Flickerfest 2023 Programme Announced, Tickets Now On Sale

19th December 2022

FLiCKERFEST 2023, 32nd INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVALPROGRAMME ANNOUNCED FOR 2023

FLiCKERFEST is thrilled to announce the launch of its 2023 festival programme and its return to its home of over 2 decades, the newly revamped Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach, presenting a 10 day festival of incredible, masterful shorts, from the 20th to the 29th of January. 

Now in its 32nd year, Flickerfest is Australia’s largest short film competition dedicated to showcasing the very best short films from Australia and around the world, from live action to documentary and animation. 

This year Flickerfest will screen 114 inspiring, creative and beautiful crafted shorts from Australia and the world  in its Academy® Qualifying competitions, handpicked from over 3200 entries.  64 Australian films are officially selected for the Best of Australian Competition, 37 International films in the Best of International Competition and 13 Documentaries across the Best of Documentary Competition.  A further 80 films will also feature across Flickerfest showcase sessions. 

Flickerfest’s prestigious Academy® Qualifying Competitions include  38 World Premieres,  82 Australian Premieres and 10 NSW premieres. 

Year on year, Flickerfest receives an incredible range of quality entries from at home and across the world; a testimony to the fact that Flickerfest is one of the world’s leading and most respected platforms for short films. 

The shorts in competition at Flickerfest are fiercely vying for a number of prestigious, Academy® Qualifying prizes including – 

  • The Flickerfest Award for Best International Short Film
  • The Yoram Gross Award for Best International Animation
  • The Panasonic Lumix Award for Best Australian Short Film
  • The Flickerfest Award for Best Documentary

Plus a host of other hotly contested prizes, which recognise the various craft areas inherent in making a great short film including the SAE FlickerUp National School Student and Youth competition for filmmakers under 18 and the Rainbow Shorts Competition featuring the best LGBTQI+ films from at home and around the world. 

Flickerfest is also home to the ever popular short film showcases including – 

  • FLiCKERKIDS, short films suitable for children aged 6-12 years and the young at heart
  • SHORT LAUGHS, the comedy programme that will have you in stitches 
  • LOVE BITES, films about love and relationships 
  • BEST OF INDIGENOUS SHORTS, screening on Survival Day,  shining a spotlight on the incredible indigenous talent showcased across our 2023 festival programme.

The 2023 Australian programme will include some incredibly masterful and creative short films.  Highlights include the world premieres of ‘Six of One’ starring Isobel Lucas (Transformers, Bosch & Rocket) written and directed by Minka Bleakley and ‘Waves’ starring Susie Porter, filmed locally at Tamarama Beach. Also included is ‘The Fritz’, starring Trevor Jamieson (Storm Boy), plus ‘Too Many Ethnics’ by award winning writer Vonne Patiag, (Here Out West, The Usual Suspects), ‘The Overthrow’ the writing and directorial debut of young Sydney actress Phoebe Wolfe and ‘White Lies’ by FLiCKERFEST alumni, Greg Moran, whose film is full of hilarious cameos from Channel 7 The Morning Show favourites Kylie Gillies and Larry Emdur, plus a cheeky look in from Barnaby Joyce. 

Flickerfest is also thrilled to present the World premiere of ‘Lean’ starring Nicholas Hope (Bad Boy Bubby, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Scooby Doo, The Drover’s Wife) and Harry Greenwood (The Nightingale, Hacksaw Ridge, Wakefield, Gallipoli) and the Australian premiere of the prestigious Iris prize winner ‘Tarneit,’ written by Elizabeth Packett and directed by John Sheedy, a multi-award winning director whose work has been staged extensively across Australia and whose recent films shine light on LGBTQ+ topics and racial prejudices. 

The  prestigious International Programme at Flickerfest 2023 takes us from the streets of South America to the ice sheets of Greenland; intertwining culture, hard-hitting truths and dreamlike fantasy. With 37 films from 28 countries, experience the world from the comfort of your Flickerfest chair and visit  Réunion,  Israel, Sweden, Colombia and everywhere in between, embracing the variety of people, characters and stories that create a unique worldview.

Highlights Of The International Programme, all celebrating their Australian premieres, include Man to Man’, a hard-hitting, emotional rollercoaster by UK director Sheroze Khan starring SAG/Independent Spirit Award-nominated David Harewood MBE (Homeland, Blood Diamond). Plus, Spinning’, another standout UK film, by Sam Spruell (Snow White and the Huntsman), internationally recognised actor turned Writer / Director, who wanted to bring to light how many unsung heroes there are in society supporting the most vulnerable. 

From Denmark, Academy-Award winning team Kim Magnusson and Anders Walter share their masterful filmmaking on a journey through the vast Greenlandic landscape in their powerful new drama IVALU’, Whilst  Ukrainian Directors Novruz Hikmet and Olena Podolianko collaborated to make It Is Quiet Here’ in March 2022. With their projects interrupted by war, the pair persevered to create a contemporary and intimate drama about the reality for many young couples living their lives in war torn Ukraine today.

Launching on the 20th January with a highlights screening followed by an exclusive after party, Flickerfest’s not to be missed ten day event will again celebrate the world’s best short films back in  its much loved home, the newly revamped Bondi Pavilion, screening under the stars and the newly renovated indoor theater,  in partnership with Waverley Council.  The festival will screen over 200 films across 28 sessions, culminating on the 29th of January in a prestigious awards presentation and closing night celebration. 

Following the Bondi season, Flickerfest hits the road for a massive, 8-month, national tour of the very best films from the festival. The tour will reach 50+ metro and regional venues across all states, bringing the joy of Flickerfest to the rest of the country! 

“Over the past 32 years Flickerfest has been honoured to be the platform for so many incredible filmmakers to share their films with audiences and for our audiences to discover and be delighted with these amazing short films and their most talented makers.  We are thrilled that Flickerfest can continue to shine a light in the darkness and bring audiences and storytellers together  through our festival of  insightful, uplifting, joyous  and creative short films from at home and across the world. I can’t wait to share our 2023 celebration of cinema on the big screen back at our long term home The Bondi Pavilion next January ” Bronwyn Kidd, Festival Director of 26 years.

Flickerfest has been a major launching pad for some of Australia’s and the world’s most celebrated filmmakers. For further information and to secure tickets to the 2023 festival on sale now visit: www.flickerfest.com.au/ticket-info

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