The Heart Of Gold International Short Film Festival returns to Gympie after a pandemic-enforced hiatus, with a significantly expanded programme.
Organisers aim to grow the 16-year-old event into a multi-arts celebration as it presents 170 short films assembled into 40 feature-length sessions, structured around themes from ‘Family Dynamics’ to ‘Festival’s Fringe’. Guests can explore ‘International Festival Highlights’ or ‘Flora & Fauna’, and sample films from more than 30 countries, sourced at festivals from Flickerfest to Cannes.
“We’re delighted to play over 70 Australian shorts this year, and honoured to bring our audiences the world premieres of seven films and Australian premiere of more than 30,” Festival Director Jackson Lapsley Scott says.
“Filmmakers in this country are making some truly world-class work – the future of Australian cinema looks exciting.”
While it’s a great opportunity to check out some films, they’ll also be competing for $10,000 in cash prizes. They’ll be judged by an industry jury including festival alum and ‘ECHOES’ creator Vanessa Gazy, Queensland Film Festival Co-Founder John Edmond, Noosa Film Society President Holly Pittman, and emerging playwright Sofia Abbey.
Victorian director Andréas Giannopoulos will travel to the festival for the world premiere of his short ‘Friends Of Mine’: “We can’t wait to come to Heart of Gold! The festival looks utterly charming and we’re excited to share our film and spend a few days with everyone in Gympie.”
All the action of the festival will take place across one big precinct.
“It’s a unique opportunity to make strong natural connections with people in the industry from across the country,” Jackson Lapsley Scott says. “Share a beer under the stars, watch some films, compare notes, then boogie to some live music – we’re about making friends more than contacts.”
This year, Heart Of Gold will launch The Prospect, an exhibition exploring the future and fringes of audio-visual storytelling. There’ll be a showcase of visual art, curated by award-winning writer/director and programmer Emily Avila, a trove of film practitioner interviews and panels focused on cutting-edge filmmaking methodologies, and the Virtual Reality Dome – a place to explore a line-up of VR experiences from Australian VR Film Festival.
Plus there’ll be workshops including a Podcasting Intensive, Painting In VR, and Music Video Roundtables. Creatives can sit and chat with filmmakers behind clips for the likes of Ball Park Music, Sheppard, Sycco, Cub Sport, Clea, Pete Murray, Dune Rats and more.
Other festival highlights include the ‘Ballgowns & Boots’ opening night soiree, with live bands and films under the stars, an evening of local stories and song, a live taping of a cult comedy podcast, jury in-conversation sessions, the 2022 Awards Ceremony, and a ‘CRACKERJACK’ 20th anniversary screening.
Heart Of Gold International Short Film Festival is on from 27-30 October at Gympie Pavilion (Queensland).
