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Celebrating 30 Short Years – 2013 St Kilda Film Festival

Press Release from St Kilda Film Festival

The St Kilda Film Festival, Australia’s premier short film event will celebrate thirty years in 2013 with a bumper ten-day program launching on Thursday 23 May 2013.

A vital showcase for the Australian film industry, the St Kilda Film Festival’s 30th anniversary celebrations will include special screenings featuring unseen footage and Australia’s Top 100 short films in competition, alongside a rich program of music and international shorts, youth programs, filmmaker development series and industry networking events.

Paul Harris, Festival Director said, “From modest beginnings, the St Kilda Film Festival has become a premier event on the Australian film industry calendar and has screened shorts that went on to be Oscar winners and nominees and Palme D’or winners at Cannes. The roll call of talent that has passed through this Festival is outstanding and one that we can’t wait to celebrate in 2013.”

“Australian short films deserve the exposure. It is important for short filmmakers to see how their work is received by an audience, which is what they experience when taking part in the St Kilda Film Festival,” he said.

The St Kilda Film Festival will kick start its 30th anniversary celebrations when the red carpet is rolled out for the who’s who of Australian short film at the Palais Theatre on Opening Night with a special screening of hand picked films from the 2013 program.

Top 100:
The country’s longest running film festival will screen the Top 100 short films of the year that all go into the running for their share of the $40,000 prize pool.

Screened at the Astor Theatre, during the 15 dynamic sessions audiences are invited to enjoy the accomplished work of industry professionals from a multitude of genres including comedies, drama, documentaries and animation.

Highlights from this year’s program include ‘Prick’ directed and produced by Abe Forsythe, Cara Gereghty and Josh Quong Tart. Director Matthew Moore’s debut film ‘Julian’ which he has co-produced with Rob Jago. Director and producer Summer DeRoche, 2012 Winner of Best Documentary at SKFF, is back with new documentary ‘Ruby’. Executive producers Sam Worthington and Claudian Karvan together with Producer Sam Mieikle and Rachael Turk and Director Danielle Boesenberg will see the world premiere of their film ‘Scratch’ as part of this year’s program. ‘Arc’ makes its Australian premiere at the festival produced by the talented Claire Yvonne Evans and Directed by Max Doyle. Starring BAFTA winner Mirian Margoyles ‘Spirit-ED’ will also appear as part of the Top 100. Award winning Australian singer/songwriter Sarah Blasko will star in short ‘Sarah Blasko presents I Awake’ produced by Neil Cray and Directed by Mike Daly. Bayside local and Hollywood superstar Rachel Griffiths stars in ‘Butterflies’ produced by Warwick Burton and Directed by Isabel Peppard. ‘My Mother, Her Daughter’ will also premiere in Australia for the first time, the film is produced by Taylor Litton-Strain and Directed by Erin Good.

SoundKILDA:

A favourite on the festival calendar, SoundKILDA screens and awards the best music videos, giving filmgoers and music lovers alike to opportunity see them how they should to be seen – loud and large on the big screen. The session showcases 18 of the hottest Australian musicians of the moment and the filmmakers behind them including Unshamed Desire by Missy Higgins, Wild Things By San Cisco, Easy Way Out by Gotye, Ghosts by The Presets,
Don’t Wanna Grow Up Anymore By Bob Evans to name a few.

30th Anniversary Special Screenings:
Old Gold St Kilda
– See the delights offered by the Bayside precinct going back to the turn of the last century with this nostalgic collection of rare archival footage. The centrepiece of this journey to the iconic Melbourne suburbs past will be the never-beforeseen documentary about Luna Park, A Century of Lunacy: Memories of Melbourne’s Luna Park. Also screening during Old Gold St Kilda is Junction (1974), filmmaker Peter Lamb’s tale of mourning as the historic St Kilda Junction Hotel was demolished.

Easy Come Easy Go –a salute to Aussie pop in the sixties. The screening features pop group The Easybeats in a long lost documentary Easy Come, Easy Go, which was shot over forty years ago but disappeared shortly afterwards. The lost prints were discovered in the US last year and lovingly restored by director Peter Clifton. This will be the premiere Melbourne screening of this archival gem. The session will also feature a unique film documenting the burgeoning Melbourne music scene, as it existed nearly half a century ago called Approximately Panther. The film includes rare footage to provide a fascinating time capsule into a vanished era of once-groovy fashion and trendy discotheques. Also screening as part of Easy Come, Easy Go will be Fun Radio
(Dir: Nigel Buesst, 1964) and Sad Dark Eyes (Dir: Peter Lamb, 1967).

International Program:
In 2013, SKFF is proud to partner with South By South West (SXSW), bringing the best of Texas to St Kilda for an exclusive international short film showcase.
Launched in 1994, SXSW is a massive cross-­â€platform cultural event unlike anything else in the world. Each year, fans and industry professionals from across the film, music and technology spectrum converge on Austin, Texas to network, launch new products and celebrate their creative practice. The St Kilda Film Festival will feature four programs from SXSW: Best of Texas, Best of SXSW 1, Best of SXSW 2 and the Best of SXSW Music Video.

Filmmaker Development Series:
The filmmaker development program will provide an overview on a variety of filmmaking topics, covering everything from the basics of filmmaking to the sharing of wisdom. This year will be bigger and better than ever with 13 forums within the program.

Youth Programs:
In 2013, the St Kilda Film Festival will hold two free programs, Under the Radar and Armed & Dangerous, aimed at educating and inspiring young filmmakers. These programs aim to support artistic aspirations and provide a landing place for first time filmmakers.

DIY MTV – Retro music video super session:
Four of Australia's most successful music video exponents will join forces for once-in-a-lifetime event that will see them presenting three of their favourite clips each and then argue the case for their place in the pantheon. Audiences will have the opportunity to hear anecdotes from the halcyon days of Australian punk and learn about the birth of an industry from Ray Argall (Midnight Oil, Split Enz, Hoodoo Gurus, The Models), Paul Goldman (The Birthday Party, Kylie
Minogue, Elvis Costello, Silverchair), Chris Lofven (The Groop, Daddy Cool, Spectrum, Kids In The Kitchen, The Birthday Party) and Richard Lowenstein (Hunters and Collectors, INXS, U2).

To conclude its 30th year, the Festival will hold the Closing Night Awards at the St Kilda Town Hall on Saturday 1 June where the best of this year’s filmmakers will be awarded over $40,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. The St Kilda Film Festival is produced and presented by The City of Port Phillip and runs from Thursday 23 May – Saturday 1 June 2013 St Kilda’s Palais and Astor Theatre. For further information please visit www.stkildafilmfestival.com.au

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