BEST FILM at 2008 VCA Film Awards

In photo L to R
Lorraine Jenkinson, Elka Kerkhofs, Karen Maxwell and Jo Simpson

Last night, Elka Kerkhofs won The Victorian College of the Arts Best Masters Animation and the VCA Best 2008 Graduation Film Award with her new animation film ‘LASH’, announced at the premier night of the VCA Film and TV school (University of Melbourne) graduations screening at ACMI, Melbourne.

The VCA Best 2008 Graduation Film Award is awarded by a panel comprising industry experts and University professionals who viewed the 52 graduating films from the Film and TV school 2008. This award provides the recipient with $5000 and is sponsored by Village Roadshow. The Best Masters Animation Award was $2000 sponsored by the Orloff Family Charitable Trust.

‘‘It makes me especially proud that the judges picked ‘LASH’ from such a selection of quality films. I’m truly elated having won these awards. These awards will provide the film with a magnificent launching pad, blasting it off into the International Film Festival circuit.”

Kerkhofs acknowledges that this year her skills have further developed and have become more sophisticated. ‘LASH’ carries an extremely dynamic and powerful message that has built upon Elka’s many years of artistic endeavor.
“Lash will now be sent around the world to tour to National and International Film Festivals! And I will accompany the film to a couple of Festivals in Europe and America next year, which is very important to find support for the next projects.”

Click here to go to Awards and Official Festival Selections

‘LASH’ can still be viewed as part of the Program-A VCA Graduation screenings at ACMI this week on Thursday the 11 of Dec at 7 PM and on Saturday the 13 of Dec at 9 PM.

Awards and Festival Screenings

AWARDS

Winner
Most Unique Aesthetic Film Award
Sydney Underground Film Festival, Sydney, Sept 09

Winner
Best VCA Graduation Film 2008 Award
VCA Premier Awards, ACMI, Melbourne, Dec 08

Winner
Best Masters in Animation Film Award
VCA Premier Awards, ACMI, Melbourne, Dec 08

Special Commendation
Best Australian Short Queer Film,
Melbourne Queer Film Festival, March 10

Finalist
My Queer Career Competition
Sydney Mardi Gras Film Festival, Feb 10

Short-listed
Amazon Customer Award
Short Film Corner, Cannes, May 09

Short-listed
EnhanceTV ATOM Awards
Animation and Experimental categories, Melbourne, Oct 09

Nominated
Outstanding VCA Graduate Student
VCA Premier Awards, ACMI, Melbourne, Dec 08

OFFICIAL FESTIVAL SELECTIONS 2010
St Kilda SHORTS Queer film night, May 10
Toulouse feminist video collective, May 10
St Kilda Film Festival, May 10
Bommer (Ukraine) International Independent Film Festival, April 10
San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival, April 10
Brisbane Queer Film Festival, April 10
Bendigo Queer Film Festival, April 10
Tampere International Short Film Festival, March 10
Cleveland International Film Festival, March 10
Melbourne Queer Film Festival, March 10
Byron Bay International Film Festival, March 10
Sydney Mardi Gras Film Festival, Feb 10
All Byron Bay Shorts, Jan 10


OFFICIAL FESTIVAL SELECTIONS 2009
Toronto Female Eye the 5th annual Dec. 6th program, December 09
Montreal Female Eye the 5th annual Dec. 6th program, December 09
Denver Starz Film Festival, November 09
Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival, November 09
Montreal International LGBT Film Festival, October 09
Sydney World Of Women Film Festival, October 09
Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, October 09
Lesvos Greece Sappho Garden of the Arts film night, Sept 09
Fresno California Reel Pride LGBT Film Festival, September 09
Sydney Underground Film Festival, September 09
Perth International Film Festival, July 09
Tucson DinnerWareArtsSpace public presentation, July 09
Palm Springs International Short Fest, June 09
San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, June 09
Genk Belgium De Bib public presentation, June 09
Hasselt Belgium De Madam public presentation, June 09
Cannes, Short Film Corner, May 09
Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, May 09
Melbourne, Opening night, Premier Awards VCA Graduation Screening ACMI, Dec 2008

FILM MARKET SELECTION
Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market, Feb 10
Palm Springs International Short Film Market, June 09
Toronto CFC Worldwide Short Film Market, June 09
Cannes, Short Film Corner, May 09
Oberhausen International Short Film Market, May 09

The Making of Lash

Lash was filmed in three geographical places throughout Australia’s vast continent. The beach scenes were shot on the beautiful beaches of Northern NSW. The underwater scenes were filmed in the crystal clear waters of the Northern Territory’s Bitter Springs (400 km south of Darwin) and the persecution scenes were shot at the VCA’s studio in Melbourne, Australia in 2008. The short film is a wonderful mix of hybrid arts practices, combining traditional pixilation techniques, rotoscoping and visual effects, seamlessly blending the live action performance with the more traditional hand drawn backgrounds

The process involved taking digital stills of live action and then each element of each frame was cut out in order to layer different textures onto faces, body parts and backgrounds to achieve a mysterious look. The result is very unusual, the animation taking on an almost other worldly quality and adding a surreal edge to the finish of the film. Lash was shot in five days over three months and the animation took another three months to complete.

Medium Synopsis & Directors Statement

Celina falls in the water. “What if you live your whole life in one day and that day is today?”. A cocoon grows around her and she is born inside an old wooden shack. She meditates and tries to reconnect with her memory. When her mind opens she sees a dead body washed up on the beach. She moves in and hears the body whispering a poetic language, which draws her closer. By her touch she travels on a journey through her green eye and sees into another lifetime where this woman was her lover, but they were persecuted on the cross and burnt at the stake for their love. By her second touch she sees into another lifetime where this woman was her lover again, but now time and place has changed. Again they get punished for their love. While Celina gets hung, Olisa gets stoned to death after which her body sinks away through the soil into the ocean, where she drifts to shore. The green eye drops a lash and tears run out of Celina’s hand on the beach. She embraces Olisa’s dead body and their energies merge. “One day, until then, ….my love”! They now have a chance to heal the past and find peace.

Click here to go to Tech Specs

DIRECTORS STATEMENT
Lash is based on the director’s experience of being brought up as a Catholic, falling in love with women, discovering Buddhism later in life and observing gay persecutions in conservative religious society. Our story explores the concept of reincarnation and reconnecting with the same group of souls through different lifetimes. The film aims to expose the unjust actions of human ignorance upon the rights of women in a man’s world. Elka wanted to symbolize the destruction of love by religion through abstract visual language whilst allowing the viewer to arrive at his or her own interpretation.

Go to THE MAKING OF LASH