with a seriously sweet tooth.
Director: Eduardo Barreto, United Kingdom, 10 mins, English

Stalls
A man goes to the bathrooms in the middle of an opera performance in search of distraction.
Director: João Dall’Stella, United States, 3 mins, No dialogue

EVENT #4 | FILM & PANEL | 2:00pm Saturday 24 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

COWBOYS (2020)
Troy (Steve Zahn) and his young child Joe (Sasha Knight) are on the run in rural western Montana. They think they can make it to the Canadian border, if they can just manage to keep a low enough profile while they journey north. But Joe’s mother Sally (Jillian Bell) has discovered they’re missing, and an outsider within the local police force, Faith (Ann Dowd), is in hot pursuit. As Faith discovers more about the case, she finds this supposed kidnapping is more than it seems. Troy is attempting to free his transgender son from the bigotry of his mother.; Troy also has mental health issues, and is without his much-needed medication.

Winner of Best Screenplay and Best Actor at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, writer/director Anna Kerrigan captures a portrait of a pivotal childhood experience with a compassionate and sturdy lens. Guided with care and vision, this modern-day western has an emotional veracity that simply must be seen.

Director: Anna Kerrigan
Country: USA
Year: 2020
Duration: 83 minutes
Language: English
Genre: Narrative

FEATURING A POST-FILM PANEL
with Rebecca Scott, Quinn Eades, Harvey Zielinski

A collection of LGBTIQ+ documentary short films from around the world including New Zealand, United States, Canada, Australia and Albania. Includes Geelong Pride Film Festival Student Filmmaker Award winner ‘Nikau’ from Tayla Burton.

https://gpff.ferve.tickets/Events/Documentary-Shorts-Cinema

Sweetheart Dancers
A Two-Spirit couple rewrite the rules of Native American culture through their participation in the ‘Sweetheart Dance.’
Director: Ben-Alex Dupris, United States, 2019, 14 mins, English

At Intersections
A film about feminism and the intersections of identity.
Director: Fern Mei Sim, Australia, 2019, 6 mins, English

Rainbow Voices of Aotearoa New Zealand
From staring down thousands of protestors, to Parliament narrowly passing bills to give LGBT people fundamental rights; these are stories of those who fought for and won significant change in New Zealand.
Director: Jack O’Donnell, New Zealand, 2019, 20 mins, English and Maori, English subtitles

Nikau
Nikau is a young transgender man who recalls the emotions, events and people who helped him as he came out and how they love and accept for who he is.
Director: Tayla Burton, Australia, 2020, 5 mins, English

Modern Royalty
An exploration of the Ballroom community in Toronto.
Director: Natasha Uhrig, Canada, 2020, 6 mins, English

Burrnesh – The Sworn Virgin
In medieval Albania, to escape patriarchy or for family obligations, women could choose to become a man by renouncing their sexuality forever. These were the “Burrnesh”. Today the Burrnesh have almost disappeared.
Director: Roberto Di Matteo, Albania, 2020, 6 mins, Albanian, English subtitles

Queer Fear
An emotional breakdown followed by a global pandemic forces 28-year-old Carla to sit in isolation with her thoughts after years of avoiding them.
Director: Carla Elizabeth Hernandez, Canada, 2020, 5 mins, English

The Gaytriarchy And Why We Need Pride
Through the eyes of three LGTBQI+ activists, this documentary comments on the dogma and discrimination that can take place in the name of religion and culture how this impacts the LGBTIQ+ community.
Director: TJ Narula, Australia, 2020, 11 mins, English

Candy’s Crush
An intimate portrait of professional Samoan/Kiwi wrestler and trans woman Leilani Tominiko, better known as the super extra Candy Lee.
Director: Roberto Nascimento, New Zealand, 2019, 7 mins, English

Take a trip back into the truly analogue world of 16mm film as we present a carefully curated program of oddball tidbits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Curated by Richard Sowada Artistic Director of the St Kilda Film Festival.

Free event in the Lido Cinemas Foyer from 6pm.

***

These rare nuggets will explain to you everything you need to know about being a success in life. With titles the calibre of How to Meet Your Marriage Partner, Personal Hygiene for Boys, Shy Guy and How Do You Do? and the Disney classic The Story of Menstruation.

This collection will have your jaw on the floor and go a good way in explaining how we got to where we are today. See where it all began as it unfolds on original formats.

