Ben Apfelbaum

FLICKERFEST 2021 THE WRAP

Flickerfest had to overcome three obstacles in order to stage its 30th anniversary show.

Firstly, its traditional home, the Bondi Beach Pavilion, was unavailable due to extensive renovations which may well be incomplete for the 31rst anniversary show. Ever resourceful, Flickerfest brought in the famous Spiegeltent.

Secondly, the weather. Courtesy of La Ninia. It was a particularly wet January. 

Thirdly, it needed to hold its screenings in a Covid 19 safe venue.

All these obstacles were overcome by the erection of a ‘’Fabulous Spiegeltent” between the Bondi and North Bondi Life Saving Clubs. 

Long standing Festival Director Bronwyn Kidd was especially pleased  as she announced  that SBS on Demand would be screening the best 49 films over the past 30 years.

Furthermore Flickerfest will hit the road visiting 45 venues from Chinchilla to Kununurra

Flickerfest is unique in that it invites entries from all over the world and that selected films are entitled to be entered into the BAFTA and Academy Awards 

Needless to say because of  Covid 19 travel restrictions applicable to overseas and interstate winners, many of the awards had to be presented in absentia.

A Covid safe capacity crowd attended the awards presentation and enjoyed viewing a selection of five films which won in their respective categories.

The winners were…

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

 

Best International Short Film (Academy® Qualifying)

Prize: $2,500 AUD

The Present (Palestine)

Writer/Director: Farah Nabulsi | Writer: Hind Shoufani, Farah Nabulsi | Producer: Ossama Bawardi

Special Jury Prize

Winner: Girl With A Thermal Gun (China)

Writer/Director: Rongfei Guo | Producers: Du Yating

 

Yoram Gross Award

Best International Animated Short Film (Academy® Qualifying)

Prize: $1,000 AUD

Winner: Normal (France)

Writer/Director: Julie Caty | Producer: Ron Dyens

.

SAE Creative Media Institute Award

Best Use of Digital Technology In A Short Film

Prize: $500 AUD

Winner: Masel Tov Cocktail (Germany)

Director: Arkadij Khaet, Mickey Paatzsch | Writer: Arkadij Khaet, Marle Kirchhoff | Producer: Ludwig Meck, Lotta Schmelzer, Christine Duttlinger

 

Best Documentary Short Film (Academy® Qualifying)

Prize: $500 AUD

Winner: 57 Days (Spain)

Writer/Director: Mario Lumbreras, Laura Brasero | Producer: Hernán Zin, Nerea Barros

 

Special Mention for Documentary:

Huntsville Station (USA)

Director/Producer/Writer: Jamie Meltzer, Chris Filippone

Special Mention for Documentary:

We Have One Heart (Poland)

Director/Writer: Katarzyna Warzecha | Producer: Ewa Jastrzębska

.

Azure Productions Award

Best Rainbow Short

Prize: $500 AUD

Winner: Dustin (France)

Writer/Director: Naïla Guiguet | Producer: Jean-Etienne Brat, Lou Chicoteau

 

Special Mention: Cwch Deilen (UK)

Director/Writer: Efa Blosse-mason | Producer: Amy Morris

.

AUSTRALIAN AWARDS

 

Panasonic Lumix Award

Best Australian Short Film (Academy® Qualifying)

Prize: – DC-S1 RMKIT – S Series Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Kit

and S1R+24-105mm lens – RRP $6,899

Winner: The Flame

Director: Nick Waterman in collaboration with Dayannah Baker Barlow, Tyrese Fernando & Lance Whitton Jr. | Writer: Nick Waterman, Megan Washington, Dayannah Baker Barlow, Tyrese Fernando, Paul Spearim, Connie Taylor, Lance Whitton Jr. | Producer: Beyond Empathy

.

Spectrum Films Award

Best Direction in an Australian Short Film

Prize: 1 x post-production support valued at $5,000

Winner: This River

Director: Naomi Fryer

.

Yoram Gross Award

Best Australian Animation Short Film

Prize: $1,000 AUD

Winner: Roborovski

Director: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Dev Patel | Producer: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Dev Patel, John Collee | Writer: Jomon Tomas, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Dev Patel

.

John Barry Award

Best Cinematography in an Australian Short Film

Prize: Tripod valued at over $1000 AUD

Winner: Soulmate

Cinematographer: Kieran Fowler

.

Avid Award

Best Editing in an Australian Short Film

Prize: 2-year subscription Avid Media Composer software valued at over $1,300 AUD

Winner: This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us

Editor: D.C. Fairhurst

.

Avid Award

Best Original Music in an Australian Short Film

Prize: 1-year subscription of Avid Pro Tools Ultimate software, plus 1-year subscription of Avid Sibelius software valued at over $1,200 AUD

Winner: The End, The Beginning

Composer: Jorde Heys

.

Rebel8 Award for Outstanding Emerging Female Director 

In honour of Samantha Rebillet

Prize: $1000 AUD

Winner: Alisha Hnatjuk (Jean)

 

Special Mention: Rebel8 Award for Outstanding Emerging Female Director

In honor of Samantha Rebillet

Senie Priti (Alba)

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SAE Creative Media Institute FlickerUp Award

Best High School Short Film

Prize: $500 AUD

Winner: Round To It

Director/Producer: Grace Mincherton | Producer: Steve McLeod

Special Mention: Material Girl

Director/Writer/Producer: Lillian Dight

.

Yoram Gross FlickerUp Award

Best High School Animated Short Film

Prize: $250 AUD

Winner: Mind Of My Own

Director/Writer/Producer: Natalie Leroy

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Avid FlickerUp Award

Best Editing in a High School Short Film

Prize: 2-year subscription Avid Media Composer software valued at over $1,300 AUD

Winner: La Torta

Director/Writer: Gabrielle Gregoire, Olivia Lawson

Special Mention: The Diet

Director/Writer/Producer: Beau Ritchie

 

PS Organics FlickerUp Award

Best Primary School Short Film

Prize: $250 AUD

Winner: I Will Be Me

Director/Writer: Claire Davison, Caitlin Jones, Bella Parsons | Producer: Table Cape Primary School

 

Special Mention: The Candy Rappers

Director/Writer: Agam | Producer: Eliza Johnson

 

Special Mention: The Chase

Director/Writer: Riley McIlveen Webb | Producer: Riley McIlveen Webb, Siobhan McIlveen Webb

Featured image : Tilda Cobham-Hervey & Dev Patel, Best Australian Animation Short Flickerfest 2021. Pic Ben Apfelbaum. All images by Ben Apfelbaum.

 

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.