Announcing the Gold Coast Film Festival SIPFEST Award Winners across 7 categories.
SIPFEST (Shorts In Paradise) is the Gold Coast’s premier short film festival competition, showcasing 14 of the best short film finalists from submissions around Australia and internationally. Held under the stars of the outdoor stage at HOTA, Home of the Arts, the night culminated in the live presentation of the SIPFEST award categories.
Thank you to our SIPFEST presenting partner HOTA, Home of the Arts.
2023 Award Winners:
Best Australian Short Film
Voice Activated
Directed by Steve Anthopoulos
Best International Short Film
Hold Me, Don’t Touch Me
Directed by Adrian Todd Zuniga
Best Screenplay
Voice Activated
Directed by Steve Anthopoulos
People’s Choice Award
Voice Activated
Directed by Steve Anthopoulos
Runner Up Best Australian Short Film
The Moths Will Eat Them Up
Directed by Luisa Martiri & Tanya Modini
Best Short Film by a Gold Coast Resident
El Sol
Directed by Caitlin Hill
Best Actor
Aleks Mikic
Voice Activated, Directed by Steve Anthopoulos
2023 SIPFEST FINALISTS:
101 Days of Lockdown
Director: Jelena Sinik – Sydney
101 Days of Lockdown is an experimental exploration into the mundane and domestic moments of aloneness that made up the human experience of the 2021 Australian pandemic lockdowns.
Choice
Director: Mariam Hassan – Gold Coast
Choice revolves around a woman who lost her husband in Iran during a protest against oppression on women.
El Sol
Director: Caitlin Hill – Gold Coast
A coming of age dramedy about how true friendship is sometimes all you need to overcome your inner battles. This film is written and produced by Anna Patch.
Hatchback
Director: Riley Sugars – Melbourne
Vince attempts to dispose of a dead body for the mob, but when he reluctantly enlists the help of his dim-witted brother-in-law Ted, things don’t go to plan.
Hold Me, Don’t Touch Me
Director: Adrian Todd Zuniga – UK
Mourning the death of her young son, Aidy enters a London pub where she’s interrupted by an eager but ill-equipped stranger intent on helping.
I’m Not a Nurse
Director: Jessica Bailey – Perth
An ambitious young African woman living in Australia must choose between following her dreams of filmmaking and supporting her family back home.
If I Were You
Director: Kate O’Sullivan – Brisbane
When a lonely ten-year-old takes questionable advice from an unlikely mentor, her troubles begin to snowball.
Lucky Peach
Director: Grace Tan – Sydney
A visually imaginative, deeply personal story about the tensions that develop between an immigrant mother and a young woman as she prepares to head abroad.
MumLife
Director: Ruby Challenger – Brisbane
Sarah, a first-time mother struggles to connect with her newborn baby and is pushed to her limits when she discovers her insta famous bestie has thrown her a surprise birthday party.
Opposites Day
Director: Elliot Clifford – Sydney
A runaway bride asks her life-long friend a question they’ve both been afraid to answer for years.
Perspectives
Director: Neer Shelter – Sydney/Israel
Based on a true story, a young soldier suspects a man on an Israeli bus of being a suicide bomber.
The Moths Will Eat Them Up
Directors: Luisa Martiri, Tanya Modini – Brisbane
A simple train ride home at night for a woman turns into a terrifying game of cat and mouse with a stranger until an unforeseen force is summoned.
Victim
Director: Robin Summons – Melbourne
A mother’s love for her son is tested by his increasingly alarming behaviour.
Voice Activated
Directors: Steve Anthopoulos – Sydney
A florist with a stutter is forced to cooperate with a voice activated car on the way to an important delivery.
