This curated collection celebrates the work of AFTRS students and alumni. Among the works are award-winners, viral sensations, festival favourites and sleeper hits, along with titles that will meet audiences for the first time. While the Good Content Playlist may have been conceived as a remedy to these times of self-isolation, it is a living, breathing, growing space that will continue well beyond the period of this pandemic. New content will be added regularly, so spread the word and send your submissions to social@aftrs.edu.au.
FEATURE FILMS: NARRATIVE
REFLECTIONS IN THE DUST (2019)
In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a blind girl fights to survive alongside her father who is an emotionally abusive clown. Watch on Stan
Writer/director/co-producer: Luke Sullivan (Graduate Certificate Directing, 2014; Foundation Diploma, 2013). Co-producer: Giovanni De Santolo (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017; Foundation Diploma, 2013)
SHORT FILMS: NARRATIVE
DOTS (2017)
People start dying after the arrival of a mysterious stranger in a small Australian town. Despite this, the local police officer is too preoccupied with his dream Mercedes to pay attention to the deaths surrounding him.
Director: Eryk Lenartowicz’s (Master of Screen Arts, 2017)
ALICE (2017)
Locked in an austere country house, headstrong and spirited Alice yearns for the freedom of the forest. But as Alice discovers the power of seduction, it is more than just her desire that is awakened…
Director, adaptor: Laura Scrivano (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2013; Graduate Diploma Directing, 2012)
THE DANGERS OF POT PARTIES (2019)
Come on journey as Vera Way poorly acts during this un-educational film, under the narration which promises that your life will end should you try Marijuana …ONCE!
Writer, director, producer: Ricky James (current Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production student) and Robert Manzini
BRUNCH SHIFT MASSACRE (2020)
A descent into the hellish depths of the life of a waiter during a busy brunch service that turns into a violent climb back to sanity.
Director, writer, actor: Adam Boys (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2018)
SOL BUNKER (2015)
Sol Bunker is an eccentric sound designer who searches for the elusive “frequency of life” to help save his dying wife. Whilst Sol progressively falls deeper into obsession, it is up to his son Addie Bunker to take on the role of parent and to help Sol understand reality.
Writer, director: Nathan Mewett (Master of Arts Screen, 2015)
THIRTY PIECES (2019)
The leader of a tight-knit bible study for drug addicts has his generosity tested to the ultimate degree when he’s asked to do a criminal, but potentially soul-saving, favour for one his members.
Writer, director and editor: James Weir (Bachelor of Arts Screen, 2018)
BUNNY NEW GIRL (2015)
On her first day at a new school, a self-conscious young girl learns that friendship can overcome difference. +22 million views and counting.
Writer, director, co-producer: Natalie van den Dungen (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2013)
THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE (2013)
In the middle of a French exam, 17-year-old Charlie struggles to find the words to be true to his best friend…and himself.
Director: Laura Scrivano (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2013; Graduate Diploma Directing, 2012)
STRANGER (2018)
A wanderer drifts through an Australian outback mining town until he makes an unexpected connection with a motel maid.
Writer, director, editor, co-producer: Peter Skinner (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
THIS FERAL LIFE (2014)
Winner of the 2015 Heath Ledger Scholarship, this is a lyrical, meditative look at life, loss and longing in a small country Australian town.
Director, co-writer: Melissa Anastasi (Graduate Diploma in Directing, 2012; Graduate Certificate in Directing, 2011)
AUSTIN FLOWERS (2015)
An Austin Powers impersonator has a mental breakdown on a job.
Director: David Smith (current Master of Arts Screen student)
RUMOURS (2019)
Made on one cartridge of Super 8 film, editing in-camera with no retakes or post-production, Rumours premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Writer, director: Oliver Birt (current Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production student)
BE MY BROTHER (2009)
Gerard lives in Sydney, is a keen actor, avid swimmer and has Down Syndrome. Be My Brother shakes audiences out of complacency to realise there are many abilities that lie behind the exterior label of ‘disability’. Tropfest winner 2009 – Best Film and Best Male Actor.
Writer, director: Genevieve Clay-Smith (Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2014; Master of Screen Arts, 2013)
APPETITE (2019)
Bridget can’t get last night out of her head. Appetite is a short film about shame after sex following a twenty-something woman the day after a one-night stand.
Writer, director, co-producer: Claudia Bailey (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
GAME NIGHT (2020)
There’s nothing like a bit of unhealthy competition between friends when you’re waiting out the apocalypse.
