A wild and wooly selection of local shorts is set grace the stretched canvas at the Tap Gallery, Thursday September 4 when Caught Short, Darlinghurst’s own monthly short film night, celebrates its 4th birthday with a special screening and party. The birthday bash will feature a selection of super-hot shorts including IF-Awards winning animation The Goat That Ate Time, directed by UTS student Lucinda Schreiber, and the beautiful short drama Len’s Love Story directed by Sonia Whiteman. Having screened her film at such prestigious international film festivals as Clermont Ferrand and New York’s Tribecca, Sonia is looking forward to sharing her film with a local audience, commenting on the need of local events which provide filmmakers with a “relaxed and creative environment to share their ideas with an audience who want to see some new and exciting work”.
Known for its casual style and relaxed atmosphere, caught short has become a favourite for local filmmakers and audiences alike, providing an alternative screening space in which to see, discuss and celebrate short films in all their forms. Offering a monthly selection of drama, doco, animation, comedy, horror, genre and a few that exist in between, caught short has screened more than 300 films since its inception in 2004.
“Our aim was to create a non-competitive, inclusive platform to showcase the diversity of local shorts, with an emphasis on Q&A sessions” says caught short’s founder and director Sarah Lancaster. “It’s great for student and first-time filmmakers – the experience of having a direct dialogue with the audience is invaluable, and the audience love meeting and speaking with the local artists too. There’s always great debates around what worked – or didn’t – ingenious funding stories, shooting and post-production insights and upcoming projects. It creates a real intimacy and makes each event engaging and unique.”
Marlene Palmeiro, who co directed the animation The Death of an Official with Natalie Lopes found the feedback they received at the Q&A session for their film invaluable. “We actually learned a fair bit about our own work in a weird sort of way, people asked us why we did things a certain way and really we didn’t know, we just tried what worked – a couple of people in the audience had done animation before and shared their stories about the process. It was good to see different people trying all different things and getting some new ideas.” The Death of an Official, an adaption of an Anton Chekov short story, went on to win the Directors Guild award at Newtown Flicks as well as screening at numerous Australian and overseas festivals. “Caught Short was an awesome kick start to our film’s little journey, it was heartening to hear other filmmakers experiences and get some positive feedback on our own production.”
Raise your glasses with the caught short team on September 4, as they present a special celebration of Australian short filmmaking with an after-party featuring live music from Nimeo. . Drinks in the bar from 7.30pm, films from 8pm – at the ever-fabulous Tap Gallery, 278 Palmer St (just off Oxford St), Darlinghurst. Tickets $10.
If you have ever fancied making a film yourself or are an experienced filmmaker who would like some direct interaction with an interested audience – submit your film to Caught Short. The festival takes entries all year round and submissions are free! See www.filmcaughtshort.com for details.
