Members’ Films to Screen at Melbourne International Film Festival
Congratulations to multiple DEGANZ members whose work will be screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival this year, running from 4-28 August.
Member Michelle Savill’s comedy-drama Millie Lies Low will play to audiences. The film follows Millie’s zany scheme to use social media trickery to convince friends and family that she is living her best life in NYC, after missing her flight to her new job. Meanwhile, she chases increasingly desperate plans to source money for a new ticket.
Kāinga, an anthology film set in a single house featuring eight unique stories, will also screen at MIFF. DEGANZ members Michelle Ang, Ghazaleh Golbakhsh, Julie Zhu and Nahyeon Lee each directed one of the eight stories, alongside HASH, Angeline Loo, and DEGANZ alumni Asuka Sylvie and Yamin Tun. Nahyeon, Ghazaleh, and fellow member Mia Maramara also wrote on this project, as well as Mei-Lin Te Puea Hansen, Asuka Sylvie, Shreya Gejji, HASH and Angeline Loo. This work sheds light on the immigrant experience in Aotearoa, NZ, through the lives of eight Pan-Asian women.
After premiering at the Sydney Film Festival, anthology film We Are Still Here will have its Victorian premiere at MIFF. The film is an unparalleled First Nations celebration, interweaving eight stories by 10 directors from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. That includes DEGANZ members Tim Worrall, Chantelle Burgoyne and board member Renae Maihi.
Directed by Kath Akuhata-Brown, short film Washday will have its Australian Premiere at MIFF. Inspired by an ancient Māori story in which nature intermingles with a child’s love, Washday depicts a grieving father and daughter coming to terms with a significant death in 1960’s New Zealand. Kath has also been selected to take part in MIFF’s Accelerator Lab that provides workshops, screenings, seminars and networking events by leading local and international film practitioners.
Perianayaki, directed by Bala Murali Shingade (DEGANZ) and edited by fellow member Shailesh Prajapati, has been selected for the festival’s short film competition. This slice-of-life character study encourages audiences to pause and rethink their assumptions about immigrants. It follows Perianayaki, a Sri Lankan 56-year-old immigrant, as she moves through the world isolated from her peers at work.
See the complete MIFF program here.
Last updated on 18 July 2022
