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Credits
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Starring
Synopsis
A young bookstore owner accidentally unleashes a malevolent creature who takes the form of a famous children's book character.
Director's Statement
Where's Weirdo was such an exciting shoot. It was my first time working outside of my family home for a location and using a RED dragon camera on set. The cast and crew brought their A-game and I couldn't have been happier with the results. The character of Weirdo was inspired by the famous 'Where's Wally' character who would be hiding on the page and the reader would have to go looking for him. The idea of a creature that would take the form of a children's book character and stalk the reader had been a premise I'd been tossing up for a while but had never really come to fruition until March 2019 when a friend told me about a dream they had of Where's Wally stalking them in a library. This instantly gave me the idea of Weirdo. Even though this is a horror short, I can see it as a proof-of-concept for a feature film version of Where's Weirdo. But, one step at a time, I'm just glad I could create this project. Enjoy.
From the Judges
From the Judges
A horror short that reimagines the familiar seek-and-find children's picture book as something genuinely unnerving. Playing on a common-place character from a much-loved tale struck the panel as a clever premise, executed with real confidence in a very short running time. They responded to the assured camerawork and the atmosphere its score builds, and to a lead performance that carries the story almost entirely without dialogue, keeping them on the edge of their seats.
Director's Biography
Duncan Peake Director
Duncan Peake is a film director, writer, and editor, born in Nambour, and raised in Brisbane, Australia. He began filmmaking when he was seven years old when he made homemade films with his uncle and brothers. Throughout high school, he continued to make media projects for school assessments including music videos and short films. After high school, he studied at TAFE Queensland with a certificate III in media. After a year at TAFE, he began studying at Griffith Film School, creating his first short film, Under the Bridge, in 2015. In his first two years at Griffith, Duncan discovered his skills in editing and sound design but directing and writing was always his first priorities. His second short film, Replacements, became his first non-uni-directed project and first horror film. In 2018, he made a short dark horror comedy called Bloody Maria. In 2019 he shot a short film called Where's Weirdo produced by Aldergrove Studios in Brisbane, but unfortunately due to the pandemic in 2020, post-production was delayed till 2021. Cinema, Too, his first non-horror since 2015 was shot in 2022, even as Weirdo travelled the festival circuit, collected official selections and numerous awards. Cinema Too is in the final stages of post-production as of January 2023. His experiences on set for Screen Queensland productions in the last two years have further broadened his skill set and appreciation for the rigours of professional filmmaking. Duncan wants to tell stories to excite and thrill audiences, and horror films are his favourite genre to do that.
Trailer
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WHERE'S WEIRDO was Winner of Best Australian Film at the AFIN International Film Festival 2023, a Top 100 Best Reviewed and IMDb-qualifying festival.
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