After winning the award for Best Direction in a Student Film at the Australian Directors Guild (ADG) Awards, Friends of Mine will premiere at the Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival in Gympie, this October.
Made as writer/director Andreas Giannopoulos was graduating film from the Master of Arts Screen: Directing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), and shot on Super 16 film by cinematographer Ehran Edwards with support from Kodak, the short sees Lou (Alex Donnelly), a young essayist, landing his first paid gig while unable to express his feelings to his crush Sylvie (Emily Joy).
Meanwhile, Elena (Chi Nguyen), an amateur director, prepares a play in an attempt to reveal her own feelings for Lou.
Channeling the snappy romantic comedies of both New York independent darling Alex Ross Perry and French New Wave maverick Eric Rohmer through a distinctly autumnal Melbourne setting, Friends of Mine “on paper… feels like a traditional love triangle scenario, but with Giannopoulos’ considered direction and explorative script, that groundwork allows for a deeper exploration of the emotional bonds that tie us together”.
On winning the ADG award, Giannopoulos acknowledged and thanked his directing teachers at AFTRS, Lucy Gaffy, Jonathan Ogilvie and Rowan Woods, along with the key cast Alex Donnelly, Chi Nguyen (The Wilds, Fisk) Emily Joy (Tonightly with Tom Ballard, Neighbours) and Andrea Mendez.
Giannopoulos will travel to Gympie and attend Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival as a guest.
On the festival, he said, “From afar, I’ve seen Heart of Gold grow in the past few years into the genuine Queensland equivalent of other major Australian shorts fests, all while remaining one of the few truly independent film festivals in the state. We are honoured to premiere at such a robust and audience-focused festival.“
The location of the festival holds special relevance for the filmmaker, as he spent part of his early childhood living nearby on the Sunshine Coast, and would return with family frequently while growing up.
“Many of my earliest cinematic memories are watching films at the Noosa 5 Cinemas, so it’ll be fantastic to return to the area, sharing the film and spending time with the community,“ he said.
Friends of Mine will screen in the Cinephile Circuit program strand at 2pm, Friday 28 October at the Gympie Pavilion.
The film will also be in contention for the festival’s awards including Best Student Film, sponsored by Australian Teachers of Media, and Best Script, sponsored by Dixon Dental.
The full festival will present 170 short films from around the world amongst live music, talks, and community events from 27–30 October at the Gympie Pavilion. For more information, visit heartofgold.com.au
