At 11am on each Saturday and Sunday morning during the festival at both Palace Barracks and Palace Centro cinemas families can get together to enjoy 50 minutes of animated shorts.

“These kind of high-quality grass roots programs are central to the development of critical and discerning audiences even from such young ages” said BIFF Co-Director Richard Sowada. “For many kids it’ll be their first time ever in a cinema and these programs demonstrate there’s a big wide world of imagination and invention. It’s great to be a part of that experience.”

PROGRAM 1 – QUEEN BUM AND CHUMS
This most excellent program features all manner of animations from all manner of cultures with all manner of styles. We’ve got bums from Switzerland, naughty chickens from Germany, a western from Australia, an out of control typewriter from the UK, beautifully textured pastels, playful deers from Hungary and more than a dozen new titles that’ll keep the kids entranced and the grown-ups smiling. This program also includes works from Italy, France, Japan and Russia.

PROGRAM 2 – GIRAFFE SOUP & CHEESE DOODLES
There’s never a dull moment in this spectacular array of titles that move from the downright abstract from India, fantastical musical instruments playing themselves from Germany, a most unusal global journey of a stork from the Netherlands, the heroic life of a tree from France and an array of titles that’ll have your head spinning.

The Brisbane International Film Festival runs from 17 August – 3 September 2017. The festival is co- directed by experienced film curator Richard Sowada and Brisbane’s Maxine Williamson, previously Film Director of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival. The festival is made possible through the support of Screen Queensland via the Queensland Government and major partner, Palace Cinemas.

Brisbane International Film Festival 2017
17 August – 3 September 2017
Palace Barracks and Palace Centro – Brisbane
www.biff.net.au

Eighteen days, over 100 sessions, over three weekends,  BIFF 2017 will screen around 60 international and Australian films and include collaborations the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), a Queensland Short Film Competition, free family screenings throughout, filmmaker and industry, guests, talks and seminars. It features a red-hot line-up of internationally acclaimed and award-winning titles including the latest works fresh from selection at Cannes, Toronto, Berlin and Sundance. There’s a host of Australian Premieres and films shot in our own backyard making their way to Queensland screens for the first time.

Festival highlights include opening night film THE SQUARE, fresh from winning the prestigious Palme D’Or at the 70th Cannes Film Festival 2017, a darkly funny and wildly entertaining Swedish satire which takes aim at the self-obsessed and decadent art world. LOVELESS, another Cannes-winning masterpiece, is a damning examination of modern Russian politics, oppression and corruption from legendary Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvagintsev. 24 FRAMES is a timeless testament to an incredible artistic talent, and the final film from master filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami’s. From award-winning director Ildiko Enyedi ON BODY AND SOUL reminds us that in the unlikeliest places and at the most perfect of times, love can blossom with its own infinitive wisdom. The festival closes with THE GO-BETWEENS: RIGHT HERE, part memoir and part concert film, this documentary charts the successes, failures, romances, break-ups, betrayals, triumphs and tragedies of Brisbane musical royalty, The Go-Betweens.

Brisbane International Film Festival 2017
17 August – 3 September 2017
Palace Barracks and Palace Centro – Brisbane
www.biff.net.au

Competition will be drawn 16 August 2017, winners will be notified by mail.

Palace Cinemas will be injecting a cash prize of $2,000 for The BIFF Centurion Short Film Award to the best Brisbane short film Director. All award finalists will have completed their graduate film project in 2016. Entries include Griffith Film School’s Claire Randall, winner of the Crystal Bear for her short ‘Wolfe’ at Berlinale in the youth focussed Generation14plus program.

Festival Co-Director Maxine Williamson said, “It is BIFF’s pleasure to provide a meeting place for the 2016 best of the graduate short films to be seen, judged and curated for audience. These are our filmmakers of the future and BIFF is providing an important community bridging between education and industry.”

The judges are Kiki Fung, film critic, curator and former Head Programmer for BAPFF & BIFF, ABC 612 film critic Matthew Toomey and Des Partridge, the former film critic for the Courier Mail.

All entries will be viewed at Palace Cinemas providing the best possible screening environment for judging.  A short list of the finalists curated by the judges will be included in the program to be screened at the festival, along with a showcase event amongst Queensland’s finest filmmakers allowing for exposure and recognition of their talents.  It’s the ideal opportunity for Queensland’s emerging film talent to watch their film amongst industry, peers, family and members of the public.

The award will be announced at a screening of short film finalists on Tuesday August 22 at 7pm at Palace Centro Cinema on James Street. Tickets are $10 and are now on sale at www.palacecinemas.com.au

The Brisbane International Film Festival runs from 17 August – 3 September 2017. The festival is co-directed by experienced film curator Richard Sowada and Brisbane’s Maxine Williamson, previously Film Director of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival.

Brisbane International Film Festival 2017
17 August – 3 September 2017
Palace Barracks and Palace Centro – Brisbane
www.biff.net.au