Flickerfest festival director Bronwyn Kidd.
Crowd Favourite Flickerfest Celebrates 30 Years of Short Film Words Nicola Smith Photo Rachel Cameron Flickerfest will bring some welcome cheer to Bondi this January as the iconic short film festival celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2021. A festival garden will operate adjacent to its usual home in Bondi Pavilion from January 22-31. Festival director Bronwyn Kidd said that the festival was well placed to go ahead despite the impact of the pandemic. “It’s been a big year for everyone with COVID. Now that restrictions have eased, making real life arts festivals like Flickerfest possible, we are thrilled to celebrate our 30th year in January,” Ms Kidd told The Beast, “the same way that our loyal audiences have enjoyed Flickerfest over the years.” “We’re really committed to keeping the film on the big screen, not online. We’re excited to put on a COVID safe, audience-friendly event where people can come and know that every aspect is taken care of. 16 The Beast January 2021
Flickerfest began in Balmain High School in 1991 and has since grown into an international festival with Academy and BAFTA recognition. Due to renovations to Bondi Pavilion, the festival will be housed in a fun bespoke festival garden this year, supported by Waverley Council, which will include The Famous Spiegeltent for indoor screenings, an outdoor deckchair cinema under the stars and a festival garden bar area. This new, larger venue will allow the same size audience as previous years to attend while still observing social distancing regulations. Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos said that Council was pleased to host such an important cultural event. “Flickerfest is considered in international circles as the leading Australian competitive short film festival and is one of the most popular cultural offerings on the Waverley events
calendar,” Mayor Masselos said. The focus of the films this year won’t be on the pandemic, but rather on looking forward to better, brighter days and showcasing an incredible array or world class shorts from at home and the world with something for everyone including hilarious comedies, delightful films for kids and families and an outstanding selection of creative and entertaining films screening across Flickerfest’s Academy Qualifying competitions. “People have had enough challenges this year, so as the festival director I’m aiming for some joy and to give our audiences a laugh and escape the challenges of the past year through a celebration of outstanding cinema,” Ms Kidd told The Beast. Selecting a diverse array of films with the audience in mind is at the core of Flickerfest’s ethos and is one reason why the festival is not only well regarded locally but also by audiences right across Australia. “Flickerfest’s focus on worldclass programming reflects our commitment to our audiences. We want people to come along, love the films and enjoy themselves and the festival environment,” Ms Kidd said. After 30 years and the challenges of 2020, the festival is still thriving. 2021 is set to be one of the best years so far, with over 2,700 entries that are curated into 200 short films to be screened across different categories. “The key thing for Flickerfest is the programming, and that’s the basis of everything that we do. The quality of the films, the fun, the creativity and the freshness is the basis of Flickerfest and is what has kept it going all these years,” Ms Kidd told The Beast. For more information, please visit www.flickerfest.com.au.
