Toowoomba filmmaker headlines Flickerfest
Toowoomba filmmaker Charlotte Chimes returns home this month when her new film, Six Months, is screened during Flickerfest at the Empire Theatre on Saturday April 22.
Flickerfest will screen the Best of Australian Shorts and Best of International Shorts, handpicked from 3200 entries at the Armitage Centre, as the festival makes it way around the country after the main even in Bondi Beach in January.
In it’s 32nd year as Australia’s leading Academy qualifying and BAFTA Recognised short film festival, this year’s Flickerfest will also feature a Q&A portion with former Toowoomba local Charlotte Chimes, writer and producer of one of just nine Australian short films to be featured in the screening.
Her film, ‘Six Months’, which premiered in competition at Flickerfest in January, is an intimate relationship drama and social commentary that explores what happens when we strip away all the noise of life.
Charlotte kicked off her career with a love of film and theatre in her high school years, which saw her as the recipient of two Empire Youth Bursaries in 2008 and 2009 to Queensland Theatre Residency Week.
Charlotte went to work as an actress (Catching Milat, Schapelle, Neighbours) and has now put her talents to use both in front of and behind the camera to great success.
Other Queensland films to also hit the big screen as part of the Best of Australian Shorts screening include the colourful and insightful Torres Strait cultural drama ‘Katele’ (Mudskipper) about a woman longing for home, which won the Flickerfest 2023 Best Australian Short Film Award and the delightful animated comedy from Brisbane director Lachlan Pendragon ‘An Ostrich Told Me The World Is Fake And I Think I Believe It’, which was nominated for the 2023 Oscars.
Some of the Best of International Shorts on offer include the powerful Danish drama ‘IVALU’ which takes the viewer on a thrilling journey through the vast Greenlandic landscape and the delightful Canadian animation based on a true story 'The Flying Sailor', with both films nominated for an Oscar in 2023.
#What’s New
After four sold-out shows in September of this year, Theatre of Magic is returning by popular demand to The Empire for a six-month series of performances.
The Empire Foundation has continued their commitment to supporting and nurturing the young performers of the region with the presentation of the 2024 Empire Youth Bursaries.
The Southern Queensland Regional Arts Services Network (RASN) will shine a light on talented artists across Southern Queensland with the creation of a high-quality publication aimed at celebrating the spirit and stories of Southern Queensland art and culture.
A remarkable true story of unity, humanity and hope lands on The Empire stage when Tony and Olivier Award-winning hit Broadway musical Come From Away performs from 14 – 23 March 2025.
The Empire’s popular family festival Thrive on Arts will return from September 26-29, celebrating all things nature and the environment.
In the lead-up to 2024 NAIDOC Week celebrations, The Empire launched their Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in support of their ongoing commitment to fostering reconciliation in Australia.
