During COVID-19 film festivals need to innovate and hold their events online. One reality we all must face during this period is that pretty much for the rest of the year and probably partly into 2021, having events will all be virtual and online – which really isn’t necessarily a bad thing as then you can have a wider global audience. Anyways, the Sydney Film Festival held its events virtually and has awarded prizes to some of the winners, and Asian Australians/Aussies of colour have done well. Here are some of the major prize winners (via IF):
- $10,000 Documentary Australia Film Foundation Award for “Best Australia Documentary” – Nays Baghai’s documentary Descent and three short films.
- $7,000 cash prize for the Dendy “Live Action Short Award” – Alex Wu’s Idol.
So what are these films about? Here is a summary of both prize winners (via IF):
Nays Baghai’s documentary Descent and three short films
It “follows Kiki Bosch, who dives into the world’s coldest waters on one breath, initially seeking healing after a sexual assault. The underwater footage was shot by Stefan Andrews, Spencer Frost, Peter Lightowler and debut documentary director Baghai. “
Alex Wu’s film Idol
“The saga of a young Chinese celebrity, Wan Ran (Nan Chen), who is called into an emergency meeting with his manager following a young fan’s suicide.”
We definitely can’t wait to check these films/documentaries out ourselves…
Images via IF , Alex Wu Films and Sydney Film Festival
To read the original article, please click on: Sydney Film Festival prizes for ‘Descent,’ ‘Mukbang,’ ‘Idol’ and ‘GNT’