In February for the SCWC Film Club, we’ll be showing two short films made by local filmmakers that have done very well on the global film festival circuit, followed by local film and TV expert Graham Thorburn facilitating a Q&A with the filmmakers about their films, and how to build a career from the Illawarra.

Mate (2021), 34mins

Bulli filmmakers Jess Milne and Nick Bolton run production company TEN ALPHAS, and were commissioned by October Media to make Mate.

In February 2022, Mate became the first Australian film ever to win the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival, the world's largest short film festival. Mate has gone on to win awards across Asia, the US, Africa and the UK, culminating in being longlisted for the 2023 Academy Awards, and a finalist in the Australian Screen Producer Awards 2023 for Best Production Short Film, the winner being announced in May.

Mate tells the story of a volatile deadbeat's attempts to reconnect with an impressionable teenager over a weekend on the outskirts of western Sydney, as their fragile relationship threatens to collapse into heartbreak and chaos. An uncompromising examination of masculinity and the challenges of growth within a changing social landscape, the film features star-making performances from Joshua Brennan and Jeremy Blewitt. Mate is not suitable for under 15s.

Director George-Alex Nagle will be in attendance as well.

Sunnies (2022), 11mins

Austinmer local Izzy Khan is a writer and director whose short film SUNNIES screened at academy accredited festivals locally (SFF, Flickerfest) and abroad (Short Shorts Film Festival Asia, LA Shorts International Film Festival), as well as winning the award for best screenwriting at Cinefest Oz 2022. Recently, Izzy received support from Screen Australia to begin writing his debut feature titled A LIFE UNKNOWN. He is currently also in development on the online series KIKORI PLACE, based on his experiences growing up in South-West Sydney. In 2021, he was a director on the second block of the kids drama/adventure series BARRUMBI KIDS for NITV/SBS.

In Sunnies, after roaming the streets of his neighborhood one morning, Malcolm, a troubled and seemingly delinquent teen, decides to steal a pair of sunglasses from the local shops - an act that is later revealed to be part of a much bigger plan.

Attendance is $7 for SCWC & Screen Illawarra Members, and $10 for general admission. Entry fee includes tea & coffee.

Film Club is a community event. We encourage people to get involved by coming early to help us set up, or staying to helping pack chairs away.

Graham Thorburn has had a very long career in film and television, as an actor, producer, writer and academic, but principally as a director. He mostly worked as a director for short-run TV drama (over 70 prime time hours), but he also produced and directed Countdown and created, produced and directed BeatBox. Graham was the third President of the Australian Screen Directors Association (now the Australian Directors Guild) and served in various other executive positions for ten years. He was Head of Directing, then Head of Teaching at AFTRS for 11 years. Before that he wrote and delivered course work in acting, writing and directing for the screen at UTS, NIDA and AFTRS, and has chaired international undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum and teaching assessment panels.

Read more about the South Coast Writers Centre's Film & Screenwriting Programs