EVENT #6 | FILM & PANEL | 6:30pm Saturday 24 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

MLK/FBI (2020)

Based on newly declassified files, Oscar-nominated director Sam Pollard’s resonant film MLK/FBI performs the vital task of examining J. Edgar Hoover’s relentless campaign of surveillance and harassment against Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today, when King is celebrated across political spectrums as a moral hero, it’s jolting to confront the years when US agents targeted him as a villain. This film is a crucial way to connect the past to the present.

Director: Sam Pollard
Country: USA
Year: 2020
Duration: 104 minutes
Language: English
Genre: Documentary

FEATURING SHORT FILM BY GRID SERIES

FEATURING A POST-FILM PANEL DISCUSSION

Strip bare (or down to undies) for a special event nude screening of PATRICK. Set in a nudist colony, this Shakespearean tragi-comedy is riddled with intrigue, deceit and self-discovery… and a level of undress that has to be seen to believed.

Playing in addition to regular, clothed screenings of PATRICK, this special event gives bold audiences the unique opportunity to engage in the unclothed spirit of the film.

We’ve established a set of guidelines to ensure a fun and safe event for everyone in attendance:

•Respect other patrons’ personal space – antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated
•No photography
•Restricted to patrons aged 18+
•Please bring a towel to sit on
•Please arrive to the venue fully clothed – you’ll be able to disrobe within the confines of the cinema
•Clothing is required should you wish to leave the cinema for candy bar items or the bathroom

EVENT #7 | PERFORMANCE & FILM | 1:15pm Sunday 25 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly (2019)

In 2013 artist Ai Weiwei and curator Cheryl Haines created an interactive art installation ‘@Large’ on the notorious Alcatraz Island. Formerly imprisoned by the Chinese government for his art and political activism, Ai Weiwei used his experiences as inspiration. Through a unique combination of kites, Legos and postcards, Ai and Haines pay tribute to prisoners of conscience across the globe.

Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly offers a unique look at Ai’s artistic process, along with the impact of @Large on both the exhibition’s visitors and the political prisoners who received postcards, while delving Ai Weiwei’s own experiences of exile. Visually impressive and uplifting, this film is a celebration of freedom of speech, human rights and the power of art.

Director: Cheryl Haines
Country: USA
Year: 2019
Duration: 78 mins
Language: English, Mandarin with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary

FEATURING PRE-FILM PERFORMANCE BY MALAIKA MFALME
Malaika Mfalme {Angel King} is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist producing on Gadigal Land. Angel King writes beautifully evoking music that’ll step on your heart and lift you away from daily chaos and monotony. Malaika is here to create a safe space focused on healing with a powerful message of kindness, acceptance and reflection vibrating through every one of their sonic outputs.

EVENT #8 | MUSIC & FILM | 6:30pm Thursday 22 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra (2020)

Marking Bangarra Dance Theatre’s 30th anniversary, The Story of Bangarra is a captivating documentary that tells the story of Stephen, David and Russell Page – three young Aboriginal brothers who turned a newly born dance group into one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies.

Firestarter explores the loss and reclaiming of culture, the burden of intergenerational trauma and crucially, the extraordinary power of art as a messenger for social change and healing. Directed by Wayne Blair (The Sapphires, Top End Wedding) and Nel Minchin (Matilda & Me), this poignant documentary has already won multiple awards, including the AACTA-Award for Best Documentary.

Directors: Wayne Blair, Nel Minchin
Country: Australia
Year: 2020
Duration: 96 minutes
Language: English
Genre: Documentary

FEATURING A SHORT FILM BY GRID SERIES

FEATURING A LIVE PERFORMANCE BY KULULU WARIA
Kululu Waria is a singer/songwriter whose pop sound can be attributed to the eclectic range of music she heard growing up. She bares her soul with her honest and relatable lyricism but delivers it through catchy hooks and upbeat production. Kululu has the ability to draw you in with her warm and inviting presence but it’s her raw yet sincere performances that’ll keep you around.

Director Parish Malfitano and star Richard James Allen join us live in cinema for a post-screening Q&A and discussion. Hosted by FFFA artistic director Hudson Sowada.

***
At 44, Hans still lives with his mother and makes ends meet as a driving instructor. He’s plagued by visions of a lost love which start to derail his grip on reality. When Matilda, a tenant half his age, moves in, deeply repressed feelings emerge within Hans.
Tension soon grows between Hans and his mother as their relationship isn’t quite what it seems. It appears that Matilda is harbouring dangerous secrets of her own. Driven by his manic obsession, Hans’ hatches the perfect plan to win Matilda’s heart.

