Red carpet: Benalla Mayor Bernie Hearn with Benalla Shorts judge Krista Vendy and Benalla Shorts Director Anna Smith.
Photo by
Simon Ruppert
Benalla town hall was packed to the rafters on Saturday afternoon for the seventh annual Benalla Short Film Festival.
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Despite being able to hold belated screenings in-between lockdowns this was the first Benalla Shorts to be screened on (almost) the right date.
Returning judges Krista Vendy and John Orksik spoke of their delight at being able to watch the flims on a big screen rather than judging remotely — which they had been forced to for the past two events.
Hollywood: John Orcsik and Krista Vendy returned to judge the seventh annual Benalla Film Festival.
Photo by
Simon Ruppert
Third returning judge Tony Bonner AM, of Skippy fame, could not attend, but pre-recorded a video for the audience.
It was a good day for north-east filmmakers with Benalla’s Charlie Williams taking out the top prize, and Cobram’s Lachie Allemand winning the local encouragement award.
Benalla Short Film Festival winners 2021:
Best Film — The Devil and I, by Charlie Williams
People’s Choice award — The Last Time I Saw You, by Damian McLindon
Best Short Documentary — Pacing the Pool, by Radheya Jegatheva
Local Encouragement Award — The Sisterhood of Mika and Sophie, by Lachie Allemand
Best Performance — Emma Wright for her role in Audio Guide by Chris Elena
Mr Williams said he was not expecting to win again, after picking up two awards in 2020, and it was a shock when his name was read out.
“There were a lot of good films there, so it felt pretty good that we won after seeing all the other entries,” Mr Williams said.
“John Orcsik said, at the event, that perhaps it might be time to make a feature film.
“So it was good to be told that as I have a few feature films ideas in mind.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to make a feature film, but it can be difficult getting the budget and cast and to be able to commit the time to do it.
“So maybe I’ll do one more short film before trying to do a feature, I’ll see what happens.”
Charlies’s film The Devil and I will be also screened as part of Monster Fest in Melbourne this month.
For more information, visit www.monsterfest.com.au
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