Bronwyn Kidd has seen many changes in her nearly fifteen years as director of the Flickerfest Short Film Festival.
When she took over from founder, Craig Kirkwood, in 1997 Flickerfest was still in its infancy.
“I think we got about two hundred entries at that time. We had about three touring venues and I inherited a 16mm projector and a screen,” the festival director told IF.
Flickerfest 2012 was launched this week at Bondi, attracting Australian film and television talent such as Alyssa McClelland, Charlotte Gregg, Damien Walshe Howling, David Michôd, Lily Serna, Diarmid Heidenreich and Claire Bowen.
This year the festival received a record 2200 entries – which Kidd and her team must whittle down to just one hundred before the festival starts in January – and the national tour has expanded to include 37 different venues from Adelaide to Wyalkatcchem, WA, and, for the second year, will also screen a program in Bali.
One of the most important changes, according to Kidd, are the Academy Award and BAFTA accreditations, which mean that winning films become eligible for these high-profile award nominations.
In the twenty years since its inception, Flickerfest has become more than a short film festival – Kidd points to the Distribution Bureau, which launched in 2002, as well as the festival’s partnerships with Movie Extra and Movie Network Channels, which has seen three series of short films aired on television.
The aim of all of this is “to make sure that filmmakers have as many opportunities as possible for their films”. This means festival screenings, including location-specific programs – a Best of Melbourne, for example – and distribution deals.
This year Flickerfest will add a new initiative to their program: Flickerlab. A one-day intensive workshop, Flickerlab aims to provide help and advice to filmmakers making a short film.
“It’s all about providing an educational platform and access to the people who help filmmakers really foster their creativity and make the best short film possible,” said Kidd who will be one of the speakers at the initiative. Other guest speakers include Animal Kingdom director David Michôd, Mad Bastards producer David Jowsey and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jon Bloom.
Bloom, who is the governor of Short Film and Feature Animation for the Academy Awards, will also host a showcase of the greatest Academy-winning shorts.
The 2012 Flickerfest will be held January 6-15 at Bondi Pavilion and will be touring nationally from January-May. Tickets will be available to purchase from Friday December 16. Check out the trailer here.
Bronwyn Kidd.