BBFF2024 | Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year

Scores of Young Australian Filmmakers entered BBFF’s coveted Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year Competition this year. This session features the top 10 Nominees for 2024.

2:45pm Saturday 19 October at Palace Cinemas

A person holding a glass of beer next to a plate of sausages and coleslaw at an outdoor picnic table.
  • Poster for the film 'Eldhoun' featuring childlike crayon drawings of two lipstick tubes, one red and purple, and the other blue and purple, with festival laurels and text listing cast and crew.

    AARUSHI CHOWDURY

    Clown

    Eight-year-old Sami wants to play “serial killers” with her older sister, but her sister’s new best friend threatens to take her place, sparking Sami’s first experience with loneliness.

    24 year old Aarushi’s debut film premiered at SXSW in Sydney, and she is currently in pre-production for a proof-of-concept developed through AFTRS and Screen Australia’s Talent Camp. She recently wrote research for Tony Ayres Productions.

  • Movie poster for 'Chook Shed' showing a woman and a young girl with warm lighting, both smiling and looking at each other.

    HAYDEN FLYNN

    Chook Shed

    An ageing sculptor, Em, whose greatest work has been withdrawn from public display, desperately searches for a new artistic vision as inspiration fades.

    Hayden, 22, says that Em’s struggle to stay relevant and marketable reflects his own personal fears regarding the fragility of his artistic identity working in film, music and design.

  • Close-up of a young man's face with eyes closed, framed by a chain-link fence, on a sports field during daytime. In the background, another person wearing black shorts and a tank top is slightly blurred. The word "BULLDOG" is overlaid at the bottom of the image.

    TOM LAWRENCE-DOYLE

    Bulldog

    After developing a secret relationship, two football players struggle to navigate their feelings amidst the toxic masculinity of their team and the pressure to stay hidden.

    Tom, 22, is a student in Creative Arts: Screen at Flinders University, and an emerging writer and director. Bulldog debuted at the Adelaide Film Festival.

  • Two women wearing aprons working together in a kitchen or restaurant setting.

    MATHEUS HEALEY

    Dogshift

    Two strangers working a shift at a dodgy restaurant in Melbourne’s CBD unexpectedly form a profound connection, leaving them to reflect on their fleeting encounter.

    VCA graduate Matheus, 21, has worked as a director and cinematographer on a range of projects, from his own narrative work to commercials and music videos.

  • Poster for 'Period Party,' a short film by Georgia Brogan, featuring a black-and-white stylized image of a woman shouting, with red background and bold, white text.

    GEORGIA BROGAN

    Period Party

    Bee throws a period party to celebrate her recovery from anorexia, but her dysfunctional family’s antics force her to confront the messy realities of womanhood.

    Georgia, 22, was a successful photographer before venturing into film; her strong cinematic visual style made her the youngest ever winner of the Australian Life Photo Prize in 2021.

  • A painting with abstract dark colors and ghostly figures, with the text 'even the ghosts have gone' written in gold on the right side.

    TAHLIA MAGISTRALE

    Even The Ghosts Have Gone

    A troubled farmer refuses to evacuate his property as a bushfire rages toward him. To survive, he must challenge his deepest beliefs.

    A Media Arts and Production graduate from UTS, Tahlia, 25, currently works in Sydney across a range of film, television and advertising projects.

  • Poster for short film titled "The Receptionist" featuring a young woman with long brown hair looking at a paper while a blurred man stands behind a glass door in the background. Text at the top says "Invisible. Relentless. Inescapable."

    RACHEL PORTHOUSE

    The Receptionist

    Jessica’s discomfort grows as her boss’s harassment intensifies, but when those around her dismiss her concerns, she struggles to reclaim her sense of control.

    22-year-old Rachel is a Sydney based writer, director and Bachelor of Communication (Honours) graduate from the UTS.

  • Close-up of blonde hair tied with a satin ribbon resembling bloodstains, with the text "Blood Sisters" at the bottom.

    MURAYA MOORE

    Blood Sisters

    Summer is invited to a sleepover, but when the makeover turns dark, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to fit in with her new friends.

    Muyaya, 24, is a Japanese-Australian woman seeking to foster a more diverse and inclusive film sector.

  • A black and white surreal scene featuring a large spaceship's engine in the sky releasing a plume of smoke, a vintage car on a desolate road, and a person standing nearby, with text reading 'The Scatterer' at the bottom.

    FELIX LOVELL

    The Scatterer

    Arthur, a professional ash scatterer, takes a job in the outback, where memories from the past blur with the present as he seeks answers to unresolved questions.

    Felix, 20, from Griffith Film School is an award-winning director and director of photography, collecting recognition from the Australian Cinematographer’s Society for his work on Solidago (2022).

  • A scene from the film 'Handhold' shows an elderly person lying in a hospital bed, smiling, with two individuals standing beside the bed in a dimly lit room with a fluorescent light above.

    YIANNI ROWLANDS

    Handhold

    A young man attempts to reconnect with his estranged father after witnessing his grandfather’s passing, navigating the complicated emotions tied to loss and family.

    Yianni, 24, a VCA graduate, began his filmmaking career early, garnishing accolades for his stop-motion animation at Trop Jr in 2012 and 2016.

SESSION TIMES

  • PALACE BYRON BAY

    SATURDAY 19 OCTOBER 2:40pm

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