Sydney filmmaker, Craig Boreham is making his way to Wales, after being nominated for the second time for the prestigious Iris Prize for his film, 'OSTIA - La Notte Finale'. 'OSTIA', which won Best Film earlier this year at the Mardi Gras Film Festival’s My Queer Career Competition, was Craig’s graduation project made at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS).
The Iris Prize is Cardiff’s International Gay and Lesbian Short Film Prize and is the only LGBT short film prize in the world, which allows the winner to make a new film with the prize of 25,000 pounds (approx. AU$ 39,500)!
Based on real events, 'OSTIA – La Notte Finale' is a dark film exploring the final night in the life of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the controversial gay filmmaker who was brutally murdered in 1976, near the port town of Ostia. His car was found the next day being driven by a young rent boy who was eventually charged and imprisoned for his murder. The young man claimed he acted in self defense when the filmmaker attempted to rape him but the physical evidence suggested otherwise. 'OSTIA' explores one possibility of what may have happened that night.
Craig is currently working on his debut feature film 'Teenage Kicks', with producer Annmaree J Bell, based on his short film 'Drowning', which also won Best Film at My Queer Career and the Melbourne Queer Film festival last year as well as picking up the 2012 National Film and Sound Archive “Orlando Award” and a 2012 Iris Prize nomination.
'Teenage Kicks', starring Miles Szanto ('Ostia – La Notte Finale', 'Drowning', 'Love My Way') and Sophie Lowe ('The Slap', 'Beautiful Kate') is set to shoot in Sydney in early 2013. 'Teenage Kicks' will be the fourth film collaboration between Boreham and actor Szanto with their co-written short 'Blue Monday' premiering at this year’s Cockatoo Island Film Festival.