Shorts Session 1

Plus filmmaker Q&A

MELBOURNE A CITY SLEEP
By Jamie Van Leeuwen
2 mins
In March 2020, Melbourne changed. Our way of life became disrupted by a global pandemic. This micro documentary explores those impacts.

VIGILANCE
By Tess McArthur-Dowty
5 mins
Vigilance explores how it feels to be a woman moving through the world at night, and reclaims the horror-like nightscape of Melbourne to open discussions about whether it is worth trading freedom of movement for feelings of safety.

WAVE
By Zhang Xiaoan
5 mins
The film records a day of Akebaierjiang, an Uyghur young man living in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, China. He is passionate about dancing when not working as a doctor on the night shift at the Emergency Centre. As an ER doctor, he is committed, but he never has the same enthusiastic enjoyment as when dancing.

BRIGHT LIGHTS - THE PERILS OF THE POKIES
By Charby Ibrahim
15 mins
A 25-year addiction to poker machine gambling has cost ‘Sharon’ almost everything... and very nearly her life in this short, fully animated documentary, voiced by Claudia Karvan.

THE HORSES
By Nick Barkla
12 mins
Max, a traumatised war veteran, finds healing working with a traumatised ex-racehorse.

OUT OF THE CLOSETS, INTO THE STREETS
By Jary Nemo
13 mins
In 1970s Melbourne, Australia, a group of students made a stand for gay pride at a time when homosexuality was criminalised and discrimination and abuse was widespread. When being gay meant hiding your true self. Where the act of coming out was a radical form of protest. More than 40 years on, Gay Liberation Front members reflect on the impact of those days.

AFRICA ON AIR
By Tom Lowe
39 mins

As a community radio presenter with one of the only African music shows in Australia, Stani Goma is at the epicentre of Melbourne’s African culture and society. Since arriving in Melbourne nearly 30 years ago, this position has allowed Stani to witness change within Melbourne’s African population while also giving him influence over the soundtrack to that change. ‘Africa on Air’ uses Stani’s unique perspective to understand where African culture in Melbourne has come from and where it is headed. It allows the viewer to peer into the lives of the listeners; introducing a range of characters whose rationales for listening to the show frame some of the broader issues surrounding African identity in Melbourne.

AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
By Mark Hellinger
6 mins
After the 2015 Nepalese earthquake thousands of houses were destroyed. Families were forced to build temporary housing to live in. Four years later nothing has changed. How do these people survive and what hope do they have?

SUPERHEROES AND ME
By Liam Burke
7 mins
Superheroes & Me is an affectionate portrait of the many ways that superheroes inspire us. With contributions from superhero stars, comic creators, and costume-clad fans, Superheroes & Me unmasks how these escapist fantasies can bring people together and provide hope in difficult times.
Rating E
Genre To Be Advised
Running Time 104
Language
Show Times

Session times for the new cinema week, commencing each Thursday, will be released the Tuesday afternoon prior

New & Noteworthy
Closed Caption eNews Anniversary Party Double Feature Sundays met First Nations Acknowledgement