TOP 20 | FINALS
13 – 14 September 2019
Gala Twin Cinemas, Warrawong

Short+Sweet Illawarra is thrilled at the high standard of short films that were submitted to our inaugural Film Festival. A total of 86 films were submitted from around the world, so many that we have added a second program to our first season – the Wildcards (stay tuned this week for the announcement of our Wildcard Finalists.

Here are our finalists – screening on Friday 13th September and 14th September both at 8:30pm at the Gala Twin Cinemas Warrawong (cinema 2).

 

  ILLAWARRA FILMS

Road to Vagator
Written and Directed by Nick Bolton & Jess Milne
A film by TEN ALPHAS
Cast: Nick Bolton, Sandy Velini

A man is issued a series of challenges, by an unknown person, and left with with no option but to carry them out, taking him from London to Sydney, via Dubai, Mumbai, Goa, Kerala and Hong Kong.  A film by Jess Milne and Nick Bolton, yes just two people, shot on location, in 5 countries on honeymoon, January 2018.

 

Take a Seat
Written and Directed by Jordan Turner
Cast: Jensen Baraldi

The Collector is a young man who has lost himself to his habit, delving deeper and deeper into his fetish for the four-legged until nothing else remains.  Told from an intimate perspective, Take a Seat is an introspective look into an unusual collection and the thoughts that drive the obsession.

 

Girl Talk
Written and Directed by Kelly Nicholson
Cast: Isabelle Fredericks, Lisa Omodei

A woman wakes up in a garage to the most terrifying and awkward moment of her life.

 

Thumbs
Written and Directed by Troy Scott Brough

A black romantic comedy with a twist of red.

 

  AUSTRALIAN FILMS

 

Munchies | Melbourne
Written and Directed by Hayley Warnock

Herbert is pleasantly spending the afternoon in his vegetable garden until he discovers something has been munching on his crops. Surely it can’t be that hard to catch the perpetrator?

Genre: Stop-motion animation.

 

Legacy | Adelaide
Written and Directed by Barry Mitchell
Cast: Eileen Darley, Freya Anthony, Joe Anthony, Lucy Taylor

Children in a cave listen as a woman, who might be their aunty, tells the story of how their ancestors destroyed the world.

 

Waldwölfe (Forest Wolves) | Sydney
Written and Directed by Peter W. Allen
Cast: Lara Deam, Callum Needham, Luke Jacka, Marcus Molyneux

1940s Germany, three Nazi soldiers capture an escaped Jewish woman. But what will they do with her?

Genre: War, Drama, Period

 

Untitled | Robertson, QLD
Written and Directed by Noah Gerometta
Cast: Jack Murphy, Tahlia Jade Holt

An argument arises when a screenwriter discusses his subject matter.

 

Nour | Melbourne
Directed by Suzy Sainovski
Written by John Cunningham
Cast: Taj Aldeeb, Danae Swinburne, Harper Elwyn

A young Syrian girl fleeing the horrors of the civil war suddenly finds herself with more responsibility than she can handle.

 

As We Fall | Sydney
Directed by Jim Winton Porter
Written by Jim Winton Porter, Dante Porter, Hanni Witt
Cast: Jim Winton Porter, Hanni Witt, Dante Porter

A man and a woman share tragedies that bring them together.

 

INTERNATIONAL FILMS

The Proposal  | Ukraine
Written and Directed by Nazar Germanov
Cast: Mauro Canepa, Denise Drago

Young loving couple holds a romantic dinner where Ethan makes an offer to Erin to marry him. This evening will inspire Erin to write a new composition

Genre: Animation

 

Funky  | USA
Written and Directed by Ellis J. Sutton
Cast: Chance Davis, Anngelica , Elle Vernee, Keith Bartley, Nu’Jay, Kristian Emel, Nia Warren

While preparing for the biggest party of the year, Clinton and Jessica take their own funky path by rejecting mainstream music and accepting their own groovy tastes.

 

Unwanted Destiny | Sweden
Written and Directed by Sam Shaahin Doost

 

Paravent  | Egypt
Written and Directed by Fatema Faidallah
Cast: Abdelrahman ali, Abdelrahman essam, Mohamed elsheikh, Marawan Khier Elden, Hassan Abokaram

Paravent represents racism between black and white and it shows how much it can affect someone’s life.

 

Winged Miracle | Azerbaijan
Written and Directed by Zahra Mirrza
Cast: Karam Hadizadeh, Bahruz Vagifoglu, Zahra Mehdizadeh

Azerbaijan, 1937. A poet for Panturkish ideological ideas was arrested. While in prison, he is visited by his daughter with a picture of a bird in a cage.

 

First Date | USA
Directed by D.T. Bullock
Written by Victoria L. Bullock
Cast: Ashleigh Ann Wood, Chris Stein

Adriana has limited communication with the outside world after two years of intensive counseling for her PTSD.  Adriana prepares for a First Date, but will she open the door?

 

The Tomb of the Exhausted | France
Written and Directed by Marion Fernandez
Cast: Karam Hadizadeh, Bahruz Vagifoglu, Zahra Mehdizadeh

 

Coffin Decolleté | Egypt
Written and Directed by Nancy Kamal
Cast: Menna Ashraf

A girl notices wedding preparations in her home. She did not expect to be the bride.