Jake Speer

Michael Blanco arrives in Los Angeles. He dreams of becoming a movie star. There are 900,000 others like him in this city. Michael Blanco is Belgian. He is in his early thirties. He does not speak English perfectly. He is not very tall. He is not very handsome. As an actor, he has no experience worth mentioning. But he still has his courage, his candor, and his generosity. Michael Blanco is the story of a desire that is constantly thwarted.

Follows a young man working a failing farm amidst the most severe drought on record and a devastating global economic collapse. After his father committed suicide, Matthew has had to take on the responsibilities of managing the faltering sheep station, as well as caring for his younger brother and grandmother. Set against the backdrop of the harsh and unforgiving Australian bush, Matthew must protect his family and his most precious resource, water, from a rising and relentless threat.

Like many teens, Kim, a non binary fifteen year old, is overwhelmed by digital noise, constantly called back to bouts of scrolling by the pings of their phone – until a claw rips through their bedroom and drags them off to a kaleidoscopic otherworld. There, a sardonic alien dog called Jeff sets Kim on a cryptic quest for freedom: to travel to five islands over the course of 24 hours. Guided by Aboriginal Elders and crossing surreal, symbolic realms – a sentient library, a battlefield of ideologies and an ocean of memories – Kim confronts their fears and addictions. From rune-wielding Viking chefs to fascist pirates and a cyborg shaman, each encounter unveils deeper truths about nature, time and spirit.

Dougie Waters loves nothing more than a weekend barbie and cricket match with his mates. But his paradise on earth is destroyed when his best mate and neighbour Norm is forced to leave town and their new boss, a pompous English administrator called Edward Lords, moves in. The animosity between the two men peaks during one fateful backyard cricket match when Dougie hits a ball that accidentally stuns Edward's prize winning cat, Dexter. The cat falls into the roaring BBQ and is instantly incinerated, leaving only ashes. Dougie's son captures footage of the unfortunate event on camera and it is uploaded onto YouTube where the video instantly goes viral! The idea of a backyard cricketing challenge is hatched, with the winner keeping the ashes of Edward's deceased cat, Dexter. The two teams battle it out in the greatest game of backyard cricket ever for the Backyard Ashes.