FLICKERFEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR 2023
Flickerfest will return to Bondi this January for its 32nd year. Starting on January 20th at the iconic Bondi Pavillion, the festival’s Sydney season will run for 10 days before hitting the road for a massive, eight-month, national tour. The tour will reach over 50 metro and regional venues across all states, bringing Flickerfest to the rest of the country.
The festival’s full programme contains 114 short films handpicked from over 3200 entries. The Best Australian Short Film competition will see 64 films vie for the top spot. The International category will contain 37 entries, and the Documentary will have 13.
A further 80 films will also feature across Flickerfest’s showcase sessions. Showcases include focuses on indigenous, LGBTQI+, and student films.
Flickerfest’s platform has helped shape and encourage many Australian film artists, with Kriv Stenders (Red Dog), Wayne Blair (The Sapphires), David Michôd (Animal Kingdom), Heath Davis (Broke, Book Week) and Jennifer Kent (The Nightingale) being just some of the festival’s alumni.
Highlights of the Australian programme include:
The Australian premiere of director John Sheedy’s Tarneit. Winner of the prestigious 2022 Iris Prize, Tarneit tells the story of Tyrone (Calvin Black) and Clinton (Antanhe Zewdu), two Deaf teenagers who, despite their shared sense of neglect, also share a bond and a dream of one day escaping the violence that swirls around them.
The world premiere of Ben Golotta’s Lean. After suffering financial ruin, Robert (Nicolas Hope) decides to sail a handmade boat to New Zealand, seemingly to regain the respect of his family. Seeing the lunacy of his ambitions, his son Charlie (Harry Greenwood) tries to stop him.
The world premiere of writer/director Minka Bleakley’s Six of One. When a young mother (Gabrielle K Miller) is overwhelmed by her new responsibilities, she takes off from her rural-suburban home, leaving her hard-partying husband (Matt Levett) to pick up the pieces. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Nightcap Ranges in Northern NSW, Six of One traverses the disconnect of two new parents who are not prepared for the realities of raising a child.
The world premiere of writer/director Vonne Paiag’s Too Many Ethnics. The epic quest of three best friends surviving trials of racism, love, and friendship in the long line to get into an exclusive nightclub.
Highlights of the International programme include:
The Australian premiere of UK director Sheroze Khan’s Man to Man, a hard-hitting, emotional rollercoaster starring SAG/Independent Spirit Award-nominated David Harewood MBE (Homeland, Blood Diamond) as a father who brings his son (Selorm Adonu) to a boxing ring after being beaten in a fight outside his school.
The Australian premiere of Danish writer/director Anders Walter’s Ivalu. A powerful journey of a sister searching for her sibling through the icy landscapes of Greenland – a place where nature holds many secrets.
The Australian premiere of Ukrainian writer/director duo Olena Podolianko and Novruz Hikmet’s It’s Quiet Here. During the first month of the full-scale war in Ukraine, a young couple finds themselves in a hotel in a border town. They agree not to talk about the war for at least one night.
You can check out the full programme here.