EVENT #9 | SHORT FILMS | 6:30pm Monday 26 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 2

Australian Shorts
Giving voice to uniquely compelling perspectives, these exceptional stories shed light on the many sides of the Australian experience.

A Rare Breed
Thomas José Field | Australia | 2019 | English | 11 mins | Documentary

Rob is a world-renowned chicken breeder from Tasmania who has travelled all over the world to exhibit his chickens, as well as his own body …

Two Sands
Poppy van Oorde-Grainger | Australia | 2020 | English | 7 mins | Narrative | Australian Premiere

As Garang struggles on his first day at high school in Australia, memories of being lost in South Sudan are triggered. When past and present collide, Garang must find a way to bridge the gap between where he is and where he’s come from.

The Inclusive Filmmaker
Sophie Hawkshaw, Genevieve Kaiser | Australia | 2019 | English | 5 mins | Animation

Through stop motion animation, three creatives share their experiences in living with a disability in the Australian film industry.

Chicken
Alana Hicks | Australia | 2019 | English | 10 mins | Narrative

All Barbara wants to do is watch The Simpsons, but her recently migrated mum has just been overcharged at the local shops, and it’s up to Barbara to sort it out. As usual.

Save Our Soul
Chloë Beckley | Australia | 2020 | English | 7 mins | Documentary | Australian Premiere

Follow the sacrifices and triumphs of June, an elderly activist desperately trying to save the Great Barrier Reef.

Ngumpin Kartiya
Ben McFadyen | Australia | 2020 | English | 18 mins | Documentary

Produced by the Gurindji Aboriginal Corporation, this film tells untold stories of the Wave Hill Walk-off and the Gurindji people while also revealing the true significance of the iconic song ‘From Little Things, Big Things Grow’.

Session runtime: 58mins

FEATURING A POST-FILM PANEL WITH KEY CREATIVES

Director Xia Magnus joins us for a digital Q&A, hosted by Festival Director Hudson Sowada.

***

Evelyn, a nurse from the Philippines, moves in to care for Dena, an elderly woman ill with dementia. When Evelyn’s nephew, Amos, is forced to come and stay with them, he develops a connection with Dena’s enigmatic son. Mysterious forces haunt Dena, and her violent hallucinations begin to hint at a dark secret lurking in the house. As the two broken families find themselves dangerously isolated under one roof, Evelyn uncovers a haunting truth that threatens to resurrect everyone’s past traumas.

Desolate south Texas sets the stage for this unique clash of Americana and Filipino heritage. A refreshingly unconventional cast plays out this ghost story and reminds us of the strength within those who society often overlooks.

EVENT #10 | FILM AND PANEL | 6:15pm Tuesday 27 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

Ophir (2020)

Ophir tells the story of Bougainville and its people, who hope for peace, freedom and protection.

Ophir describes the attempts of an Australian-owned mining company to take over the residents of Bougainville, to legislate away their rights to life and the things that sustain that life.

The beauty, poetry and philosophy of the residents of Bougainville contrast with the dirt of the mining company and the businesses who exploit every possible loophole in their quest to destroy land. A dramatic ode to the indelible thirst for freedom, culture and sovereignty offers a gripping exposition of the visible and invisible chains of colonisation.

Director: Olivier Pollet, Alexandre Berman
Country: France, UK
Year: 2020
Duration: 97 minutes
Language: English, Tok Pidgin, Nasioi with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary

FEATURING A POST-FILM PANEL DISCUSSION
with Keren Adams and Wayne Coles-Janess

EVENT #11 | FILM AND PANEL | 6:15pm Wednesday 28 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 2

The Forum (2019)

In times of rampant populism and growing mistrust, director Marcus Vetter accompanies Klaus Schwab, the 81-year-old founder of the controversial World Economic Forum, as he works to achieve his goal of improving the state of the world.

Since 1971, Schwab has brought together leaders from international business, politics and civil society in the small Swiss mountain village of Davos, For the first time in the 50-year history of the World Economic Forum, a filmmaker is allowed access to go behind the scenes. The documentary follows Schwab over the course of two tumultuous years marked by the climate crisis, Brexit, the burning of the Amazon rainforest, the election of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and the trade war between the USA and China.

