Advertisement

What can you do in 24 hours?

FILM
Film Freo 24
4 Stars
Pakenham Street Art Space

Review: Amy Nicholas

Down a back street in Fremantle's beautiful West End, the newly refurbished PS Art Space showcased some of Perth's freshest short films this weekend.

Each film was made in 24 hours. On Monday of last week, a group of local film makers were each assigned one of Fremantle's iconic locations and returned Tuesday morning thumb drive in hand.

Co-organisers Jesse Phillips and Brendan Richie spoke throughout the evening, their passion for the project filling the packed PSAS space. This is the project's second year running after joining the Fringe World program in 2013.

The Fremantle Doctor was a feature in most films. It was also a refreshing presence in the outdoor location, and played a little havoc on the sound quality of some of the films. It was hard to hear the dialogue in some of the films.

The quality of the work presented was impressive. Local landmarks such as Mojo's Bar, Fremantle Prison, X Wray Cafe and Rottenest Island were all captured beautifully on film.

Film makers gave a brief interview prior to their film being shown, giving us some insight into the development process. I loved the fairness of the competition, open as it was to film makers who came to the project with no scripts or pre-conceived ideas.

Visual Artist Alex Maciver took away the best film award, despite his apologies to the audience prior to the screening. "I'm not a film maker... As will be proven in a few moments." Shot in front of the Kidogo Art House, the film's quality was noticeably lower than the high standard set by the other short films. "It was going to be one shot or no shot," Alex explained, given his inexperience with the film medium. Clever and amusing, he explored the immersive power of narration, the simplicity of the piece winning the audience over.

Film Freo 24 closes Fringe World 2014 with a subtle challenge to all artists: what can you do in 24 hours?