Eight Finalists Revealed for AACTA Pitch: Isolation in partnership with Monster Pictures

23 November

AACTA today announced the eight finalists for AACTA Pitch: Isolation in Partnership with Monster Pictures, Australia’s ultimate horror and genre film development initiative focusing on original horror or elevated genre feature film concepts. The winner will receive $10,000 in development funds and an exclusive Australia theatrical distribution agreement with Monster Pictures Distribution.

The winner will be determined following an online pitching event whereby the finalists pitch their isolation inspired concepts to the judging panel comprised of established producers, distributors and film financiers including:

Grant Hardie, Owner of Monster Pictures
Chris Brown (DAYBREAKERS, BAIT, THE RAILWAY MAN)
Fairvale Entertainment’s Toby Louie and Nicholas Levene

The final pitching event is available for all to view on Tuesday 1 December, entirely free via AACTA’s new free-to-stream festival, AACTA ScreenFest. Although entirely free, bookings are essential here.

Each of the competing concepts explore ideas of isolation, include strong characters and build dramatic tension in their own unique way. The eight AACTA Pitch: Isolation in Partnership with Monster Pictures finalists and their loglines are as follows:

BLACKHEATH
Karina Banno, Raechelle Banno, George Maher

Logline: Max recounts her time in the strict religious community she recently escaped but struggles to move on as she fears her old 'Family' may be closing in on her and the only person she has left.

BURNING
Jordan Watton, Julia Corcoran

A low-achieving outsider who works as volunteer firefighter ignites a series of deadly blazes throughout bushfire season in his small town in rural Australia

DRUMCHAPEL
Michael Irwin, Dean Musumeci, Matthew Keating

Two Security Guards attempt to escape a 19th century Workhouse, locked down by a century old, unknown biohazard.

FIERCE
Christian D’Alessi, Jesse O’Brian

A single mother and her two children, trapped and stalked by the mythic blue mountain phantom, must escape imminent bushfires and take back their lives.

THE REMOTE
Kelly Baigent, Luke Kneller

In 2021 Australian local authorities investigating multiple human deaths on a decommissioned nuclear test site, found several discarded cameras. The contents of those cameras, and the identities of the dead are classified: Top Secret. Anonymous whistle-blowers collated this footage, and when pieced together, it reveals: An enthusiastic group of young Sydney University academics travelling to the nuclear test site to analyse the radiation impact on the flora and fauna.

TERROR ZONE
Josh Sambono, Laura Sambono, Lucca Barone-Peters, Colin Wilson

A lonely assassin must confront traumatic childhood memories before she is consumed by a monster inside of her which has awakened.

UNDER
David Churak, Charlotte Daraio, Taryn Borgford

A successful woman returns to her isolated boarding school to bury a hideous tragedy from her past. There, she's joined by four fellow alumni. What should be a happy reunion devolves into a slew of vicious accusations – but the real danger is the very present horrors stalking their old halls.

WHO THE BLOODY HELL GOES THERE?
Oscar Axel Thorborg, Aliya Tarmo

Fear and paranoia spread through staff at a wind farm in outback Australia when a conspiracy extremist claims the turbines are awakening an ancient evil.

Finalist headshots are available for download here.

The AACTA Awards are supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

AACTA SCREENFEST

The new AACTA ScreenFest will be held online from Friday 27 November to Wednesday 2 December 2020. Events are free, but bookings are essential at screenfest.com.au.

AACTA Industry Awards presented by Foxtel will be streaming at ScreenFest on Friday 27 November at 6.30pm AEDT and also on Foxtel Arts, Friday November 27 at 6.30pm AEDT.

AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Ceremony will be onFoxtel Arts, Sunday 6 December at 7.30pm AEDT.

Australia Decides: AACTA’s Best of the Decade is a reimagined broadcast celebrating a decade of Australian screen and highlights from the 2020 AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Ceremony will be on Channel Seven, Wednesday 2 December at 8.30pm AEDT and encore on Foxtel Arts, Sunday 6 December at 9.30pm AEDT.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

MEDIA ENQUIRIES

black & white publicity | Kelly Black | P: 0422 991 600 | E: kelly@blackandwhitepublicity.com.au

AACTA | Jayne-Louise O’Connell | P: 0403 513 115 | E: joconnell@afi.org.au

Eight Finalists Revealed for AACTA Pitch: Isolation in partnership with Monster Pictures

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