I’m a huge fan of tapas. You know, the brilliant little titbits of all sorts of yummy goodness, authentically Spanish or otherwise? Fun to share, fun to eat, and if you stumble upon one you’re not so crash hot on, don’t worry – in a bite or two it will all be over and you can move onto the next one!

They’re a bit like short films, really.

Adelaide goes a little bit crazy at this time of year, and the festivals that are unleashed on the city seem to just get bigger and better every year. The city pulses with a kind of vibrancy like no other. In amongst the myriad of events you can find Flickerfest and Tropfest, two of Australia’s premier short film festivals.

Flickerfest was held in the beginning of February, screening for one night only at the Mercury Cinema. Tickets were cheaper than your average movie screening, beer, wine and nibbles flowed fast and free, and each seat was surprised with a Jurlique goody bag (which, let me tell you, was pounced on by the lads in my company)

The touring show mixes animation with regular films, Australian with international, Cannes Jury Prize winners with Australian premieres and Natalie Portman’s debut as writer/director in Eve with lesser-known names that we may hearing more of in coming years. Highlights included the Oscar-nominated On the Line (Auf Der Strecke) out of Germany, about a security guard who witnesses an attack on the metro and the impact on his conscience and life, Vicki Sugars’ locally shot Past Midnight in which a girl escaping a relationship finds a strange sense of peace in a tiny fishing town, and an engaging This is Her, a narrated film switching between a present-day birth and what the future holds for those involved and finally. The Australian Jerrycan, exploring the pursuits of five small-town boys and the near-fatal consequences, has also been recognised at film festivals both locally and overseas (Cannes 2008, Australian Film Institute 2008).

More recently was Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, which is held in Sydney and screened simultaneously around the country. Adelaide’s version was held in the gorgeous Garden of Unearthly Delights on a balmy Sunday evening. Winning the festival was Genevieve Clay’s Be My Brother, starring winner of best actor Gerad O’Dwyer, which shined the spotlight on disabilities and prejudices in a loveable, heartwarming way. Second prize was awarded to industry regular Abe Forsythe’s (who you might remember from Always Greener and as director/star of the feature-length Ned) humorous Being Carl Williams, in which Underbelly’s Gyton Grantley plays himself with disastrous consequences, while Fences, where a young boy finds himself at a crime scene with his detective father, took out many of the other awards.

Other enjoyable films included the quirky Notes From A Scaresmith, Bargain!, which keeps you questioning the motive until the end, One In A Million featuring a clever twist and Jackie’s Spring Palace, filmed right here in Adelaide.

Short film festivals are just like tapas: they can satisfy you instantly, cause a nasty taste in your mouth or simply leave you wanting more (a bit like that fried brie I had in Barcelona…mmm). They are perfect for those with challenged attention spans, those looking to discover the ‘next big thing’ in acting, screenwriting and directing, or those looking for a quick glimpse into another life, a short piece of cinematographic beauty or a fast lesson to be learned.

**Various short films are screening at the Adelaide Film Festival, including Past Midnight as part of Made In SA and Jerrycan as part of Snapshot. And lucky for you, if you missed Tropfest you can catch all of the finalists HERE.

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