Director: Marcus Vetter
Country: Germany, Switzerland
Year: 2019
Duration: 118 minutes
Language: German, English, Spanish with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary

FEATURING A POST-FILM PANEL DISCUSSION

A SPECIAL EVENT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BLAXCELLENCE | PERFORMANCE, SPEAKER, SHORT FILMS, NETWORKING | 6:30pm Wednesday 28 April 2021 | Loop Bar

ARTIST: TÉBIR
Tèbir is a unique Melbourne-based singer, songwriter, and dancer who fuses together African soul and neo-funk genres to create striking music and live performance art.

ARTIST SPEAKER: AWAK KONGOR
Self proclaimed procrastinated queen and woman trying to squeeze in a nap, Awak Rech Kongor is a South Sudanese Dinka woman, intersectionalist, abolitionist and a mental health advocate for young people within the South Sudanese community.

SHORT FILM: Lil Bois (2018)
After swimming with his friends in a billabong, a nervous little boy returns to his camp and discovers everything has changed. (Source: IMDB)

Lil Bois is the first film in the traditional and endangered Australian Indigenous language of Ngandi. It also features the languages of Wagilak and Roper Kriol.

Director/Writer: Grant Thompson
Production Company: Ngukurr Story Project
Year: 2018
Duration: 17 minutes
Language: Ngandi (also features Wagilak and Roper Kriol)
Genre: Short/Drama

SHORT FILM: Road Dogs (2019)
Moza, a 20-year-old South Sudanese, migrant rap-singer, faces suspicion, racism and lateral violence throughout this challenging day. Can he find his voice and sing his anthem to the wider community?

Director: Ez Eldin Deng
Writer: Ez Eldin Deng
Stars: Wol Riak, Deng Tebir, Abigail Martin
Country: Australia
Year: 2019
Duration: 12 minutes
Language: English

Presented in Partnership with Nostalgic Events.

EVENT #13 | SHORT FILMS | 6:00pm Thursday 29 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 2

Femme Shorts
6 short films encapsulating a range of voices and stories. This program celebrates the victories, exposes the struggles and highlights the everyday trivialities of women, transwomen and non-binary people.

End-O
Alice Seabright | UK | 2019 | English | 15 mins | Narrative | Australian premiere

Jaq wants to have sex. But her Endometriosis is out to sabotage her with chronic pain and unpredictable bleeding – at the very worst time.

Unliveable [Inabitável]
Matheus Farias, Enock Carvalho / Brazil / 2020 / Portuguese / 19 / Narrative / Australian Premiere

The world experiences a phenomenon never seen before. Marilene searches for her daughter Roberta, a trans woman who went missing. While running out of time, she discovers a hope for the future.

Mothers Of
Ross Lai | Canada | 2019 | English, Spanish | 19 mins | Documentary | Australian premiere

The unconscionable story of Teodora del Carmen Vasquez, who suffers a stillbirth at full term and is cruelly sentenced to an 11-year jail sentence in El Salvador under some of the harshest anti-abortion laws in the world.

Doublespeak
Hazel McKibbin | USA | 2020 | English | 10 mins | Narrative | Australian premiere

A young woman grapples with the aftermath of reporting sexual harassment in the workplace in this 2021 Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee.

A Fool God
Hiwot Admasu Getaneh | France | 2019 | Amharic | 18 mins | Narrative | Australian premiere

When young Mesi steps in for her squeamish brother to perform a traditional — male-only — ritual, she faces blame for the negative outcome. Instead, she defiantly questions the wisdom of her elders’ beliefs, in Hiwot Admasu Getaneh’s magical realist and gently irreverent drama.

Many Bloodlines [êmîcêtôcêt]
Theola Ross | Canada | 2020 | English | 11 mins | Documentary | Australian premiere

A Cree filmmaker and her white partner document their pregnancy and journey to parenthood. From the search for an Indigenous donor and midwife to their concerns about raising a child as an interracial queer couple, the joy of having a child together gives them the courage to overcome any obstacle.

Session runtime: 90 mins

HRAFF WESTSIDE | FILM | 6:45pm Thursday 29 April 2021 | Sun Theatre

Midnight Traveler (2019)
In 2015, after Hassan Fazili’s documentary ‘Peace in Afghanistan’ aired on Afghan national television, the Taliban assassinated the film’s main subject and put a price on Fazili’s head. Fearing for their survival, the Fazili family fled Kabul for Tajikistan. Yet after 14 months spent submitting asylum applications that were rejected again and again, they were deported back to Afghanistan. It was at this juncture that Fazili picked up his cell phone and hit the record button.

