Winner of this year’s Best Australian short at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Grey Bull is by 8’s Eddy Bell, made with a cast of mostly non talent trained people from Melbourne’s South Sudanese refugee community. Via the film synopsis:
When Martin, a South Sudanese refugee, happens upon a bull he believes is his spiritual totem, he decides to rescue it from the abattoir he works in. Once home, the bull begins to jeopardise Martin’s family’s chance at fitting in. Martin is torn between his ancient cultural identity and his family’s new life in Australia.
Via Short of the Week:
Winner of Australian Director’s Guild and Cannes Lions Young Director awards Eddy Bell’s Grey Bull is a film with a distinct story and a strong self-belief. Featuring a captivating lead performance from debutant Mayik Deng, Bell’s narrative takes us on an eye-opening cultural journey as we follow South Sudanese Refugee Martin as he struggles to adapt to his new life in Australia.
At a time when migration is a hot-topic worldwide, it’s refreshing to be presented with a story orbiting around an immigrant that truly feels like it’s presenting a positive view of one such journey. Essentially a story about leaving your past behind so you can focus on your future, Grey Bull is a film which provokes its audience into adopting the viewpoint of its main character and ask some important questions about emigration.
Credits
Producer: Khoby
Director: Eddy Bell
Director of Photography: Callan Green ACS
Production Designer: Chantel Covey Lane
Colorist : Daniel Stonehouse
Online Editor: Darius Family
Editor: Ariel Shaw
VFX: Heckler
Color: Crayon
Original Music: Darren Middleton