Unlikely Romance wins The Best Australian Short Film – PerthNow, in partnership with SAE University College, has announced ‘Bird Drone’ – directed and animated by Radheya Jegatheva – as the winner of the major $30,000 prize in The Best Australian Short Film Competition.
Jegatheva spearheaded the heartwarming project about a seagull that falls in love with a drone. The 24-year-old Perth filmmaker drew on his love for Pixar and Studio Ghibli movies when developing the animated story of unrequited love told through non-human characters.
Over 750 short films from around Australia were submitted, all vying for their chance to share in the $77,500 prize pool – the nations’ richest for a competition of its kind.
Winning both the $10,000 West Australian Short Film Prize and the $5,000 People’s Choice Prize was Perth project Verge Collection – a tribute to the annual ritual of tossing out unwanted goods.
Developed by Fremantle University friends Taylor Finch, Nicholas Verryn, Nadine Barry and Kyle Thistlethwaite, the film was described by judges as the best Western Australia-made film and was the clear winner from the thousands of votes cast by PerthNow readers.
The Best Australian Short Film Competition judges included Gold Logie-nominated actor Mark Coles Smith (Mystery Road: Origin), Home and Away’s Kirsty Marillier, director Nel Minchin, Perth Festival’s Tom Vincent and The West Australian’s film critic Ben O’Shea.
Coles Smith said:
“The quality of entries on the whole for this competition made the selection process particularly difficult.”
Marillier was also floored by the entrants saying:
“The cinematography, the larger-than-life concepts, and the level of innovation involved in the edit really stood out.”
The winners of the prize pool were split across these categories:
The Best Australian Short Film Competition Main Prize ($30,000)
Bird Drone
Recipient: Radheya Jegatheva, WA
The People’s Choice Prize ($5000)
Verge Collection
Recipients: Taylor Finch, Nicholas Verryn, Nadine Barry and Kyle Thistlethwaite, WA
Best Animation ($5000) Tie ($2500 each)
Australian Mongrel
Recipients: Rocco Fazzari and Belinda Lopez, NSW
Self-Portrait
Recipient: Mahdi Poursamad, NSW
Next Gen Youth Prize ($5000)
The Ways We Cook
Recipient: Juno Shean, WA
Future of Film Innovation Prize ($5000)
Substratum
Recipient: Harvey Abrahams, NSW
WA First Nations Filmmaker Prize ($7500)
The Tale of Mr. Kimberley
Recipient: Marlanie Haerewa, WA
The Best West Australian Short Film Prize ($10,000)
Verge Collection
Recipients: Taylor Finch, Nicholas Verryn, Nadine Barry and Kyle Thistlethwaite, WA
The Best Australian Short Film Competition is also supported by Channel 7, Screenwest and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC).
The winning short films are available to watch for a limited time on PerthNow.com.au
Media Release – Seven
Unlikely Romance wins The Best Australian Short Film
TV Central Seven content HERE
Unlikely Romance wins The Best Australian Short Film