Winner of a 2020 Peabody Award, Midnight Traveler chronicles every step from inside the action, Fazili, his filmmaker wife, and their young daughters trek across Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Serbia. As they endure smugglers, gangs, and refugee camps, the camera witnesses not only the danger and desperation but also the exuberance and tenderness of this irresistible, loving family. For Fazili, framing their story becomes an assertion of control, humanity, and self-expression in a situation where none exists. With its radical subjectivity, visceral footage, and poetic form, Midnight Traveler is a migration story like no other.

Director: Hassan Fazili with additional camerawork by Fatima Hussaini, Nargis Fazili, Zahra Fazili
Country: Qatar, UK, Canada, USA
Year: 2019
Duration: 89 mins
Language: Persian, English, Turkish, Bulgarian with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary

FEATURING A SHORT FILM BY GRID SERIES

EVENT #15 | SHORT FILMS | 8:30pm Thursday 29 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 2

International Shorts

This collection of exceptional global cinema reveals the awe-inspiring strength of the human spirit in confronting an increasingly complex world.
A Concerto Is A Conversation
Kris Bowers, Ben Proudfoot | USA / 2021 | 13 mins | Documentary | Australian Premiere

In this 2021 Oscar-nominated short, a virtuoso jazz pianist and film composer tracks his family’s lineage through his 91-year-old grandfather from Jim Crow Florida to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Along the Winisk River
Janna Kyllästinen | USA | 2020 | English | 10 mins | Documentary | Australian Premiere

A remote Indigenous community embarks on a caribou hunt in the freezing subarctic winter. Witness their struggle for survival in the age of climate change — where traditional practices have been made both dangerous and difficult.

The Shift
Laura Carreira | United Kingdom, Portugal | 2020 | English | 9 mins | Narrative | Australian Premiere

Anna, an agency worker, takes her dog for a morning walk before doing her shopping. As she heads towards the checkout, her agency calls — she has lost her shift. The film reveals the ever-close distance separating employment and poverty, security and tumult.

Mawhialeo Ote Alowha (Our Love)
Valeriya Golovina | New Zealand | 2020 | Tokelauan, English | 16 mins | Documentary | Australian Premiere

Meli and her husband Avito reflect on the pivotal decision of their lives. With much trepidation they left the tiny atoll of Tokelau for New Zealand seeking a better life for their son. 43 years on, they find themselves pulled between family and a longing for home.

A Horse Has More Blood Than A Human
Abolfazl Talooni | Iran, United Kingdom | 2020 | Azerbaijani, Persian | 20 mins | Documentary | Australian Premiere

This understated documentary focuses on an Azeri couple’s home village, whose only means of survival is by risking everything to smuggle Afghan refugees across the Turkish border

Excess Will Save Us
Morgane Dziurla-Petit | Sweden | 2019 | French | 14 mins | Documentary | Australian Premiere

In a small village north of France, the beginning of the dove hunting season and an argument between drunk Polish workers sets off an alarm around the country. An absurd unravelling that asks us to examine our own paranoias.

Session runtime: 83 mins

EVENT #16 | PERFORMANCE, FILM, PANEL | 6:30pm Friday 30 April 2021 | ACMI Cinema 1

Body of Truth (2019)
Four women artists, including Marina Abramovic, bring war, violence and suppression into their work, using the most intimate canvas available to them – their body, using the most personal feature available: their own bodies.

Body of Truth profiles these four unique artists exploring complex personal and universal themes. Shirin Neshat works with the female body both as a sensual entity and a political space; Marina Abramović pushes through physical pain to attain freedom; Sigalit Landau uses her art to heal inner wounds; and Katharina Sieverding examines the artist’s duty to question ideas of national identity. Mining their personal histories for inspiration, these four female artists create challenging works of vulnerability and strength.

Director: Evelyn Schels
Country: Germany
Year: 2019
Duration: 95 minutes
Language: English and German with English subtitles
Genre: Documentary

FEATURING A PRE-FILM PERFORMANCE

FEATURING A POST-FILM PANEL DISCUSSION
with Caro Llewellyn, Elle Rusch Drakos, Hannah Fox, Jessie Alice (Moderator)

Welcome to HRAFF 2021.

The festival theme this year is Shifting Patterns – a nod to the individual, social and systemic changes we are witnessing or working toward at this moment in time.

The essence of this theme is balance – balance of ideas, voices, priorities, perspectives and power. Balance enables us to move forward. Balance creates space for clarity, to help us see things as they really are. When in balance, we can accept and embrace change. We delight in the details we discover about ourselves and each other, we find courage to contend with what we no longer accept, and find motivation to act in support of balance for others.

