Feature and shorts winners from the 2018 Gold Coast Film Festival
STRANGE COLOURS, Alena Lodkina’s debut feature is the winner of the Blackmagic Design Best Australian Independent Film Award at the Gold Coast Film Festival.
Established two years ago, the festival’s Australian Indie film strand identifies Australia’s best indie films – defined as having not received significant screen agency production funding – and provides a platform for screening and promoting these often undistributed Australian films.
Alena receives $10,000 worth of equipment and software from Blackmagic Design, including a URS Mini 4.6K EF Camera.
The prize was judged by four film critic members of AFCA (Australian Film Critics Association); Luke Buckmaster, Lauren Carroll Harris, Cerise Howard, Rochelle Siemienowicz.
Fantasy drama PULSE is the inaugural winner of the Best Australian Independent Film Peer Award at the festival. Judged by the alumni filmmakers of the Gold Coast Film Festival’s Australian Indie strand, director Stevie Cruz-Martin wins a cash prize of $500 thanks to The Green Room app, plus a software package from Blackmagic Design.
The Gold Coast Film Festival also awarded $8000 in cash prizes for its national short film competition SIPFEST: Shorts in Paradise, presented by Surfers Paradise Alliance.
Judges for these eight awards included Anthony Kierann – Event Cinemas, Michael Sergi – Bond University, Diya Eid – Screen Queensland and Heather Maltman – filmmaker and radio host.
iRONY, by Perth’s Radheya Jegatheva took out the top prize of Best Film, winning $3000, with Brisbane’s Krystle Wright taking the $1000 Runner Up Best Film prize for A RESTLESS PEACE.
The festival’s showcase of Queensland student shorts, EMERGE! awarded $250 to winner and Bond University student, Max Barden for his film THE WAND.
WINNERS
Blackmagic Design Best Australian Independent Film Award
STRANGE COLOURS, Alena Lodkina
Best Australian Independent Film Peer Award
PULSE, Stevie Cruz-Martin
SIPFEST
Best Film: Radheya Jegatheva, iRony
Runner Up Best Film: Krystle Wright, A Restless Peace
People’s Choice Award: Tim Goodwin & Pearce Hoskinson, Please Do Not Feed The Ducks
Best Film Showcasing Surfers Paradise: Arwin Arwin, Hello
Best Film by a Gold Coast resident: Colin Usher, Su Brown and the Wallace Rockhole Pottery
Best Screenplay: Jack Yabsley, Super Nice
Best Actress: Fiona Pearson, Super Nice
Best Actor: Jake Harrison, Skin Like Bark
EMERGE!
Best Student Film: THE WAND, Max Burden, Bond University