Media releases - 0 Australian films selected for Rotterdam

Two Australian short films and one feature have been selected to screen at the 42nd International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), one of the largest audience driven festivals in the world commencing next week.

Short films Men of the Earth from writer/director Andrew Kavanagh and producer Ramona Telecican showing the sombre ritual of working men and Faraways from writer/director/producer Audrey Lam about two girls far from home, will screen at the festival. Both films will screen in Spectrum Shorts, spread throughout the Rotterdam program. Men of the Earth was recently announced for the upcoming Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France. Farawayshas also screened at London Film Festival.

Cate Shortland's Lore will screen in Spectrum, devoted to notable world cinema. The German/Australian co-production funded by Screen Australia had its world premiere in Locarno in 2012 where it won the Audience Award. It has since screened at a number of festivals including Toronto, Busan, London and Sydney.

Alongside the festival is CineMart, the longest-running co-production market for feature film globally. Trish Lake of Queensland's Freshwater Pictures will be participating with Rest Home, a Canadian-Australian co-production in development with Australian-born, Mexican-based writer/director Michael Rowe. Melissa George and Roy Dupuis are attached to play a troubled couple in the psychological drama. Serge No l's Possibles M dia is the Canadian partner and they are planning to shoot in Montreal late this year, with post-production in Australia. Quebec's SODEC fund is an investor, Pyramide International is handling international sales and Rialto is the Australia/New Zealand distributor.

Australians selected to participate in the accompanying Rotterdam Lab for up and coming producers from around the world are Rachel Clements, Maya Gnyp, Trisha Morton-Thomas and Natalie Palomo.

IFFR will take place 23 January - 3 February 2013.

www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/en/

IFFR SPECTRUM

LORE

Production Company Porchlight Films Pty Ltd

Producers Liz Watts, Karsten St ter, Benny Drechsel, Paul Welsh

Writer/Director Cate Shortland

Writer Robin Mukherjee

Sales and Distribution Memento Films International, Transmission Films

Synopsis In spring 1945, the German army collapses. As the Allied forces sweep across the Motherland, five children embark on a journey which will challenge every notion we have of family, love and friendship.

SPECTRUM SHORTS

MEN OF THE EARTH

10 mins

Writer/Director Andrew Kavanagh

Producer Ramona Telecican

Cast Paul Bennett

Synopsis Traffic is delayed on the edge of a roadwork site, but what are the council workers doing? A privileged encounter with a secret, sombre ritual of working men. The second in a series of shorts exploring tribalism and ritual in contemporary society.

FARAWAYS

10 mins

Writer/Director/Producer Audrey Lam

Cast Tachika Yokota, Xiao Deng

Synopsis An empty urban landscape echoes the isolation of two girls far from home.

CINEMART

REST HOME

Writer/Director Michael Rowe

Producers Trish Lake of Freshwater Pictures and Serge No l of Possibles M dia

Cast Melissa George, Roy Dupuis

Australian/NZ Distributor Rialto

International Sales Pyramide International

Synopsis Rest Home is the story of a security guard in a retirement home who is married with two kids and is hooked on painkillers and anti-depressants. His life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with her lover.

Media Enquiries

Teri Calder T: 02 8113 5833; M: 0408 440 995

teri.calder@screenaustralia.gov.au

LINK:	http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/news_and_events/2013/mr_130117_rotte...
	See more stories from screenaustralia

Most recent headlines