Co-producer: Alana Hicks (Graduate Certificate Screen: Screenwriting, 2018)
SHORT FILMS: FACTUAL
CLAUDE (2018)
One woman’s journey to achieving freedom in her life both creatively and personally. It’s a story about what it means to be in full control of expression in an unashamed and unapologetic manner.
Director: Sam Martin (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
ANY MEANS (2019)
A documentary focusing on a young and aspiring street-wear fashion designer and calligraphy artist, Joshua Foon from Sydney, Australia.
Director: Anna Eva Mutuanene (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
THIS IS NANJING (2017)
This is Nanjing, through the eyes of Erika Felton, who once called it home.
Director, editor: Erika Felton (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
MELISSA RAYMOND – EXPRESSIONS OF A LIFE REINVENTED (2018)
Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and living in Sydney, Melissa Raymond has endured an arduous journey over the past twelve years as she battled three brain tumours and five surgeries, altering virtually every aspect of the life she had known before.
Cinematographer: Ashkan Suren (current Master of Arts Screen student)
PRESERVED EXISTENCE (2018)
Through poetic visuals and a rich soundscape, esteemed taphonomist and palaeontologist Dr. Caitlin Syme shows us what aeons-old fossils can tell us about our present and our future.
Director, producer: Gabriel Murphy (current Master of Arts Screen student)
MEMOIR OF A BREEZE (2020)
A tale told by the wind about its observations along Sydney’s eastern coastline, delving into nature’s harmony and balance not often observed by humans, and the dangers they face.
Cinematography, script, editing, sound design: David Luff (current Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production student)
AGELESS FRIENDSHIPS: MIRANJANI (2019)
Monday is the favourite day of the week for aged care residents at Mirinjani Village when parents bring their children for playgroup.
Series producer: Rani Chaleyer (Master of Arts: Film & Television Editing, 2002)
YOU CAN YOU CVN’T (2019)
Danny Lim, better known in Sydney as “that sandwich board guy with the dog”, is an eccentric street corner icon who inspires and provokes with his own brand of artistic protest.
Director: Brendan Toole (Graduate Certificate in Documentary Fundamentals, 2013)
ANIMATION
LOST & FOUND (2020)
A knitted toy dinosaur must completely unravel itself to save the love of its life.
Writer, co-director: Bradley Slabe (Master of Arts Screen: Animation, 2014)
FLAT (2003)
A journey into the soul of a building shows life to be anything but flat.
Writer/animator/director: Sebastian Danta (Master of Arts Screen, 2018)
TV SERIES
FIRST DAY (2020)
It’s Hannah Bradford’s first year of high school. As a 12 year-old transgender girl, Hannah has to navigate the challenges that come with starting a new school, and find the courage to live as her most authentic self. Watch on ABC iview
Writer/director/co-producer: Julie Kalceff (Master of Arts (Film and Television) Scriptwriting, 2002)
ON THE ROPES (2018)
On The Ropes follows Iraqi-Australian Amirah Al Amir who has idolised her boxing world champion father Sami her entire life. Desperate to become an elite boxing trainer, Amirah must fight, not only the patriarchal boxing world but her own family, to achieve her dream. Watch Season 1 on SBS on Demand.
Director: Shannon Murphy (Graduate Diploma in Directing, 2013)
MYSTERY ROAD – SEASON 2 (2020)
Detective Jay Swan takes on a grisly case in a new town, a coastal community where the desert meets the ocean and secrets past and present run deep. Jay must reconcile the law and deep lore and confront a dangerous enemy. Watch Season 1 and Season 2 on ABC iview.
Directors: Warwick Thornton (Bachelor of Arts: Film & Television Cinematography, 1995), Wayne Blaire
UNORTHODOX (2020)
A Hasidic Jewish woman in Brooklyn flees to Berlin from an arranged marriage and is taken in by a group of musicians — until her past comes calling. Watch in full on Netflix.
Original music: Antonio Gambale (Graduate Certificate in Screen Composition, 1999). Costume design: Justine Seymour (Master of Arts: Film & Television Design, 2000)
WEB SERIES
SARAH’S CHANNEL (2019)
A quirky, relatable Youtube channel created and run by Sarah, who isn’t going to let the fact that she’s been re-animated in a post-apocalyptic future stop her from doing what she’s famous for: Beauty Vlogging. Watch on ABC iview.
