The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority presents
Top Screen: School Holiday Screening + Meet the Filmmakers
Tickets
When
Wed 12 Apr 2023
See below for additional related events
Top Screen 2023 filmmakers discuss the successes and challenges involved in making their short films.
Chaired by the State Reviewer for VCE Media, the panel will explore the ins and outs of producing a VCE Media film, from choosing an idea, to sound and lighting.
The panel discussion will take place in the cinema immediately following the screening.
Films screening in this session
Earl Dreams of Apples
Emile Feik | Arthouse | 10 min
An adolescent boy has a night of strange and vivid dreams involving a beach full of buried apples, a disappearing razor, a masked man and a highway at night. All these surreal images materialise a fear of the future and a desire to return to the comfort of childhood.
VCE Media 2022, University High School, Parkville, Wurundjeri Country
I’m a Background Character
Jasmine Lane | Animation, Action/Comedy | 3 min
When, in a twist of fate, the main character of the story dies at the hands of a villain, an unremarkable college student decides to take on the mantle of saving the world, even though he’s supposed to be nothing more than a background character.
VCE Media 2022, Casey Grammar School, Cranbourne East, Bunurong Country
Steam Alive
Adam Rudnicki | Documentary | 8 min
Steam Alive is a documentary that highlights the generational shift occurring in Victoria’s railway preservation sector, where many young volunteers are now joining railway organisations to continue the restoration and running of Victoria’s heritage trains.
VCE Media 2022, Ivanhoe Grammar School, Ivanhoe, Wurundjeri Country
The Trials and Tribulations of Being Jordan
Will Calleja | Teen Drama | 6 min
Jordan is a troubled teen making her way through high school. Resenting her current lifestyle, she starts to re-evaluate how she lives her life and deals with social anxiety.
VCE Media 2022, Footscray High School, Footscray, Wurundjeri Country
Bert
Henry Holmes | Coming-of-age | 6 min
A young boy finds an injured bird on his way to school and decides to take it home and care for it until its wing heals. Soon after, the bird dies. Placing it into a shoebox, the boy decides he will bury the bird and return it to the place he found it.
VCE Media 2022, Wesley College, Melbourne, Bunurong Country
Paws
Jai Postma | Animation, Sci-Fi/Adventure | 5 min
Paws is an animation that follows a cat traversing a post-apocalyptic city in search of food. The film is a technical exercise in realism, focusing on survival amid destruction.
VCE Media 2022, Ashwood High School, Ashwood, Wurundjeri Country
Break the Mould
Samantha Chim | Documentary | 5 min
A documentary-style interview with 35-year-old transgender model and public figure, Rora Mac, about her struggles going through life and what she had to conquer to get to where she is now.
VCE Media 2022, East Doncaster Secondary College, Doncaster East, Wurundjeri Country
Going Home - Về Nhà
Han Nhi Ngo | Family/Coming-of-age | 7 min
Going Home – Về Nhà follows the journey of a Vietnamese girl as she tries to find her home. The film explores the detachment of second-generation Vietnamese-Australians who struggle to connect with their culture and feel lost amid societal expectations.
VCE Media 2022, Williamstown High School, Williamstown, Bunurong Country
Driven To Revenge
Lola Keddie | Heist/Comedy| 5 min
In her old Kombi van, Sharon nervously drives Jane towards her destiny. Jane is hellbent on revenge for money she is owed by her pizzeria boss. In this suburban heist movie, stolen wages are the ultimate prize.
VCE Media 2022, Albert Park College, Albert Park, Bunurong Country
Bloom
Ella Hennessy | Animation, Family | 3 min
Bloom delves into the protagonist’s experience of grief and loneliness after losing someone close to them, but proposes that love and support can still always be found, sometimes through unexpected sources.
VCE Media 2022, Padua College, Mornington, Bunurong Country
Sensory Memory
Xaviere Weis | Music Video | 4 min
This music video explores themes of self-expression, friendship, the pursuit of happiness and joy. It follows two young women adventuring through the city and countryside, celebrating the magic of female friendships.
VCE Media 2022, Northcote High School, Northcote, Wurundjeri Country
Mechanical Dreams
Luca Di Natale | Animation, Sci-Fi | 7 min
A suspiciously advanced robot, RX-39, contemplates his purpose in a dystopian society in which humans overpower and control robots. As RX-39 struggles to comprehend his purpose, he questions the daunting reality faced by his kind… will he overcome the authority?
VCE Media 2022, St Michael’s Grammar School, St Kilda, Bunurong Country
The Cleaners
Tia McNeill | Animation, Psychological Thriller | 5 min
The Cleaners is a stop-motion animation told through the point-of-view of a grandfather as he celebrates his 80th birthday with family. Peculiarities emerge as the night progresses and large gloved hands begin removing objects – symbolic of memories – cluttered throughout the protagonist’s home.
VCE Media 2022, Virtual School Victoria, Thornbury, Wurundjeri Country
Shift
Sequoia Pather | Drama | 6 min
A young girl named Marlee runs away from home in the middle of the night to flee her abusive mother. She navigates homelessness with her dog while dealing with the emotional toll of her troubled past.
VCE Media 2022, Swinburne Senior Secondary College, Hawthorn, Wurundjeri Country
Beachcomber Blues
Evie Taylor-Constable | Animation, Romantic Drama | 3 min
In this animation, an old dog searches a beach to find a seashell to gift his husband. However, he is impeded by slowly worsening weather as a storm threatens to sabotage his search. Motivated by his memory and love for his husband, he carries on undeterred until he finally finds the perfect shell.
VCE Media 2022, Coburg High School, Coburg, Wurundjeri Country
