Thrills and Chills Fest 2024 – winners

We had a terrific night at the screening for the 2024 Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror Fest screening. The audience loved the incredibly diverse genre short films from around the world.

Congratulations to the category winners (see below). As per the rules, we have reserved the right not to award winners in a small number of categories.

A big thank you to filmmakers Kalina Davis (“Hidden Prey”) and Julianna Purnell who attended the screening in person.

We’ll be opening entries soon for the 2025 season.

Official selections screened at the event

‘They’re Coming’
Country of origin: United States
Director(s): Camy “Cameron” Arnett

‘Unit 17: Week 3’
Country of origin: United States
Director(s): David Kaye, Theresa Stefaniak

‘Reboot’
Country of origin: China
Director: CHRIS QI YAO

‘Hidden Prey’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Kalina Davis

‘Lab Rat’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Ben Hargreaves

‘La Soglia’
Country of origin: Italy
Director(s): Nicolò Tonani, Sofia Gasparetti, Simone Colombo

‘I Was’
Country of origin: Italy
Director(s): Matteo Capatti, Lorenzo Mazzucchi

‘Demon Dog’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Juliana Purnell

‘Ruined Date’
Country of origin: Mexico
Director: Antonio Rotunno

‘Doom Scroll’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Roy Weiland

‘Moonbeans: A Tale of Two Astronauts’
Country of origin: United States
Director: James G. Maynard

‘The Missing’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Lovejeet Singh

‘The Man in the Red Pants’
Country of origin: Australia Director(s): Liam Govan, Hassibullah Kushkaki

‘Delivery’
Country of origin: United States
Director: Braydon Leadbetter

Category award winners

Audience favourite – “The Missing”

Short film – Horror / Thriller – “The Missing”

Short film – Sci Fi – “Lab Rat”

Director – Lovejeet Singh “The Missing”

Actor – Alex Botto – “The Missing”

Song / score – Paul Shrofel (score) “Hinter-Land”

Production design – “The Man in the Red Pants”

Sound design – “I Was”

Mobile phone / tablet film – “Demon Dog” & “Hidden Prey”

Trailer – “I Was”

Poster – “They’re Coming”

Screenplay – horror / thriller – “Chrysalis” by Lachlan Anderson-Schmidt

Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror Fest screening October 18, 2024

Silhouette of crow on a tree branch with a reddish cloudy moon in the background

Join us for the screening of the first ever Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror Fest.

We’re celebrating independent genre short films with the most interesting and intriguing genre films from around the world.

As well as thrills, scares, dystopia, and fantasy, you’ll also be treated to a few laughs.

Note – not suitable for audiences under 15. May include gore, supernatural themes, violence, coarse language, and sexual references.

Details:

Location: Studio 138, Unit 1 / 54 Mountbatten Drive, Dubbo, NSW, 2830

Date: October 18, 2024

Time: 7.30 pm

BYO snacks and drinks

Tickets: $11 (inc GST)

Thrills and Chills Fest - Oct 18, 2024

Thrills and Chills Fest – Oct 18, 2024

$11.00

Buy tickets

Official selections

‘They’re Coming’
Country of origin: United States
Director(s): Camy “Cameron” Arnett

‘Unit 17: Week 3’
Country of origin: United States
Director(s): David Kaye, Theresa Stefaniak

‘Reboot’
Country of origin: China
Director: CHRIS QI YAO

‘Hidden Prey’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Kalina Davis

‘Lab Rat’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Ben Hargreaves

‘La Soglia’
Country of origin: Italy
Director(s): Nicolò Tonani, Sofia Gasparetti, Simone Colombo

‘I Was’
Country of origin: Italy
Director(s): Matteo Capatti, Lorenzo Mazzucchi

‘Demon Dog’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Juliana Purnell

‘Ruined Date’
Country of origin: Mexico
Director: Antonio Rotunno

‘Doom Scroll’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Roy Weiland

‘Moonbeans: A Tale of Two Astronauts’
Country of origin: United States
Director: James G. Maynard

‘The Missing’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Lovejeet Singh

‘The Man in the Red Pants’
Country of origin: Australia Director(s): Liam Govan, Hassibullah Kushkaki

‘Delivery’
Country of origin: United States
Director: Braydon Leadbetter

Thrills and Chills Fest – Semi-finalists September 2024

We’re excited to announce our September 2024 monthly semi-finalists of our Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror Fest. Our semi-finalist films will be in consideration to be selected for our live screening in October 2024, where the annual winners for each category will be announced.

