And ACTION! Canberra produced short film heads to the Venice International Film Festival
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A very talented Canberran actress is making her world premiere in a local filmmaker’s short film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
That’s right—running in the oldest (and arguably most prestigious) international film festival, local Hannah McKenzie (who is an ambitious filmmaker in her own right) is making her acting debut in local filmmakers Clare Young’s short film, LOVE FOREVER.
Stepping into the unfamiliar and artistically menacing territory, it’s the first time a Canberra-produced film has been selected for the esteemed festival, but LOVE FOREVER is holding its own, bringing a fresh, intricate Australian lens to international audiences.
Set in Canberra and Sydney, the short film embodies Clare’s alluring and delicate visual style, a testimony to her successful career in the industry and early mentorship at the hands of Jane Campion.
Armed with the spirit of love and trust and the importance of an uncompromised vision, Jane’s poignant teaching weaves itself through Clare’s timeless and sharply observed (and treacherous) love story between a young Canberra girl and a boy from Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
There is this constant sense of duality that ripples throughout the film, thematically linked to the layers of love. Clare explores its alluring beauty while simultaneously confronting its complicated and untethered nature, cinematically bringing to life its synergies, its eccentricity and everything in between.
“I see love as the most powerful energetic force, I wanted to examine its nature: its danger and its beauty. How it breaks us down and sets us free,” explains Clare.
As this beautiful and timeless story unfolds on screen, it’s hard to keep your eyes off Hannah (who plays Emily), who quickly draws in audiences with the compelling and emotionally striking marks that she leaves on screen.
For Clare, Hannah was an obvious choice. Selected out of eighty girls from Canberra high schools, it was her vulnerability and richly layered emotional abilities that captivated the writer/director.
Her hypnotic audition reimagined the character of Emily with both petal-soft delicacy and iron-clad strength, transcending into this new persona with the power of a dozen clashing ethereal layers.
“Hannah has this beautiful duality between vulnerability and strength. She impressed us with her emotional honesty and raw talent. We were mesmerised by her improvisations, we wanted to know all her secrets” says Clare.
With postproduction funding through Screen Australia’s Hot Shots program, these incredibly talented local females have been given the tools to make history for cinema in Canberra. LOVE FOREVER proudly standing on their shoulders, giving the 79th Venice Film Festival a taste of Australia’s expansive female gaze, blossoming with cultural zeitgeist.
“At the end of the day, I just wanted to learn as much as I could about cinematic language. This film has been the ultimate training ground. The fact that it has been selected to premiere at Venice Film Festival is a dream come true,” says Clare.
