A REVENGEFUL blue teddy bear was the star of the inaugural Phoenix Short film Festival held at the Phoenix Pub in Civic last night.
Local director Marisa Martin’s short animation “Grizzly Bear” carried off the first prize of an Arc Cinema Mac Pass and $200 in cash.
Martin is best known for her animated film “Tegan the Vegan”, in which a 12-year-old student finds out where meat comes from and decides to become a vegetarian, but this new film she turns her attention to the subject of love as “Grizzly” decides to get rid of his rivals for the affection of the girl who has loved him since her childhood.
Judges of the competition, ACT Arts Minister Joy Burch, UC screen writing lecturer Susan Thwaites, theatre director Joe Woodward and this writer as arts editor of “CityNews”, commented on the quality of the 17 films entered, which ranged over documentaries, science fiction, music videos, dramas and comedies.
As well as the major prize, a crowd favourite award of an Arc Cinema pass went to Numbskull People for “Gears” and the staff favourite award of a bar tab at the Phoenix went to Konrad Lenz’s “After the War”.
Those paying to attend the festival automatically became members of the “Phoenix Film Club”, of which, host Emma Erikson said this entertaining event would be the first of many.
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