Find our more about the film festival here:

studio138.com.au/thrills-and-chills

Enter your short film or screenplay on FilmFreeway

https://filmfreeway.com/ThrillsandChillsFantasySciFiandHorrorFest

Best short film: Horror / Thriller semi-finalists

“Transylburbia” – dir Jordan Skipper

Thrills and Chills Fest – Semi-finalists June 2024

We’re excited to announce our June 2024 monthly semi-finalists of our Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror Fest. Our semi-finalist films will be in consideration to be selected for our live screening in October 2024, where the annual winners for each category will be announced.

Find our more about the film festival here:

studio138.com.au/thrills-and-chills

Enter your short film or screenplay on FilmFreeway

Best short film: Horror / Thriller semi-finalists

“Lost & Found” – dir Will Scott

“Delivery” – dir Braydon Leadbetter

“The Lost Boys” – dir Bryan Young

“The Man in the Red Pants” – dirs. Liam Govan and Hassibullah Kushkaki

“The Missing” – dir Lovejeet Singh

Best director semi-finalists

“The Lost Boys” – Bryan Young

“The Missing” – Lovejeet Singh

Best actor semi-finalists

“The Lost Boys” – Vahl Pate

“The Missing” – Alex Botto

Best production design semi-finalists

“The Lost Boys”

“The Man in the Red Pants”

“The Missing”

Best sound design semi-finalists

“The Missing” – Clay Antonio and David Pizarcoff

Lights, Camera, Action! High School Screen Acting Workshop

When: July 16 – 19, 2024, 10 am to 2 pm (school holidays)

Cost: $385 (inc GST) per student (payment plans available)

Where: Studio 138, Unit 1 – 54 Mountbatten Drive, Dubbo

Discover the magic of screen acting with our intensive, hands-on workshop designed for aspiring young actors! Over four exciting days, you’ll immerse yourself in the world of film and learn from an experienced actor and director. This is your chance to shine on camera, develop your skills, and star in a short film project that will be shared online and submitted to film festivals.

What You’ll Experience:

  • Master Vocal Performance: Learn essential vocal techniques to bring your characters to life.
  • Act for the Camera: Perfect your acting, voice, and movement skills tailored specifically for screen performance.
  • Engaging Exercises: Participate in fun and interactive acting exercises that will enhance your abilities.
  • Improvisation Skills: Build confidence and spontaneity through improvisation, a crucial skill for any actor.
  • Character Development: Dive deep into script work to create compelling and believable characters.
  • Film Set Insights: Gain valuable knowledge about the inner workings of a film set and what to expect.
  • Collaboration: Work closely with fellow participants to complete a professional short film project.
  • Overcome Nerves: Learn practical techniques to manage performance anxiety and deliver your best.

Special Highlights:

  • Short Film Screening: Family and friends will be invited to a special screening of your completed short film approximately two weeks after the workshop.
  • Expert Guidance: The workshop is led by a qualified and experienced educator with a current Working With Children Check, ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment.

Join us for this transformative experience and take the first step towards your acting dreams. Spaces are limited, so enrol now and let your talent shine!

Students will need to bring their own lunch, snacks and drinks (no energy drinks).

About the facilitator

Erifili Davis is an experienced actor, writer and director and 2024 Dubbo Cultural Person of the Year. Her short films have been screened at film festivals around the world. She is also an experienced educator and has a current Working With Children approval.

See her projects on IMDB:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9565265

How to enrol / additional information

Contact us to receive payment options and our enrolment form or to find out additional information.

E: create@studio138.com.au

P: 0412 763 720

Thrills and Chills Fest – Semi-finalists February 2024

We’re excited to announce our February 2024 monthly semi-finalists of our Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror Fest. Our semi-finalist films will be in consideration to be selected for our live screening in October 2024, where the annual winners for each category will be announced.

