Congratulations to our drama students who have received a glowing review from Leo Barton, film review specialist about their short film. The film Pinch Me aired at the Bucharest Shortcut Cinefest, a Romanian film festival which aims to find and promote talented and emerging filmmakers. Directed by Michael McLennan, Pinch Me explores the disorientating line between dreams and reality, where four tight-knit students bask in their collective friendship on the eve of one leaving for new lands.

As McLennan explains, ‘Pinch Me was inspired by the void we all looked into in 2020. Passports became marks of death, our economic futures were suddenly exposed as empty, and it became quite apparent that it might not work out well for all of us’ (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, 2021). The topic is one with which inhabitants of the twenty-first century can identify, particularly those who live across and between borders. The four university students are portrayed by Excelsia students: Anjelica Murdaca, Henry Taylor, Maddison Lamb and Declan Montgomery. The production crew includes graduates Daniel Montgomery, Taleece Paki, Nicola Allen and current students Tas Madnez, Ebony Loloa and Caitlin Capon, who will face a similar fate when they come to the end of their academic road.

McLennan teaches the third-year unit ‘Film Project’ in the Bachelor of Dramatic Art at Excelsia College. We can’t wait to see the final short film!

Reference

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. (2021, August 10). AACTA Spotlight Featuring Pinch Me. AACTA. https://www.aacta.org/connect/aacta-spotlight-featuring-pinch-me/?fbclid=IwAR2xAoeuhssYSHsXhsGNWPh9Kzbb8PRuphBX8tY_35tf2P-7l26ujSjEJm4