AFIN International Film Festival
Poster for Brolga, directed by Adrian Powers, AFIN 2019

Short Film

Brolga

Directed by Adrian Powers

AFIN 2019 Semi-Finalist

  • 2019
  • 16m
  • Australia
  • English
  • Thriller
  • Sci-fi
  • Drama
Australian
Watch trailer View My AFIN →

Stills

1 frame

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Credits

Written by

Produced by

Starring

Synopsis

In a ravaged future-Australia, a young girl fleeing murderous scavengers is forced to take shelter with an isolated hermit, who guards a priceless secret. With danger around every corner, can they learn to survive together?

Director's Statement

Adrian Powers, filmmaker portrait provided to AFIN.

Brolga is science-fiction short film set in a society which has collapsed, yet still possesses a few determined souls intent on preserving what remains. I was particularly interested in reflecting upon Indigneous and Non-Indigenous Australian relationships and attitudes in the piece. As such, the film contains references to the Dreaming stories of the Murriwarri clan of New South Wales, as well as breathtaking paintings from Indigenous artist Michael Connolly (Munda-gutta Kulliwari) of Dreamtime Kullilla Art. All of these elements were respectfully used with permission. The film was shot in various locales around NSW, including the Richmond Vale Train Museum and Ball's Head Reserve, North Sydney. Establishing and landscape shots were filmed in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine.

What makes this one special

  • 11 awards at other festivals2019 Best Shorts Competition · 2019 Canada Shorts Film Festival · 2019 Canberra Short Film Festival and 8 more
  • Programmed at 28 other festivalsAcross 4 countries

Also selected at

11 awards, 17 official selections across 28 other festivals

  1. Winner2019 Best Shorts CompetitionAward of Excellence (Native American / Aboriginal Peoples)
  2. Winner2019 Canada Shorts Film FestivalAward of Distinction · Saint John, Canada
  3. Winner2019 Canberra Short Film FestivalBest Cinematography (National), Best First Nations Film · Canberra, Australia
  4. Winner2019 Changing Face International Film FestivalBest Actor in a Sci-Fi (James Saunders), August Monthly Winner (Best Sci-Fi) · Sydney, Australia
  5. Winner2019 Sci-Fi Film FestivalBest Director (Short Film) · Sydney, Australia
  6. Winner2019 Sherman Oaks Film FestivalProgrammer’s Award for Outstanding Short Film · Los Angeles, United States
  7. Winner2019 Sydney Indie Film FestivalBest Director (Short Film) · Sydney, Australia
  8. Winner2020 Fantasy/Sci-Fi Film & Screenplay FestivalBest Performers · Toronto, Canada
  9. Winner2020 Melbourne Indie Film FestivalBest Australian Film (Short) · Melbourne, Australia
  10. Winner2020 Miami International Science Fiction Film FestivalRussell Bates Indigenous Peoples Award · Miami, United States
  11. Winner2020 Oz International Film FestivalBest Australian Sci-Fi Film · Melbourne, Australia
  12. Selection2020 Sydney Science Fiction Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Sydney, Australia · 2020
  13. Selection2019 Australian Independent Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Brisbane, Australia
  14. Selection2019 Great Lakes International Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Erie, Pennsylvania, United States
  15. Selection2019 International Shorts Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Australia
  16. Selection2019 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival AwardsOfficial Selection · Los Angeles, United States
  17. Selection2019 Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival OnlineOfficial Selection · Melbourne, Australia
  18. Selection2019 Northern Light Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Melbourne, Australia
  19. Selection2019 The Next Level International Film FestivalOfficial Selection
  20. Selection2020 ASTRA Science Fiction & Fantasy Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Australia
  21. Selection2020 Australasia's Film Festival of Time - Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror and HistoryOfficial Selection · Melbourne, Australia
  22. Selection2020 Deep Focus Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Brooklyn, NYC, United States
  23. Selection2020 End of Days Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Orlando, FL, United States
  24. Selection2020 International Horror & Sci-Fi Film FestivalPhoenix, United States
The remaining 4 festivals
  1. Selection2020 New York Lift-Off Film FestivalOfficial Selection · New York, United States
  2. Selection2020 Tokyo Lift-Off Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Tokyo, Japan
  3. Selection2020 Toronto Film Festival of Time - Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror and HistoryOfficial Selection · Toronto, Canada
  4. Selection2020 Toronto Lift-Off Film FestivalOfficial Selection · Toronto, Canada

Recorded by the filmmaker on their entry.

Director's Biography

Adrian Powers, filmmaker portrait provided to AFIN. Adrian Powers Director

Adrian Powers is an Australian film director, editor and screenwriter. Several of his films have screened at film festivals across the globe, including the 69th Venice Film Festival, where his film 'Scruples' screened as part of a special collaboration between YouTube and Sir Ridley Scott, and during which Scott commented that Adrian and his fellow filmmakers were "all clearly talents for the industry to watch". In 2013, Adrian completed work as co-director and editor on the WWI feature 'Forbidden Ground', which was released worldwide (including distribution in the US through Lionsgate Entertainment). He has edited ten feature films, including 'Skin Deep' (officially selected for the 2014 Austin Film Festival), 'Embedded' (officially selected for the 2016 Sydney Film Festival), 'Zelos' (officially selected for the 2018 Gold Coast Film Festival) and 'Rip Tide' (released worldwide on Netflix in 2018). Additionally, as both an editor and director, Adrian has worked on hundreds of corporate videos, TVCs, music videos and documentaries, and frequently helps to produce content for some of the biggest brands in Australia. His latest short film, 'Brolga', premiered at the 2019 Sci-Fi Film Festival, where Powers was awarded the George Pal Award for Best Director (Short Film).

Trailer

Fuller cast & crew

  • James Shepherd The Scavenger
  • Kate Austin The Survivor
  • Daniel Bunton Second Scavenger

Details and imagery from The Movie Database This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

AFIN 2026

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Screening 1 at Dendy Cinemas Portside, Brisbane

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