Find our more about the film festival here:

studio138.com.au/thrills-and-chills

Enter your short film or screenplay on FilmFreeway

Best short film: Horror / Thriller semi-finalists

“Doom Scroll” – dir Roy Weiland

Best short film: Sci-Fi semi-finalists

“Moonbeans: A Tale of Two Astronauts” – dir James G. Maynard

Best sound design semi-finalists

“I Was” – Carlo Loglisci

Best mobile phone or tablet film semi-finalists

“Doom Scroll” – dir Roy Weiland

Best trailer semi-finalists

“I Was”

Best poster semi-finalists

“I Was”

Short film auditions – “Nobody’s Business”

“Nobody’s Business” is a short film written and directed by Erifili Davis.

Set in the 1920s, “Nobody’s Business” is about underworld queen Evelyn who must choose between her love and her reputation. The film It will be shot in Dubbo on May 26, 2024.

Everyone involved will get an IMDB credit and catering will be provided on the set.

We are auditioning for the following characters:

VINCENT (major role) – male, 25 – 55 years old, charming, charismatic, the life of the party. He loves Evelyn but has an underlying resentment about being a ‘kept man’ (small payment to selected actor)

BODYGUARD 1 (small speaking role) – male or male presenting, any age, tough and loyal to Evelyn (small payment to selected actor)

NON-SPEAKING BODYGUARDS (unpaid)

CLUB PATRON EXTRAS (non-speaking) – 18+, all genders, (unpaid) – let us know if you have a special talent!! (unpaid)

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY – come along and have some fun!

We are also looking for musicians who may be interested in playing the jazz songs to be recorded as part of the film.

Auditions will be held this Sunday, March 24, 1 pm to 3 pm. If this time doesn’t suit, let us know and we’ll make other arrangements.

Auditions will be held at Studio 138’s new premises – Unit 1 / 54 Mountbatten Dr.

If you’d like to audition and find out more, click the link to fill out the form:

https://forms.gle/kgDZ5hQwThhnJWR29

If you’d like more information, email create@studio138.com.au

Connection: Dubbo Women Talking Workshops & Live Event

Image of trees on the banks of the Wambuul River with a red curvy line running across the top and the word "Connection - Voices of Women. This is Dubbo story telling workshops."

We have changed the shape of this event in response to the community.

Studio 138 is thrilled to once again partner with Voices of Women to bring story telling workshops and a live event to Dubbo.

The storymaking workshops

Come and have a yarn, share or create a new story.

If you can speak you can write. If you have a story to tell, you are welcome to these storytelling sessions (of course, writers are also welcome!) During the workshops, we will work together to share ideas and stories, with the aim of developing them into monologues that may be performed by actors and musicians at a live reading event on Sunday in Dubbo.

Maybe the stories are inspired by your real-life experiences – with relationships, climate change, drought or other issues that you are facing. Maybe the stories come completely from your imagination! Our workshops bring women together in a safe, friendly space to collaborate and create magic from ideas and words.

You’ll be surprised what happens when we get together and get creative. There’s a lot of laughter, but also stories that inspire us about how we live our lives, about how we navigate the people and the place around us, and how sharing can make all the difference as we face the future.

The workshops are in small groups (maximum of 15). They begin with a focus on the place where we live, collecting sounds and colours, conversations and experiences from our area. Then we turn to storymaking and shaping a short piece. In the middle of it all we share refreshments, jokes, and connections.

We will work together to share ideas and stories, with the aim of developing or recording them into monologues that may be performed by actors and musicians at a live event on Saturday.

The workshops are fun and inclusive, facilitated by Voices of Women Artistic Director Lliane Clarke and Dubbo writer and performer Kalina Davis, supported by Studio 138 Dubbo producer and director Erifili Davis. We walk alongside First Nations women and welcome women from diverse communities, including women from LGBTQI+ communities.

Choose your session or come to both! The most important thing is to register.

There will be 2 workshops to be held:

Fri 15th Mar 2024, 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm

Sat 16th Mar 2024, 10.00 am to 12.00 pm

The workshops are facilitated but because of their flexible nature, each workshop will be completely different!

