Still from The Boy Who Loved Rain.
by Simon Sellars
Originally published in RealTime issue #81 Oct-Nov 2007.
RECENTLY IN REALTIME AND ELSEWHERE I’VE BEEN CRITICAL OF AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILM AND ANIMATION, SO MUCH SO I’M BEGINNING TO BORE MYSELF (AND DOUBTLESS OTHERS) WITH THE OLD REFRAIN. STILL, I VOICE THESE CRITICISMS FROM A POSITION OF RESPECT FOR […]
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Still from Carnivore Reflux.
by Simon Sellars
Published in RealTime issue #80 Aug-Sept 2007.
AT THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL’S CAREERS IN ANIMATION FORUM, AN AUDIENCE MEMBER WANTED TO KNOW WHAT INSTITUTIONS LOOK FOR IN THEIR ENTRANCE INTERVIEWS. ROBERT STEPHENSON (VCA) SAID THAT AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE BODY’S MOVEMENT AND MECHANICS IS USEFUL. HE SUGGESTED WOULD-BE ANIMATORS ENROL […]
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Best Film Award, Tropfest 07: ‘An Imaginary Life’ (Steve Baker).
by Simon Sellars
Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 1 April 2007.
On April 7 Channel Nine, accompanied by the still-infuriating-after-all-these-years Richard Wilkins, screened the films from the finals of the Sony Tropfest 2007 short-film festival, which was held on February 18. Tropfest purports to showcase the work of […]
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Flyer for Northern Void.
Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 19 February 2007.
Last night I attended the second (and last, for now) screening of Philip Brophy’s 50-minute film Northern Void, billed as a “live cinema performance” accompanied by the real-time sonics of Ph2 (Brophy and Philip Samartzis). Northern Void is set along Plenty Rd, in the northern […]
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Still from Sniffer.
by Simon Sellars
Originally published in RealTime issue #75 Oct-Nov 2006.
Although MIFF’s short film agenda was certainly exhaustive, my ‘best on ground’ was the Focus on Nordic Shorts selection, uniformly excellent and sharing the blackest humour, absolute self-deprecation and a savage willingness to torch convention. Sniffer (director Bobbie Peers, Norway, 2005, 12 mins) imagined […]
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Alice et Moi, dir. Micha Wold
‘Power without Punchlines’ by Simon Sellars. Originally published in RealTime magazine, #68 Aug-Sep 2005.
The St Kilda Film Festival did not get off to an auspicious start. Opening night was supposed to showcase the cream of Australia’s top 100 shorts but the session was characterised by tired scenarios and an almost […]
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Jonathan Nix, ‘Hello’
by Simon Sellars
‘The Intricate Making of Animators’. Originally published in RealTime magazine, Aug-Sep 2004.
Australian animators are a hardy mob. Working in an industry that’s noticeably cramped, they are largely under resourced and mostly undervalued. I recently talked to a range of animators from around the country who have had one or 2 short […]
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by Simon Sellars
‘The Making of a Tasmanian Film Industry’. Originally published in RealTime magazine #61, Jun-Jul 2004.
In RT58, I interviewed a group of Melbourne directors and producers about the environmental factors that influence their films. Besides the weather, the main aspect cited was Melbourne’s distance from Sydney: geographically and financially (most of the funding flies […]
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by Simon Sellars
Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 1 March 2004.
Over the past year, a sweet little film about a strange little man has been getting a lot of attention. Harvie Krumpet, director Adam Elliot’s 23-minute claymation, is up for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. And right beside Elliot on Oscar night will be […]
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by Simon Sellars
Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 25 November 2003.
Trevor Blainey is enjoying himself. In 2003, the former accountant’s first film as producer, Matthew Saville’s Roy Hollsdotter Live, won everything in sight, with awards for best screenplay, best short film and best cinematography. But filmmaking in Australia is notoriously tough, and while awards give off […]
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still from The What If? Man, dir. Mark Atkin
interview by Simon Sellars
Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 25 November 2003.
Mark Atkin is a Melbourne editor working in film and television. His first feature as director, The What If? Man: The Science Fictional Life of Peter Nicholls, looks at the life and career of Peter Nicholls, science […]
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interview by Simon Sellars
Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 5 November 2003.
Matthew Saville is the writer/director of Roy Hollsdotter Live, one of the more successful of the recent batch of 50-minute short features funded by the Australian Film Commission, SBS Independent and Film Victoria. Starring standup comic Darren Casey and comedy titan John Clarke, it’s shot […]
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Adam Elliot: photo by Heath Missen.
by Simon Sellars
‘Questions for… Adam Elliot, Animator’. Originally published in A3, the Age newspaper, 3 Oct 2003.
Adam Elliot is being hailed as Australia’s most successful short filmmaker. His 23-minute claymation, Harvie Krumpet, won three of the four major prizes at Annecy, the world’s largest animation festival, and picked up Best […]
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Still from Roy Hollsdotter Live (2003; dir. Matthew Saville).
‘Radar: Matthew Saville’. Originally published in Inside Film magazine, August 2003.
Simon Sellars speaks with IF Award winner Matthew Saville, one of the shining stars of the year’s program of short features.
Roy Höllsdotter Live, Matthew Saville’s 52-minute “short feature”, was a hit at this year’s Melbourne International Film […]
Still from Harvie Krumpet (2003; dir. Adam Elliot).
‘Krumpet Wins!’ by Simon Sellars. Originally published in RealTime magazine, no. 57 Oct-Nov 2003.
Adam Elliot is being trumpeted as Australia’s most successful short filmmaker, and it’s hard to argue with that. In June, his 23-minute claymation, Harvie Krumpet, won three of the four major prizes at Annecy, the […]
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interview by Simon Sellars
Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 20 June 2003.
NOTE: This is the full version of an interview that was published in various forms in the Age newspaper and RealTime magazine. Bear in mind that I interviewed Adam prior to his Oscar win for Harvie Krumpet. Neither of us had any idea of what […]
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Image by John Power.
When I was working as Special Events Coordinator at RMIT Union Arts, I co-edited the Union Arts newsletter with Fiona Parker. This was one of the interviews I conducted for it.
Originally published in Full Haus, vol. 15 No. 3, Sep-Oct 2000.
‘John Power: An Animated Guy’
Interview by Simon Sellars
The ‘Masters of New Media’ […]
Originally published in Abaddon #3, Autumn 2000.
review by Simon Sellars
Nothing sorts memories from ordinary moments. They claim remembrance when they show their scars (Chris Marker).
The films of Chris Marker are often termed ‘essayist’, participating in a phenomenological play with deep roots in French intellectualism. Working within documentary and pseudo-documentary modes, they mimic the manner in […]
