Adelaide Film Festival: Made In SA

Session name: Made in SA

Films: Graduation (Madeleine Parry), The Hitcher (Henry Reimer Meaney), Mars Futures (Hannah Moore), Strega (Tiah Trimboli), Wishes (Ana-Maria Méndez Salgado), Finding Jia (Alice Yang), Boy on Fire (Alies Sluiter)

Hub rating: ★★★1/2

Country: Australia

Classification: Unclassified 15+

Link: https://www.adelaidefilmfestival.org/program/2024/made-in-sa

Although the Adelaide Film Festival has ended for 2024, Hub is keeping the excitement going with some more reviews coming your way.

Made in SA is a curated program of short films made in South Australia which screens every year at the Adelaide Film Festival, of course each year with different films. This year there were seven films shown and with dance films to animation, this year's screening really covered it all. There was such an array of genres and having to switch between completely different worlds from film to film, the audience was kept on their toes. As with all short film programs, there are always some films that leave something to be desired but also some absolute gems. Out of the seven films, three really jumped out at me including Strega, The Hitcher, and Graduation. 

Strega

Strega, directed by Tiah Trimboli, is a six minute dance film that explores the “vulnerability and complex femininity of the Three Witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth” (Adelaide Film Festival, 2024). Strega was the 2024 recipient of the Hanlon Larsen Fellowship, an initiative which supports experimental filmmaking by providing an award of $45,000 to one recipient each year. The premiere screening of Strega took place at iLA on a curved screen with three separate images playing at once. The film was adapted to play on a regular flat cinema screen for Made in SA with the three images being cut between throughout the film. Set in a dark void with only an island of land, three dancers, representing the witches, create beautiful movements. The set of the film is so simplistic yet powerful and is paired with mesmerizing music, creating such an alluring film.

The Hitcher

The Hitcher, directed by Henry Reimer Meaney, was another great film to be found in this year’s Made in SA screening. The film follows a hitchhiker, whose “self-imposed isolation is interrupted after going viral” (Adelaide Film Festival, 2024). The film's commentary on the impacts of social media on our lives was tackled with wit and a creative perspective. With an all star camera department including Ella Burton as the 1st Assistant Camera who recently won the 2024 South Australian Australian Cinematographers Society Emerging Cinematographer Award, the visuals of the film were nothing but stunning. One thing that could have been improved was the ending where everything leads up to the hitchhiker just dancing by himself - it might have been nice to end on something a little bit more meaningful. The film was visually beautiful and something a little bit different with a strong message. Hub will be interviewing lead actor of the film, Connor Pullinger, very shortly (so stay tuned for that)!

Graduation

The other film that really took my attention was Graduation, but not for the best reasons. Throughout the duration of this film I was highly uncomfortable and maybe that is what the filmmakers intended, in which case they did a great job. Graduation explores the very beginning of a ‘relationship’ between a student, Dillon, and his teacher, Miss Leventis, the night before the student's graduation. After Dillon drunk texts Miss Leventis, she invites Dillon over to her house where they smoke and drink together, becoming somewhat intimate with each, although nothing physical ever happens. The situation explored is clearly illegal and it made me squirm in my seat. Throughout the film, I was holding out hope that there would be some sort of moral resolution at the end such as the teacher realises that what they are doing is wrong, or the police come over, however nothing happens - there was no lesson to be learnt. If the filmmakers intended to create and explore an uncomfortable situation for the audience, then I think they did a great job.

Curated screening programs of short films are always going to be a mixed bag of lollies, however because of this there is always something for everyone. The Made in SA screening is such a great way to celebrate the local film industry and emerging filmmakers. If you also have a short attention span when it comes to films, this may be the way for you to go as the films are very short in length with the longest film in this year's screening being 16 minutes. Make sure you catch the Made in SA screening at next year’s Adelaide Film Festival and support the local film industry.