Co-producer: Robbie Miles (Graduate Certificate: Screen Drama – Directing & Screenwriting, 2009)
WHAT’S YOUR FLAVA? (2020)
Six bisexuals enter the Flava house on the quest for love. They make food, small talk and—if they’re brave enough—a move.
Series Producers: Uday Alexander, Zachary Beckton, Beatrice Tekiko. Directors: Jaeger May, Daniel Pollock. Cinematographers: Kerry Chavez, Marko Cvijanovic, Felix Maude, Samuel Walker. Production Designers: Grace Anderson, Xanda Cohen, Sebastian Maule, Isabella Parker. Editors: Zoe Benjamin, Dylan Kennerson, Lachlan Paterson, Thomas Stavropoulos, Harrison Wild. Original Music: Darcy Allen (All current Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production students)
GUT FEELING (2019)
Liv, a 28-year-old advertising creative, is pretty happy. Good job, nice Sydney apartment, and a good enough relationship with her boyfriend Luke. Things are ticking along nicely, until the day she meets her intuition Uta. Watch on ABC iview
Creator/director: Hattie Archibald (Master of Arts Screen, 2018)
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LOVE BUG (2020)
For new couple B and G, attempting to date while separately self-isolating brings whole new meaning to ‘it’s complicated’.
Writer/director: Imogen McCluskey. Music: Lucca Barone-Peters (both Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
ROBBIE HOOD (2019)
A story about Robbie, a thirteen-year-old misfit with a heart of gold. He and his two best mates – little Georgia Blue and big Little Johnny – skirt the law to right the wrongs they see going down in their hometown of Alice Springs. Watch on SBS On Demand
Editor: Kelly Cameron (Master of Screen Arts, 2017; Graduate Diploma in Editing, 2012)
I KNOW YOU ARE (2017)
When Kate loses her job and meets Rachelle, she is forced to question her close relationship with her dependent sister, Daisy.
Writer/director/producer: Brigitte Haviland (Advanced Diploma in Screenwriting: Feature Film, 2018)
JADE OF DEATH (2020)
A six-part fantasy-noir web series about a young queer woman with supernatural abilities.
Writer, director: Erin Good (Graduate Diploma in Directing, 2013; Foundation Diploma, 2009). Producer: Taylor Litton-Strain (Graduate Diploma in Producing, 2012; Foundation Diploma, 2010). DOP: Gregoire Liere (Graduate Certificate in Cinematography Fundamentals, 2012)
CARPARK CLUBBING (2020)
Three young women from Western Sydney try to escape their responsibilities by hanging out in the car park of a doughnut shop, only to fall into a surprising friendship triangle and a series of adventures. Watch on ABC iview.
Director: Sarah Bassiuoni (Graduate Certificate Screen: Directing, 2017; Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting, 2016). Producer: Elliot Clifford (Graduate Certificate: Directing, 2010)
SISTAS (2020)
Frankie wants a job at the pizza shop, Charlie has other ideas for the pizza boy, and Elsie achieves nothing. Sistas explores pain, love and the grubbiness of sisterhood while proving unconditional love is all you need.
Writer, director, creator: Holly Trenaman (current Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production student)
AUSTRALIA’S BEST STREET RACER (2019)
A comedy about growing up in regional Australia, and the right of passage so many men go through when they first get their license.
Co-writer, co-director: Michael O’Neill (Advanced Diploma in Producing: Story, Audience, Finance, 2015)
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ALL OUR EGGS (2020)
An Instagram drama told in 1-minute episodes, exploring a couple’s rocky journey towards parenthood. Spanning five years, it navigates the herbal teas, the headstands, the alternative therapies, the sex-by-stopwatch, and the IVF procedures – all the agonies, ecstasies and absurdities of the Great Big Fertility Ride.
Director, co-Writer Martha Goddard (Master of Screen Arts, 2012). Designer: Laura Murray (Graduate Diploma in Production Design, 2012). Editor: Gwendalina Sputore (Graduate Diploma: Editing, 2009). Composer: Basil Hogios (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Screen Composition, 2004). Production Assistant Grace Tan (Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2016)
PODCASTS
FINDING DRAGO (2018 – 2019)
The discovery of a bizarre book about the Rocky film franchise is the first thread of a mystery about Ivan Drago, the underground world of fan fiction and fake identities. Named by Junkee as one of the best podcasts of the decade, and highly regarded by the A.V. Club, BBC, Birth.Movies.Death., The Australian, SMH and more. Listen to the full series.