Single workshop including refreshments – $15 +bf

Two workshops including refreshments – $25 + bf

Location:

Art Club Dubbo Studio, 13b Bultje Street, Dubbo (next to FastLane drive through coffee)

Ticket link:

https://events.humanitix.com/connection-dubbo-women-tell-stories

The Live Event

Hear the stories read live by trained performers, wrapped in live music by award-winning composer in residence Elizabeth Jigalin. Watch short films made by local women, hear from local creative Shannon Barnes, a proud Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan woman and Managing Director of Boomalli Consulting, and watch the award-winning Entanglement film, screened around the world including at the United Nations Women’s Conference in Rwanda 2023.

Includes refreshments.

Sat 16th Mar 2024, 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm

Tickets – $25 + bf

Art Club Dubbo Studio, 13b Bultje Street, Dubbo (next to FastLane drive through coffee)

Ticket link:

https://events.humanitix.com/connection-dubbo-women-tell-stories

2024 Romance Rules Film Festival

The official selections of the 2024 Romance Rules Film Festival were screened at the Black Box Theatre Theatre at the Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo, on February 16, 2024.

What a fantastic night of diverse films!

Program

Official selections

  1. Slow Dating, dir Adam Szudrich (Australia)
  2. For a Moment, dir Coco Tolentino (United States)
  3. A Rose in the Mud, dir Kailey McComas (United States)
  4. Dear Heartbreak, dir Ffion Pritchard (United Kingdom)
  5. TutuTango, dir Dorothee Elfring, Michael Finbar Sheehan (United States)
  6. Bud, dir Jamie Martinez (United States)
  7. Beta Days, dir Dan Walls (Australia)
  8. The Holidaze of Noelle Snow, dir Courtney Anne McLaren (United States)

Featured film (non-competition)

  1. Greek Philosophia And Chickens, dir Aimiende Negbenebor Sela (United States)

Nominees and award winners

Audience Favourite Award Winner

Winner:

TutuTango, dir Dorothee Elfring, Michael Finbar Sheehan (United States)

Equal second:

  • The Holidaze of Noelle Snow, dir Courtney Anne McLaren (United States)
  • Slow Dating, dir Adam Szudrich (Australia)
  • Beta Days, dir Dan Walls (Australia)

Best Cinematography

Winner:

Brendan Williams – Slow Dating

Finalists:

  • Ryan Chernin – Bud
  • Mariam Salahvarzi – For a Moment

Best Actress

Winner:

Julie Collis – Slow Dating

Finalist:

Janina Picard – Bud

Best song/music/soundtrack/score

Winner:

Michael Lira – Slow Dating

Finalist:

Noah Berry – The Holidaze of Noelle Snow

Thrills and Chills Fest – Semi-finalists January 2024

We’re excited to announce our January 2024 monthly semi-finalists of our Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror Fest. Our semi-finalist films will be in consideration to be selected for our live screening in October 2024, where the annual winners for each category will be announced.

Find our more about the film festival here:

studio138.com.au/thrills-and-chills

Enter your short film or screenplay on FilmFreeway

Best short film: Horror / Thriller semi-finalists

“Ruined Date” – dir Antonio Rotunno

“Demon Dog” – dir Juliana Purnell

“I Was” – dir Matteo Capatti, Lorenzo Mazzucchi

“La Soglia” – dir Nicolò Tonani, Sofia Gasparetti, Simone Colombo

Best short film: Fantasy semi-finalists

“Tales of the Hunted” – dir Téa Mancini

Best short film: Sci Fi semi-finalists

“Lab Rat” – dir Ben Hargreaves

Best cinematography semi-finalists

“I Was” – Matteo Capatti and Lorenzo Mazzucchi

Best actor semi-finalists

Juliana Purnell (Laura Duncan) – “Demon Dog”

Best sound design semi-finalists

“Tales of the Hunted” – James Thomson, Ned O’Leary

Best visual effects semi-finalists

“Tales of the Hunted” – Karl Johann Te, Thomas Wensor, Amanda Molinari Ortiz

Best mobile phone or tablet film semi-finalists

“Demon Dog”

Screenplay – Horror / Thriller semi-finalists

“Drip, Drop-” by Irlanda Martinez

“In-Between” by Glenn Lissner

Honourable Mention

“Head-Jobs” (Trailer) – dir Clinton John Connelly