MINI sponsors the 15th annual Flickerfest International Short Film Festival

MINI has thrown its weight behind the outstanding 15th annual Flickerfest International Short Film Festival as official sponsor.

After a gala MINI-backed launch at iconic Sydney’s Bondi Pavilion early this month, Flickerfest, Australia’s premier international short film event, is now touring the nation.

Sixty films have been selected from more than 900 entries around the globe. They will screen at 14 major metropolitan and rural centres over the next three months.

Outstanding short films from more than 20 countries, among them Iceland, Singapore, Ireland and Mexico, have made the cut for the event.

Among the selected films is the award-winning The Big Empty, starring Selma Blair. Renowned Hollywood actor George Clooney was the executive director of the film and it won the USA Film Festival Grand Prize 2005.

Another must-see film is We Have Decided Not to Die, the Australian film that took out the prestigious Jameson Award at Flickerfest 2005.

Highlights of Flickerfest 2006 tour include four special programs – The Phil Mulloy Program, Jameson Short Film Award Winners, African Showcase and Love bites!

• Flickerfest looks candidly into the life and works of multi-award winning UK animator, Phil Mulloy, internationally recognised for his provocative brush and ink animations. His work comments on human nature and often challenges contemporary values. It has also been described as a model of satiric grotesque unparalleled in British animation.
  
• 2006 marks the second time the Jameson Short Film Awards have been held in Australia. A showing of the Jameson Short Film Award winners will enable Australian audiences and film makers to see the excellent international shorts awarded this prize.
  
• African Showcase shines the cultural spotlight on one of the world’s most exotic locations. The Showcase will screen an array of across Africa, where, over the past five years, short film production has grown rapidly in its breadth, depth and wealth of stories that are culturally significant.
  
• Love bites! takes a look at the idiosyncrasies of all relationships through a sexy and humorous program of internationally acclaimed shorts that point the spotlight on love, in all manner of forms.