Griffith Film School student Claire Randall is following in the footsteps of legendary directors like Martin Scorsese and George Lucas — presenting her first film at the renowned International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen.
Wolfe, which recently won a Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, explores a young man’s journey through adolescence with mental health issues.
The young director will accompany the film to a handful of prestigious film festivals this month, after it was selected to screen at Cannes Film Festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest and the Sydney Film Festival.
“It’s really exciting, although it’s not all red carpets and movie stars,” she said.
“Festivals are a real gateway into the industry — it’s about taking every opportunity to make contact with festival programmers and network with other filmmakers.”
Griffith Film School Acting DirectorProfessor Trish FitzSimonssaid the film’s success was testimony to the calibre of talent nurtured at Griffith.
“We are so very proud of what our students and graduates are producing,” she said.
“When I was at film school, Oberhausen was THE film festival that we all aspired to. GFS students have never made the cut before, so this is very special.
“To be selected for prestigious festivals like Doc/Fest and Sydney Film Festival is a phenomenal achievement.”
Claire said support from Griffith had enabled her to showcase the film on the festival circuit.
“Without the encouragement of everyone at Griffith Film School, I would never have considered entering the film in festivals overseas,” she said.
“Griffith has also provided financial support to take the film to Europe — I could not have gone without it.”
Claire said she had been blown away by the response to the film.
“I used a very personal story to explore the issue of mental illness – so for it to resonate with audiences around the world is amazing,” she said.
The young filmmaker was inspired by her own experience with depression and anxiety.
“I’ve always had a lot of issues around depression and anxiety,” she said.
“I think that planted the seed, and when I came to make my graduate film, I decided that these are the stories that need to be told.”
The short film was produced by GFS graduate Shannen Tunnicliffe. Fellow GFS graduate Lachlan Morton handled cinematography and oversaw the animated sequences.