AUSTRALIAN ALL SHORTS

SYNOPSIS:
An eclectic compilation of Australian short films, all from first-time directors, which range in genre from action and drama to comedy and science fiction. Among them is Mozzie, starring a pair of highly animated mosquitoes with a penchant for radical brain surgery; Triple Word Score, which features a fatalistic game of scrabble played daily by a pair of elderly women; and Tulip, the tale of a recently bereaved widower (Bud Tingwell) with an unusual bovine dilemma … that requires an even more unusual solution.

"Australian All Shorts is a montage of the clever, the kooky and the quirky that provides ample evidence that cinematic entertainment is not entirely dependent on intricate plot developments, drawn-out action sequences or anticipation derived from interminably delayed denouements. None of these devices are available to the first-time directors being showcased here in 15 minutes or less (with the exception of Testament, which comes in at 26 minutes). Ironically, it is this longest short that is the biggest disappointment. Its scenario is an unabashed steal from the James Redfield novel, The Celestine Prophecy, and the dialogue and schlocky melodrama is even worse than Redfield’s (which is really saying something) without capturing the spirit of Redfield’s amalgam of popular philosophy and mysticism that so successfully touched a new-age nerve. Notwithstanding this extended low-point, Australian All Shorts provides an impressive assortment of cinematic flavours to chew on, including an odd mix of sumptuously crafted eye candy and various samples of bad-taste intentionally thrown in to challenge our cinematic palates. Highlights include Rachel Griffiths’ directorial debut, Tulip, which weaves a gentle spell of pathos, comedy and optimism (thanks largely to a charmingly understated performance by Bud Tingwell), and the eponymous CGI stars of the delightfully farcical Mozzie. The same attention grabbing creativity and imagination displayed in those "World’s Greatest Commercials" television programmes is on offer in this compilation, except it’s ideas rather than products that are being promoted. For the most part, they sell well."
Brad Green

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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 1
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 0

AUSTRALIAN ALL SHORTS
(Aus)

MOZZIE
Director: Dylan Yeo
Running time: Approx. 8 mins

TRIPLE WORD SCORE
Director: Armagan Ballentyne
Running time: Approx. 9 mins

TULIP
Director: Rachel Griffiths
Running Time: Approx. 15 mins

SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Director: Tony Thorne
Running Time: Approx. 4 mins

TESTAMENT
Director: Che Baker
Running Time: Approx. 26 mins

HARRY THE HUMAN FLY
Director: Darryl Aylward
Running Time: Approx. 1 mins

PREOCCUPIED
Director: John Breslin
Running Time: Approx. 4.15 mins

NEWSREEL
Director: Che Baker
Approx. 3 mins

TEA FOR THREE
Director: Anthony Johnsen
Running Time: Approx. 8 mins

THREE CHORDS AND A WARDROBE
Director: Brendan Young
Running Time: Approx. 11 mins

AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Tribe

AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: December 10, 1999