Sydney Lift-Off Film Festival 2022 - Network Round Features

Friday 16th December - Thursday 22nd December

1.

Marley, Someone
Dir. Ildiko Susany
Australia
Logline: Marley, a Eurasian actor, can’t seem to catch a break in the industry. Constantly typecast as Asian sex workers, ninjas, and geishas, she questions her identity and the direction her life is taking. When a Hollywood film about Japanese ronin starts shooting in Sydney, Marley is excited for her career and the future of POC representation! That is, until two white men are cast as leads. Through her female friendships and an unrequited relationship with one of the actors in the film, Marley must take the racism and sexism she encounters in the industry to reconcile with her identity and direct the movie of her life.

2.

Nightline
Dir. Robert Sedlacek
Czech Republic
Logline: A bittersweet tale around a live interview radio broadcast that changes the lives of several innocent people. After lying low in the USA for almost 20 years Radek makes a surprise visit to his home city of Prague. Tech savvy he manages to avoid revealing all forms of his identity and location to tell his story on a late night radio phone-in show hosted by ambitious young journalist Eva. Eva bends over backwards to accommodate him and becomes embroiled in his mission to track down a young mother called Eliska. Eva has no idea that she herself is part of his plot from an event two decades ago. Czech law gives a 20 year time limit for all crime, including murder. Detectives on the late shift hear the interview and start to build a case but they only have a few hours left before the crime is deemed unpunishable. A fierce struggle for time and justice begins.

3.

I’m Not Gay
Dir. Nathan Short
Australia
Logline: A conflicted gay man struggles to teach his younger self about the challenges of adult life. Searching for answers inside stories from his past, he must confront his nature and the man he will become.

4.

Dieseln'Dub
Dir. Angelica Cristina Dio
Australia
Logline: Dieseln'Dub is a feature documentary shot across Australia and in London, starring beloved Australian artists Declan Kelly, Emma Donovan, Radical Son, Pat Powell, Frank Yamma and Gambirra Illume fronting an eclectic band of NZ Maori descent, Jamaican and African ancestry, Scottish, Irish and Jewish roots – a living embodiment of Australian multicultural diversity. Guests on the film include dub maestro Mad Professor, with a special appearance by Aboriginal elder Rosemary Plummer on Warumungu Country.

5.

Shackleton's Cabin
Dir. Shane Brennan
Ireland
Logline: Ernest Shackleton died in his cabin in 1922 while on board The Quest, which was to be his final expedition. One hundred years later that same cabin has ended up in the hands of an esteemed historical object conservator called Sven Habermann, waiting to be restored to its former glory.