honoured with the most ‘Unique Aesthetic Film Award’ at SUFF

Filmmaker, Elka Kerkhofs was honoured with another award for her short animation film ‘LASH’.

“It was wonderful to be honoured at this fantastic festival that focuses on the exposure and critical discussion of independent, experimental, artistic, subversive and provocative films. With over 120 films screening it is very encouraging to receive an award for the unique aesthetics of LASH.”

The SUFF award recognizes filmmakers who really are pushing the boundaries of filmmaking.
Honoured filmmakers received a SUFF handmade award created by Mark Wotherspoon, a Sydney glass artist, who casts statues from recycled television screens found on the side of the road. Also the filmmakers received a custom made SUFF Crumpler bag and rolls of Kodak 16 mm film.

‘LASH’ is a five-minute experimental animation film about the persecution of women throughout the ages confirming that religious and cultural persecution cannot kill the power of love.

Kerkhofs attended the Cannes Film Festival with her film LASH earlier this year and also travelled to the Frameline San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival and the Palm Springs International ShortFest in the US.

“It’s fantastic that ‘LASH’ has travelled so far and been so well received by such top festivals. It has encouraged me to pick up my pencils and start animating again. Just last week, I began production on my next animation film ‘PVG & me’ with my very talented colleague Leigh Ryan and should be finished by January next year”

LASH can next been seen in Sydney as part of the official selection of the WOW Film Festival running from the 14 till the 18 of October. www.wift.org/wow/

Lash Opens at Oberhausen and Cannes

Last Friday on the 1 of May we had a surprise screening of LASH at the Oberhausen International Shorts Film Festival in the 'Lichtburg' cinema complex. Since early April we where put on a standby waiting list for the open-screening (a new initiative by the festival where the first 29 who register and come and present the film to the public in person are in) since we were the 30st to register. Only the day before on the 30 of April at 3 pm in the afternoon did one of the registered Directors cancel and were we given a screening spot! I rang a couple of friends and on friday afternoon we all drove to Oberhausen (only 2 hours drive from my parents place in Belgium) for a 8 pm start of the screenings. I was very excited and did not care that LASH was scheduled to screen last around midnight. We all had a fun night and even in one evening at the festival met some wonderful people. Unfortunately because of such late notice i had made other plans for the weekend and had to return to Belgium that night. But i had a chance to taste something of this very small and seemingly lovely short film festival. I will keep on submitting with future projects! Right now i am preparing for my trip to Cannes, where LASH is pre-selected (35 films of 1400 submitted) for the Amazon Awards as part of the Short Film Corner! I'll be in Cannes from the 13 of May until the 20 of May. And like a true Australian independent filmmaker I'll be camping in a tent at Cannes! After a small break LASH will continue it's journey in June to NewFest New York and Frameline San Francisco. We will join the film also in San Francisco! In July LASH will have it's Australian Premiere at the Perth International Film Festival. See you at one of the festivals!

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

Tech Specs & Cast and Crew

Celina finds a dead body. By her touch she sees into another lifetime where this woman was her lover, but they died for their love. She now has a chance to heal the past and find peace.

Click here for Medium Synopsis

SPECIFICATIONS
Language---------English
Running Time-----5 min 30 Sec
Format-----------Beta SP & DVD
Sound-----------Stereo
Aspect Ratio------16:9
Frame Rate-------25 frames per second
Country of Origin-----Australia
Film Completed-----December 2008
Production Company-----The Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne

PRINCIPAL CREW
Writer, Director, Animator-Elka Kerkhofs
Line Producer-Karen Maxwell
Supervising Producers-Paul Fletcher and Robert Stephenson
Olisa-Lorraine Jenkinson
Celina -Elka Kerkhofs
Voice overs-Rachael Kane and Lina Monseur
Tyagarah Beach/Bitter Springs DOP - Beth Nelsen
Melbourne DOP-Kye Plunkett
Production Assistant-Jo Simpson
Editor-Elka Kerkhofs
Fire Visual Effects – Rob Ride
Online Editor-Charme Lee
Sound Designer and Mixer-Ben Hurt
Original Music – Michal Imielski