Patterns become clear. We connect the dots, and create conditions for change. We choose to let go, we choose to move forward. We recognise that movement is constant, essential, and powerful.

Through this lens HRAFF 2021: Shifting Patterns has been created, with the intention to offer the stage for the people and organisations who are leading the way in this regard. Shaped by the generous storytelling of the many artists, activists and advocates in our program, and brought to life by us, for you.

HRAFF WESTSIDE | COFFEE CEREMONY, MUSIC, FILM, PANEL | 2:00pm Saturday 1 May 2021 | Footscray Community Arts Centre

FEATURING A TRADITIONAL ETHIOPIAN COFFEE CEREMONY

MUSIC BY DANIEL ATLAW SEIFU (ETHIO-JAZZ ENSEMBLE)
Daniel Seifu is a professionally trained Ethiopian jazz, traditional and contemporary musician graduated from the Yared School of Music in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. Before arriving in Australia in 2007, he was a resident musician, composer, arranger and teacher at the Ethiopian National Theatre.

FILM: Found in a Dream (2019)

A story about community issues around young, migrant African men set in Melbourne, Australia. Namely, issues of feeling alone and a sense of not belonging that leads young immigrants to struggle with relationships, education and work. Through a lack of love and understanding, often they turn to drugs. Found in a Dream explores these themes and issues through Abeselom, a hardened drug dealer. His world is rocked when he meets Netsanet and for the first time he feels real love again. Found in a Dream is about love, culture, money and ultimately, finding comfort within each other.

Director: Helen Kassa
Country: Australia
Year: 2019
Duration: 97 Minutes
Language: English, Amharic with English subtitles
Genre: Narrative

FEATURING A PRE-FILM PANEL DISCUSSION
with Helen Kassa and Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi

CLOSING NIGHT EVENT | PERFORMANCE & FILM | 6:30pm Saturday 1 May 2021 | ACMI Cinema 2

The Last Tree (2019)

Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Shola Amoo’s semi-autobiographical second feature focuses on young protagonist Femi, a boy caught between different mothers and backgrounds.

Femi (played by BIFA award-winner Sam Adewunmi), a British boy of Nigerian heritage, enjoys a happy childhood in rural England where he is raised by doting foster mother Mary —until his birth mother Yinka reclaims him and deposits him into a much different life in her small inner-London flat. With little emotional bond to his biological mother and no remembrance of their cultural heritage, Femi struggles to adapt. As he adjusts to his new environment, he neglects the wishes of both of his “mothers,” he is faced with a decision about what kind of a man he wants to become, and must forge ahead in a courageous pursuit of his own identity. Featuring stunning cinematography evocative of Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, this is a powerful portrait of young British masculinity.

Director: Shola Amoo
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2019
Duration: 99 mins
Language: English
Genre: Narrative

PRE-FILM PERFORMANCE BY WESTERN EDGE YOUTH ARTS
Western Edge Youth Arts works across Melbourne’s western suburbs, providing space for young people to come together to tell their own stories, in their own way and with their own voice.

A passionate coming-of-age tale set amidst the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi, the film follows Merab, a competitive dancer who is thrown off balance by the arrival of Irakli, a fellow male dancer with a rebellious streak.

Merab has been training since a young age at the National Georgian Ensemble with his dance partner Mary. His world is suddenly turned upside down when the charismatic and carefree Irakli arrives and becomes both his strongest rival and desire. In this conservative setting Merab finds himself having to break free and risk it all.

Director: Levan Akin, Sweden and Georgia, Georgian with English Subtitles

When journalist Eammon Ashton-Atkinson fled Australia and moved to London to escape depression – a struggle exacerbated by his battle with his sexuality and a traumatic outing during high school – he found his salvation in the Kings Cross Steelers. Formed in 1995, the Steelers were one of the first gay rugby clubs in London. More than that, this club became a sanctuary of sorts for the disparate group of gay men from all around the world, finding a home to excel in a game they love and to celebrate their sexuality. Directed by Ashton-Atkinson, this inspiring and emotional documentary takes an intimate look into the lives of the various team members (including their fierce lesbian club director) as they grapple with their own demons, overcome adversary and do a little drag, all the while competing for the Bingham World Cup in Amsterdam. This is a heartwarming story about finding your tribe and the protective shield of a gay rugby scrum.

Director: Eammon Ashton-Atkinson, United Kingdom / Australia, English, Cinema only

This screening is presented in partnership with Melbourne Queer Film Festival with support from the Victorian Government through Victoria Together.