Sydney Indie Film Festival – Made in Australia Shorts “Bluff” “Breathing Wild” “Coming Out of the Shadows – Albinism in Fiji”
“Grey Space” “Grounded” “Kurzeme Fortress” “Panther” “The Other Man” “The Visitant” “The Wheels On The Bus” + Q&A with Filmmakers!

Epic Shorts – Aussie Shorts

Saturday, 23rd of September 2017
Time: 4:00PM

Short Films:

Bluff (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Aaron L. Ellis
Cast: Lester Ellis Jr
Synopsis: A true story of two young men who embark on an evening of fateful adventure. This night ends in the way one of them had carefully planned, but the other could have never imagined. This story is written, directed and starring one of those young men.

Breathing Wild (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Jiang Naizhong
Cast: Tanya Alers, Tim Courtman, Lewis J. McAuley, Kostas Moutsoulas
Synopsis:
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/217767288

Coming Out of the Shadows – Albinism in Fiji (AUSTRALIA/FIJI)

Director: Christine Nestel
Synopsis: The untold story of Fiji’s albino people and why, until now, they have been living in the shadows.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/FPcUI1ENUFg

Grey Space (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Benjamin Gerbanas
Cast: Jack Stone
Synopsis: A short documentary about Jack Stone – an urban beekeeper on a mission to turn grey spaces into thriving eco-environments. Jack is at the forefront of a new movement in agriculture, finding innovative ways to provide organic food products to urban communities in Australia. Jack spends his days tending to his hives; tucked away on rooftops from the inner city, to the coasts of northern New South Wales. But his job does not stop there. Jack is a crusader for his bees, educating and informing his clients, customers and followers about the global bee crisis and the vital role bees play in pollinating our food supply. Jack’s passion for the environment, and beekeeping in particular, is infectious but it’s not always an easy road. He must face the challenges of fighting global agricultural issues through his one-man operation. Grey Space is a story about one man’s dedication to his life passion and the ups and downs that come with territory.

Grounded (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Luke Wissell
Cast: Rick Mills, Jo Stone
Synopsis: Grounded over failing health, a desperate pilot struggles to prove to his daughter that he is fit to fly.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/211431051

Kurzeme Fortress (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Kelly Hetherington
Cast: Adrian Twigg, Sophie Don, Joylene Stanley
Synopsis: A deeply moving story about the tragic impact of war on a young family, but ultimately, also a story of survival and resolution. Unaware of what is to come a 24-year-old Voldemars joins the Latvian Army in 1940. With the world watching Hitler’s invasion of Paris, it fails to notice some thirty thousand Soviet troops marching into Latvia. Voldemars meets Millija while on leave, they fall deeply in love and a year later and married.
In 1941 Nazi German Forces sweep through Latvia pushing out the Russian Forces, Voldemars escapes into forest with his unit being killed in the attack. Yet to even meet his newborn son, Andris, Voldemars is captured and placed in the Stalag 336 Nazi P.O.W. camp. Left with no choice he is eventually coursed into joining the German Army to fight the next Soviet invasion, briefly getting to see his wife and son. Voldemars receives training by the Germans and after one last embrace by his young family he is sent into one of WWII’s most fierce battlefronts, the Kurzeme Fortress, aptly named the ‘Kurland Kettle’ by the Germans. A hurriedly scribbled note arrives to Millija dated March 1945, it simply says “Today we left for Kurzeme”.
Knowing what this meant Millija quickly packs a suitcase with some bread and clothing, then under cover of darkness and with baby Andris flees her home as the Red Army is surrounding the city. Voldemars unit will be cut off and no more letters will arrive. Torn apart by war, both sides of this young family struggle to survive without the other. This heartbreaking separation will strike a universal chord with anyone who understands the deep resilience of family bonds.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/g5K-Ich9RWY

Panther (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Sam McCarthy
Cast: Kyle Keuris, Ian Mackenna, Sean Minahan, Matt Benton
Synopsis: Connor finds himself in a spot of trouble when Jam, the infamous gang leader, loses something very important to him. Something, as it so happens, Connor is in possession of. Let the madness begin.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/215968399

The Other Man (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Sher Li Tan
Cast: Dominique Hamilton , Kurtis Lowden, Michael Mission, Bikramjeet Singh, Sandy Morrison, Genevieve Brott
Synopsis: (SHORT VERSION)
A modern, young bride flounders upon hearing that the best man used to be in love with her groom. With the wedding in chaos, she must confront the greatest threat to her marriage – herself.
Fiona, a seemingly progressive, young bride is conflicted when she finds out that the best man used to be in love with the groom. The fact that her husband-to-be insists on changing their vows only deepens her insecurity. She lashes out during her rehearsal and realises that the internal battle between her feelings and her values is putting her perfect day in jeopardy. She makes the decision to deal with the issue the only way she can – she halts the wedding.

The Visitant (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Nic Barker
Cast: Kevin Dee, Kate Bindley, Alexis Pahl, Rowan Howard
Synopsis: Jack watches his wife kiss another man goodnight. He enters the family home, unsure what he’ll confront.

The Wheels On The Bus (AUSTRALIA)

Director: Joshua Long
Cast: Andrew Minwoo Kim, Kichul Uhm
Synopsis: A bus breaks down in the North Korean countryside. The two drivers must put their differences aside and overcome a series of setbacks to get their bus back up and running and cargo delivered on time.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/163396159

Films introduced by Filmmakers followed by Q&A after screenings.