Step aside Sundance, an incredible celebration of all there is to love about Australian and International arthouse film and local food is coming to the Bellarine once again with Art House Films & Feast.
Prepare to be immersed in the brilliance of some of the world’s most talented up and coming filmmakers; cross frontiers of humour, wisdom, dysfunction and inspiration; and dine on fine local fare with the return of ‘Art House Films & Feast’, a true feast of all the senses.
Following the sell-out success of the inaugural event in late April, Flying Brick Cider House in collaboration with North Bellarine Film Festival is hosting a second epic night of arthouse film and delicious eats with ‘Art House Films & Feast’.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
For one night, on Thursday, June 9, the evening will see the exclusive screening of six dynamic Australian and international short films alongside a three-course dining experience at the popular Bellarine venue, Flying Brick Cider House.
Delivering an evening of concise storytelling, great performances, original concepts and stunning visuals, Art House Films & Feast will allow film lovers to be immersed in the brilliance of some of the world’s most talented up and coming filmmakers, with three Australian short films and three brilliant international short films, specially curated by the North Bellarine Film Festival committee.
A vital part of independent storytelling culture across the globe, avant-garde filmmakers have continued to create their own worlds with shorts, with results that are impossible to ignore.
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As diverse as they are engaging, the short films selected for Art House Films & Feast are incredible and worthy of being celebrated for a multitude of reasons.
Celebrating Australian independent films, the event will see the screening of Coffee Lover, Beta Days and The Girl Who Cried Sick.
Directed by Sam Sungmin Lee, Coffee Lover reflects on la douleur exquise and the misuse of technology today. In a world where cloning exists, the story follows a young barista who is rejected by a customer who caught his eye. He can’t have her, but maybe he could clone her? Running for just under 12 minutes, this film was one of the finalists in the 2021 Emerging Filmmakers program.
The Girl Who Cried Sick is another film to make the finals in the 2021 Emerging Filmmakers program. Created by Ruby Taylor, a local Geelong girl who draws inspiration from the world around her, she has a stubborn eye for detail and a passion for hand-crafted creations, this stop-motion animation reimagines The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The film follows a child hypochondriac as her escalating attention-seeking lies lead her parents to dismiss her complaints when she becomes genuinely ill. The film accentuates the tactile nature of stop-motion animation technology with intricate sets, dynamic lighting and complex sound design – all in just three minutes and seven seconds.
The last Australian short on the lineup include the comedy short Beta Days. By Dan Walls, the film takes place on a quiet night at Tinseltown Tapes, one of the last video libraries in town. Old Mick the owner gives his young shop assistant Matt some advice about life, love and being bold after announcing his shop’s closure. So will Matt take his last chance to ask out a customer he has an unrequited love for?
Three stunning international shorts will also light up the evening, with screenings of Cinematic Love Story, Under The Palm Tree, and BYOH Bring Your Own Hitman.
Written and directed by Patrick Büchting, Cinematic Love Story is a German romantic comedy short film. The film tells the story of a boy and girl who are on a date in a movie theatre and dream of being a couple, but then reality strikes back. Running for three and a half minutes, this film is a reminder for everyone to turn off their phone in films.
Also, screening is a Spanish short film, Under The Palm Tree. Written, directed and produced by Pau Bacardit (a young filmmaker who studied at the prestigious ESAC film school and specialised in Cinematographic editing), the film follows Carlos, a journalist from the magazine “El caso”, who travels to a town on the coast of Almeria looking for the real protagonists who inspired the work of Frederico Garcia Lorcas, “Blood Wedding”. After his arrival in the town, the coldness of the protagonists toward the event will make him question the distorting power of fiction. Spanning 20 minutes, this film has been selected for screenings by 34 international film festivals and has won 5 awards.
Rounding out the event, is a nine-minute film from US-based writer and director Caitlin J Lish. BYOH Bring Your Own Hitmat follows Oliver, a man in his mid twenties whose life in a total mess, who hires a hitman from Craiglist so he can be murdered and put an end to his suffering. However, the hitman shows up a bit early – mid binge watch – which leads to a very interesting and surprisingly helpful conversation.
Alongside providing a full-fledged entertainment experience in one of the region’s most beautiful venues with these six dynamic films, the event is also offering top-notch food and wine to awaken all the senses with a three-course dining experience created by Flying Brick Head Chef, Josh Reader and the talented culinary team.
To start, the entree dish will have guests indulging in either buttermilk waffle, duck liver parfait, and poached quince; or Yarra valley salmon caviar with Lard ass cultured cream, house made potato crisps.
For the main course, guests will receive either Beer braised beef short rib, barbequed leek, silken cauliflower and sukiyaki sauce; or Barramundi from humpty doo with fermented winter vegetables, romesco, seaweed butter and foraged herbs.
To finish the evening on a sweet note, dessert will arrive in the form of either a Banoffee, banana, dulce de leche, oat crumb, whipped coconut yoghurt and cocoa nibs; or White chocolate tart with baked apple, miso caramel, candied hazelnuts and crème fraiche.
A complimentary drink on arrival (wine, beer, cider or soft drink) is also in the lineup, while the rest of the evening will feature delicious regional drinks at bar prices.
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Supporting the arts industry through this inspiring event, Flying Brick co-owner and Director of Hospitality Lyndsay Sharp said the entire Flying Brick team was thrilled with the feedback from the inaugural event and looking forward to the staging of the ‘second coming’.
“The vibe at the first Films & Feast night was energetic – everyone seemed to be blown away by the talent and creativity displayed by the diverse range of young, global filmmakers whilst enjoying great company, food and beverages. It’s a privilege to be in a position to showcase and support the arts industry in a small way with a fresh approach to the concept of ‘dinner and show’,” Lyndsay said.
The event is guaranteed to please both film lovers and foodies alike, and having sold-out in April, we recommend jumping on tickets stat.
The doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start at Flying Brick Cider House on Thursday, June 9. Tickets are $85 per person and include all films and three courses. You can purchase tickets here.