Creators: Alexei Toliopoulos (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017; Foundation Diploma, 2011) and Cameron James
WERE YOU HOT IN HIGH SCHOOL (2019 – 2020)
Every week, comedians, Bea Barbeau-Scurla and Lauren Bonner interview an array of comedians, athletes, writers and other interesting guests to chat about their teen experience. Funny and provocative, this podcast offers a nostalgic and insightful peek into the world of teen angst, body issues, sexuality and self-esteem.”
Creators: Béatrice Barbeau-Scurla (Master of Arts (Screen), 2019; Bachelor of Arts Screen, 2017) and Lauren Bonner
SOUND PERSPECTIVE (2018 – 2020)
Alfred Faber interviews sound designers, directors and musicians, exploring the role of sound in film and art. Guests include George Miller, Peter Strickland, Mirrah Foulkes and Harry Potter sound editor James Mather.
Creator: Alfred Faber (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
RAMSAY BEAT (2018 – 2020)
In 35 years of Neighbours, there’s never been a podcast like this. Ramsay Beat takes you behind the scenes to talk to cast and creatives about what promises to be the biggest week in the show’s history.
Creator: Ali Aitken (Advanced Diploma in Radio Essentials, 2018)
ORIGINAL MUSIC
ELAGABALUS (2019)
The music of short film Elagabalus, a drag ball retelling of the past, set in the future. Directed by Xanthe Dobbie, written by Samuel Herriman, produced by Alexis Talbot-Smith (all Master of Screen Arts, 2019)
Composer: Jorde Heys (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)
FOUR EVOCATIVE MINIATURES (2019)
This suite of miniatures explores the textures and timbres of the four orchestral families. Each movement is intended to evoke the scene or emotion described in the title – I: Moonrise, II: Wintering, III: Pastoral, IV: Aurora
Composer: James Mountain (current Master of Arts Screen student)
MOSAIC (2020)
Born behind the Iron Curtain and classically trained, Lena Matienko began composing at the age of six and spent her childhood earning trophies for her work. Lena has now moved to Australia where she is pursuing a career in screen music.
Composer: Lena Matienko (current Master of Arts Screen student)
MUSIC VIDEOS
MIDSUMMER COLOUR – GG MUSIC (2018)
How much choice do we have when it comes to attraction?
Director/producer: Lizzie Dingle (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
SAVANNAH – IVY-JANE BROWNE (2018)
Winner of Best Australian Music Video at the CLIPPED Music Video Awards and the International Women’s Film Festival and presented in official selection at the Depth Depth of Field International Film Festival, Moondance International Film Festival and Sydney Lift-Off Festival.
Director: Imogen McCluskey (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
RAINBOW ROAD – BLAKE STRANGE (2020)
“A budding synthsmith, his magnum opus also aptly named Rainbow Road has sampled the waters of Mario Kart, with swirling synths taking you for a spin down memory lane. Hop in the front seat as a booming baseline steers the track, while the vocals nestle neatly into the chorus, via a gentle nod to nostalgia en route.” – Good Question Magazine
Writer, director: Blake Strange (Graduate Certificate Screen Directing, 2018)
THE OCEAN – WALLIS BIRD (2018)
The Ocean is a same-sex love story that celebrates love’s triumph over fear and shame through dance and light and stars choreographer and So You Think You Can Dance finalist Yukino McHugh, alongside Sydney Dance Company-trained artist Olivia Kingston.
Director: Sinéad McDevitt (Graduate Certificate in Documentary Fundamentals, 2014)
I AM IN THE SEA – CHAMPIONSHIPS (2018)
The music video for Portland-based band Championships from their debut EP Championships.
Director/producer: Andrew Slattery (Graduate Diploma: Screenwriting, 2009)
GIRL’S NIGHT OUT – G-NATION (2019)
Girl Nation was established by performing arts director Pep Rigano from the Australian Company of Performing Arts with a focus on empowering younger girls to feel confident about themselves.
Director: Ashley Pollard (Graduate Certificate in Directing Fundamentals, 2016; Graduate Certificate in Screenwriting Fundamentals, 2014). Producer/cinematographer: Benjamin Powell (Advanced Diploma in Cine Essentials, 2016)
VISUAL ESSAYS
MOVING TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF QUEER (2018)
Visual essay and web collage. [Mature content]
Artist: Xanthe Dobbie (Master of Arts Screen, 2019)