Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the 2024 Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival!
The festival platformed hundreds of films, each project worthy of recognition and celebration. We want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to all the incredible talent that went into making these projects.
The judges' scores have been combined with the audience's choices, and after careful scrutiny, it's our pleasure to announce the Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival winners!
Winners: Melbourne Network Round Shorts
BEFORE MADRID
Directors/Writers: Ilén Juambeltz, Nicolás Botana
Producer: Facundo Umpiérrez
Country of Origin: Uruguay
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Synopsis: Micaela and Santiago are a teenage couple living in a small town in Uruguay. They are very determined to have their first time, or at least try to...
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best Short Live Action Narrative, Best Director
Glimpse of Childhood
Director/Writer: Nizami Murtuzayev
Producers: Ohia Morrison/Grace Ward
Country of Origin: Azerbaijan
Genre: Drama, Family
Synopsis: On her birthday, a young girl finds herself in the company of a guilt-ridden and emotionally detached family, where each member grapples with personal challenges in an attempt to rise above their troubles.
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best First-Time Filmmaker, Best Actor (Justine Colan)
Firelight
Director/Writer/Producer: Catherine Nickson
Country of Origin: Australia
Genre: Short Film
Synopsis: Firelight is a short film drama set in Central Victoria during Australia's colonial era, about one man's chance encounter with the infamous Ned Kelly and his unwitting influence on the notorious bushranger's future path.
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best Acting Ensemble, Best Art Direction
Verflechtung
Directors/Writers: Philip Hofmänner,Simon Jonas Pflanzer
Country of Origin: Switzerland
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Synopsis: In the near future, Susana's fiancé Marco decides to have a chip implanted in his brain.
Marco, who suffers from severe depression and has professional problems as a result, sees this new technology as his only chance,
not to lose touch. Susana, who originally drew his attention to the chip, soon begins to have doubts,when Marco begins to change dramatically.
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best Cinematography, Best Post-Production
A Thousand Words
Director/Producer: Vinnie Petrilli
Country of Origin: Australia
Genre: Documentary, Short
Synopsis: In a society where conversations around grief and loss are often put in the 'too hard basket', A Thousand Words takes an intimate look at mother loss, through the eyes of grieving daughters. The film hopes to educate our community on how to better support those struggling with the loss of a loved one.
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best Short Documentary
Cymebelle
Director/Writer:Linn Htut Oo
Country of Origin: Australia
Genre:Mystery, Drama, Suspense, Psychological
Synopsis: Cymebelle is a haunting psychological mystery that unfolds in a remote village, where grief, denial, and secrets entwine. At the heart of the story is a widow who, after suffering a devastating miscarriage, clings to her child. She would carry the lifeless baby through the village as if it were alive, unsettling the villagers and igniting whispers of fear and confusion. As tension grows, the village Chief struggles to maintain order, while a troubled Doctor is drawn into the widow’s unraveling world.
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best Animation
Collateral Damage
Director/Writer: Kynthia Piakis
Director/Producer: Faith Teo
Producer: Ben Pergolizzi
Country of Origin: Australia
Genre: Animation, Music Video, Short
Synopsis: Collateral Damage began as a poem expressing my pain, transitioned into a song and then flourished into an animation with the help of Faith and Ben. It is written for all the children who have fallen victim to adult wars past, present and future. Together, we mourn their lives, their innocence, and with it, anything of moral significance in the world. If grown men are able to authorise and carry out out the killing of children, what is left of humanity?
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best Music Video
Winners: Melbourne Network Round Features
Mammung
Directors/Producers: Maevia Griffiths, Lillian Robb
Producer: Noel Nannup
Country of Origin: Australia
Genre: Documentary, Feature
Synopsis: MAMMUNG is a collaborative film project between human rights filmmaker Maevia Griffiths and International Lawyer Lillian Robb. The Noongar people of Western Australia are one of the few cultures on earth with a living memory of the last time the sea level rose. MAMMUNG the film explores these stories of adaptation to climate change as guided by Dr Noel Nannup, and asks how we can incorporate these stories: imagining a pathway forward in which indigenous knowledge can be heard and understood.
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best Feature Documentary
Colibri
Directors/Writers/Producers: Francisco Salazar, Juanpedro David Salazar
Producer: Julian Chona
Country of Origin: Colombia
Genre: Feature, Drama, Comedy
Synopsis: When Catalina and Germán find out that they will have a major change in their lives, they set out on individual journeys to heal mistakes from the past in order to build a better future for their family. Catalina begins looking for her distanced brother in order to give her child the family she believes she never had while German tries to look for economic stability in order not to repeat the mistakes of his father's past.
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best Feature Live Action Narrative
15th Annual Lift-Off Season Awards
The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are short listed for a Season Awards Nomination. At the end of the year, once all the 12 city-based festival have taken place, the shortlisted nominated films are reviewed again by the jury and Official Nominations are designated. Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.