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ARTLOOK #7 | December / January 2004/2005
Photo The Saloon, Anthony Fricker
Short but not too sweet
Miranda Tetlow reports on the range of films aired at Canberra’s rapidly growing Short Film Festival
THE CANBERRA SHORT FILM Festival is fast becoming an institution on the local film scene. Organised by Marisa Martin and Matthew Fallon—the partnership also responsible for short::seasons—the festival attracted an unprecedented 148 entries. During October, Canberra was treated to a series of very popular workshops on filmmaking, and screenings of short films from all over Australia. The Festival turned out to be an exciting compilation of work from new names and old, and a promising collection of tales transformed the screen at the National Museum of Australia. Thematically speaking, the aired films ran a gamut of possibilities. A cigarette-bearing storyteller turns out to be a police negotiator. A teenage friendship is splintered by a failed attempt at household burglary. A boy with a silver screw undresses on a hilltop at midnight to be relieved of his burden.
Interestingly, the resounding winners across all four categories (national, local, under 25 and secondary schools) were documentaries and claymations. The creativity of animation and the lure of suburban doorstep stories were not lost on an appreciative audience, nor on the panel of judges. A documentary about the 2003 Canberra bushfires struck a chord with local viewers, and director Clare Young won the local section of the competition for her film, Firing on All Pins.
Professing an interest in local storytelling for as long as she can remember, Young made her directorial debut in Year 12 with a film about high school culture, and she has recently completed a thesis on hip-hop in Canberra. Similarly close to home, Firing on all Pins is based on her family's bushfire experiences. Young's father Stephen Young and stepmother Nikki Main operate a horse agistment station along the Cotter Road, which became enclosed by flames. Young remembers: 'On the day of the fires, I wasn't able to be there with my family. The road was blockaded, so I couldn't drive out to the property. That was really hard. Making the documentary was my way of being involved. As a filmmaker, this was a really exciting story to tell.'
Anxious to share their experiences with other people, Young's father encouraged her to document the event. After a week of putting out continuing spot fires, Young began to compile footage and interviews. 'My Dad's interview was about a week after the fires. It was so fresh, and there were still burnt leaves on the ground and smoke in the air. It caught that emotion.' Although the film was initially created as a family Christmas present, Young also wanted to share the emotional experience with other people in Canberra. 'I had people coming up to me after the screening saying thank you or telling me about losing their house. As my Dad says, 'Crying in front of a hundred people is much more therapeutic than crying by yourself!'
In the Under 25 section of the Festival, Britt Arthur's documentary also stresses the importance of sharing experiences within the community. Her film Not in Front of the Kids features candid interviews and footage of older people discussing their sex lives. This film was created as an honours project at Curtin University. Arthur explains, 'I was researching for a script on elderly people. I did a lot of interviews and came across the topic of relationships. I found it fascinating. As I talked to people, different points of view emerged and I thought it was something that hadn't really been discussed. People cringe, but it is such a normal, natural thing. At the end of the day, everybody needs someone.'
Not in Front of the Kids breaks down a lot of the negative attitudes about the older body and sexuality in later years. In terms of cinematography, this was one of Arthur's major challenges. 'I really wanted to explore the body. This was difficult in a technical sense, because you're getting quite close. You've got to build up the trust and tell people what you're doing. I explained the aesthetics to people. [Once I'd done that], people were quite comfortable.' Britt took footage from Meals on Wheels runs, massage sessions and aqua aerobics classes at the local pool. She was overwhelmed by the generosity of her interviewees in sharing their wrinkles and their intimate, physical lives. 'Initially they were a little bit nervous. And I was nervous about showing [the final film] to them! But they were pleased. Bethany (one of the interviewees) wanted to show it to her grandchildren.'
Moving away from documentary, the National Winner was a delightfully deadpan animation about cloning titled After Dolly. It featured clay figures with varying numbers of eyes, limbs and barcodes, who respectively demonstrated the pros and cons of the industry. Anthony Fricker also picked up first prize in the Secondary Students category with his claymation, The Saloon. In his plasticine-wrought vision, a tavern rippled with tension as a newcomer approached the bar for a beer. Other finalists were also impressive. Locally, Chris Bamford's Apartment was a touching story about a cleaner who fantasises about a life with her employer's family. Radford College student David Easteal also received a highly commended award for his trio of films, Spare Change, To Bee or Not to Bee and A Few Degrees of Dale.
While the Canberra Short Film Festival also features more experienced filmmakers, the profile given to younger storytellers is exciting. The Festival provides an important opportunity for these filmmakers to showcase their work and ideas. As Clare Young enthuses, 'The festivals are just a brilliant way for young filmmakers to gain acknowledgment and get into the industry.' The success of the Canberra Short Film Festival reflects a local interest in film and filmmaking that continues to grow at an exponential rate. If short films are the new black, Canberra is very much in vogue.
Miranda Tetlow is a freelance writer and presenter on 2XX community.
