The Festival

SHORTS COMPETITION
From more than 400 films entered, the 4th Heart of Gold International Film Festival showcases over 150 short films from 23 countries, including Australia. Many of these films are vying for the $5,000 cash prize for Best Film, as voted by our panel of industry judges.

OPENING NIGHT
The Festival will celebrate its 4th year in style with Opening Night at Gympie Civic Centre’s Heritage Theatre. This year’s Opening Night will screen an amazing array of films from the Shorts competition, followed by drinks and frivolity in the Festival bar.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Adam Elliott Retrospective
Academy Award winning Director Adam Elliott is one of Australia’s most celebrated filmmakers. His short, animated films Uncle, Cousin, Brother and Harvie Krumpet have participated in over 400 film festivals worldwide and have won over seventy awards. In 2004, Adam won the Oscar for Best Animated Short for Harvie Krumpet. This is your chance to see all four films.

Heart of the Journey
The Heart of the Journey is a multimedia sound and slide show of over three hundred fifty still photographs with digitally recorded and mixed interviews and music as well as a live performance component. The show moves in a linear fashion telling the true story of Lucy Dann’s personal journey. We meet Mayu a Japanese born photographer. Lucy is now forty years old she & Mayu form a friendship & together they decide to journey to Japan to try to find the other half of Lucy’s roots the Japanese father who had nursed her proudly when she was still a baby. (View Website)

AWARDS CEREMONY AND PARTY
The Awards Ceremony, to be hosted by award-winning Melbourne comedian Lawrence Mooney, is our time to celebrate and acknowledge the wonderful films and the people who make them. Rub shoulders with Filmmakers, and be among the first to find out who will take out the Gold Heart Award for Best Film with the $5,000 cash prize. Following the ceremony in the Heritage Theatre, will be the Art with Heart Auction, and then its Party Time! Stay on to enjoy drinks, music, food and the chance to watch the winning films.

CLOSING NIGHT
The closing night of the Festival is a special feature documentary, Somewhere Near Tapachula – a film about Gympie couple Pam and Alan Skuse, the orphanage they established and the kids they care for. A percentage of every ticket sold will be donated to the orphanage. (Download PDF)

INDUSTRY EVENTS
Each day there will be either Workshops and Forums in the Hall at the Civic Centre complex, and Filmmakers Present sessions in Fossicker’s (see the Festival Planner for times). The Filmmakers Present sessions will feature an introduction of the film by the filmmakers and Q & A following the screening of the film. A full program of these sessions will be available soon.

ART WITH HEART
The Art with Heart Auction will take place on Saturday 13th March, following the Gold Heart Awards Ceremony in the Heritage Theatre. The Art with Heart works will be on display during the Heart of Gold International Film Festival at the Gympie Civic Centre. The artworks are generously donated by the artists, and funds raised assist the Heart of Gold International Film Festival to keep on keeping on.

FESTIVAL CAFE
The Festival Cafe will once again be brought to you by Little Haven. Serving a delicious range of snacks, light meals, coffee and cakes, the Festival Cafe will take care of all your pre and post film hunger pains and caffeine fixes. All profits from the Festival Cafe go to Little Have Palliative Care.