Our Pacific Neighbours join the 2024 Showdown Showfest!
Don’t miss out on seeing the Sunshine Coast’s most talented and aspiring filmmakers’ names in lights at this year’s Showdown Showfest film festival!
It’s only weeks until the winners’ of the 2024 Showdown Showfest film festival are announced in a red carpet celebration at The Station SC in Birtinya.
The two-day event held from 21-22 June will premiere six winning short films, locally-produced by the Sunny Coast Showdown team and presented by Bendigo Community Bank (Marcoola, Cooroy, Tewantin-Noosa) as they compete for the festival’s prize gong — the Gold Yewwy award.
On Friday, 21 June join John Caruso, presenter of Everyone Has a Story: Conversations from the Sunshine Coast & Noosa podcast at the Hello Sunshine ‘Light, Camera, Lunch!’ — a story-telling event hosted by Showdown co-founders Jon Coghill (Powderfinger), Dan Munday (US Survivor) and Showdown winner Emma Morgan PLUS special guest Queensland State of Origin and Australian NRL legend Petero Civoniceva will talk about the Pacific Islands Filmfest (and maybe a bit of footy too!). Enjoy engaging conversation and Q&A session at the deliciously award-winning Bella Venezia Mooloolaba.
When the sun sets, dig out your best island attire to celebrate another highlight of 2024 Showdown Showfest — a new international partnership with Film Fiji and its inaugural Pacific Islands FilmFest which celebrates and features award-winning short films from the Pacific region. The partnership is an opportunity to collaborate with a close neighbour while showcasing the intrigue of Pacific/Indigenous storytelling through film and provides a platform for Pacific Island creators to share their work with international audiences.
The Saturday 22 June Showdown Showcase will also premiere director Chris Sun’s acclaimed comedy short film, Loophole, starring Hugh Parker (The Family Law, Elvis) and Libby Munro (Troppo, Wild Woman). This year, Showdown productions attracted some of Australia’s best actors in Darren Gilshenan (Harrow, Colin from Accounts), Rhys Muldoon (House Husbands, Bay of Fires), Kate Atkinson (Wentworth, Underbelly), Claire Weller Price (Boy Swallows Universe, Apples Never Fall), James Patrick Reed (Blue Heelers, Mission: Impossible) and Rory Williamson (Home and Away, Paper Giants). Noosa actor Lilliana Bowrey (Netflix’s hit series, Surviving Summer) is being touted as the next-big-thing and found time in her busy professional surfing and acting schedule to play the lead in the romantic thriller, Lured.
The Sunny Coast Showdown previous winning films have garnered and won more that 60 international and domestic film festival awards to date, including gongs at the Toulouse Short Film Festival in France, the Los Angeles Film Awards, the Twin Cities Film Fest in Minnesota and the London World-Wide Comedy Short Film Festival.
SHOWDOWN FINALISTS OF 2024:
Presented by Bendigo Bank Community Bank Sunshine Coast
Scripted Winners:
- The Hoist, Emma Morgan – comedy/drama
- Lured, Josh Gannon – horror
- Stiffs, Stephen Walker – comedy
Indigenous Winner:
- Smiley, Beverley Marcusson – comedy/drama
UnScripted Winners:
- Rustworthy, Elsie Bowditch – Automotive/lifestyle/educational
- The Art Side of the Moon, Kim Ingles and Julia Löersch – documentary
SHOWFEST FILM & TV FESTIVAL
Friday 21 June:
SHOWFEST x Hello Sunshine Magazine Lights! Camera! Lunch! Bella Venezia, Mooloolaba
SHOWFEST x Pacific Island FilmFest showcasing award-winning short films from our neighbours in the Pacific at The Station, Birtinya.
Saturday 22 June:
SHOWFEST x Showdown Showcase, Sunny Coast Showdown winning films at The Station SC, Birtinya. Red carpet outdoor cinema and VIP event.
For the latest information and tickets visit www.sunnycoastshowdown.com.au
