The 10th annual Benalla Short Film Festival will touch down in the Rose City on Sunday, November 10.
The popular annual event is once again being run in conjunction with the Benalla Festival, and will take place at the new Benalla Cinema, 145 Mair St.
Festival organiser Anna Smith said there would be two screenings, at 3pm and 6.30pm.
“We are honoured to have been nominated for the 2024 7NEWS Victoria Community Achievement Award,” Ms Smith said.
The premiere of this year’s entries, and the award ceremony, will be held at 3pm, with the 6.30pm screening open to the general public.
“Benalla Shorts provide an exciting and exotic finale to the Benalla Festival program,” Ms Smith said.
“We had 76 films enter, and nine shortlisted by the judging panel included films from Greece and Spain.
“Plus there will be a short film, Gitar, by Jack Rintoul, staring our new judge Bruce Hunt Hughes.”
Bruce joins the judging panel alongside returning judge Krista Vendy.
Bruce Hunt Hughes’ career began on the London stage with A Streetcar Named Desire.
He subsequently immigrated to Australia to pursue a film and television career.
His credits include A Country Practice, Blue Heelers, Halifax FP, City Homicide, Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War and more recently, the Netflix series The Portable Door.
He has also appeared on the big screen in Darkness Falls, The Visitors and Ghost Rider.
Ms Vendy is well known to the Benalla community having been a judge at the festival for several years.
She is an Australian actress known for her roles on TV shows including Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Shock Jock, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Pizza, Leverage and Mental.
Her film credits include The Writer, Fat Pizza, Horseplay, The Incredible Hulk and Matching Jack.
“We also welcome Rene Martens, a local award-winning photographer to the Benalla Shorts team,” Ms Smith said.
“We would like to thank the community for their continued support for allowing us to grow for the last 10 years. We thrive because of private business financial and in-kind support.”
Find out more at benallashorts.com