The 5th edition of Stranger With My Face International Film Festival wrapped up in Tasmania, Australia last May.

Best Short Film for Stranger With My Face 2017  was awarded to The Man Who Caught a Mermaid, written and directed by Kaitlin Tinker (Australia).

The short films judges were Claire D'Este, a Tasmanian-based screenwriter specializing in short films (Knit One, Slashed) and TV writer and creator of the acclaimed series The Kettering Incident, Victoria Madden.

As well as the top prize the judges deemed Slapper (dir Luci Schroeder, Australia) as the runner-up. They also made special mention of the film Mouse (dir: Celine Held and Logan George, USA).

Best Feature Film for Stranger With My Face 2017 was awarded to The Book of Birdie directed by Elizabeth E. Schuch (UK). The feature film award was voted on by the festival committee, who The Book of Birdie “a highly original film, visually rich and with an unusual blend of tragic and comedic elements.”

“Thanks so much for having us at the festival and to these amazing filmmakers and audiences!” said Elizabeth E. Schuch, accepting the award amongst other women directors who were invited to be part of the Attic Lab program within the festival this year. “It's been an inspiring week.”

Also announced was the winner of the Lia Award, an annual award recognizing an influential and/or innovative figure in the field of genre storytelling.

The 2017 Lia goes to this year's guest retrospective filmmaker, Gaylene Preston, for her off-beat contributions with Mr Wrong (1984) and Perfect Strangers (2003). These films, already approaching ‘cult’ status, will undoubtedly grow in reputation as time goes on. Both are examinations of gender-based tropes around romance, love and female identity. Preston uses the form of the thriller to challenge and deconstruct the role of women in society. Entertaining, original and bold, they represent exactly the kind of filmmaking Stranger With My Face  most seeks to celebrate.

The festival also pays tribute to Preston for her ongoing efforts to advance the cause of gender equality in the film industry, and for her support of emerging filmmakers over her long career.

Preston, in turn, paid tribute to Stranger With My Face.

“What an invigorating discussion in the Hobart incubator. Grateful thanks to Briony Kidd and the festival for my Lia Award. She will take her place on the piano reminding me of my wild side.”

Stranger With My Face is named after one of Lois Duncan’s most popular young adult novels, published in 1986. And the character of Lia - the ‘evil twin’ of that story - is the inspiration for this Lia Award. Lia represents the shadow self, the dark and mysterious side of life.

This year's trophies were designed by Bryony Geeves.

NEWS: MONSTER FEST ANNOUNCES OPENING FILM ‘RAW’ AND ‘FREQUENCIES’ SIDEBAR CELEBRATING GENRE ON THE SMALL SCREEN

Returning this year from November 24-27, Australia’s premier genre film festival Monster Fest is thrilled to announce the Australian premiere of controversial new French horror film RAW as its Official 2016 Opening Night Film.

RAW made its World Premiere in Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year where it was awarded the coveted FIPRESCI Award, and was lauded by critics and fans alike as the genre sensation of the festival.

RAW is the debut feature of French director Julia Ducournau, and tells the story of a young vegetarian who discovers her dark side when she is forced to participate in a carnivorous hazing ritual on her first day at Veterinary school. It’s a coming-of-age tale with a cannibal theme that’ll appeal to genre buffs and cinephiles alike, provided they have strong stomachs!

Earlier this week RAW held its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and created headlines around the globe when paramedics were called to the cinema to treat three audience members who fainted during its ‘Midnight Madness’ screening.

Monster Pictures is the Australian license holder of RAW and has its release set for March 2017.

Neil Foley, Monster Pictures’ Head of Acquisitions and Executive Producer of Monster Fest, says of RAW “This is absolutely one of the greatest genre films I’ve seen in my time at Monster, it references many of the masters, from Argento to Carpenter to Cronenberg, but remains a completely unique and fresh take on the genre. It’s simultaneously harrowing and beautiful, and is probably our most exciting acquisition to date.”

The critical response to the film thus far has been full of praise, and includes the following:

“…the assured storytelling and direction, including some of the goriest makeup effects this side of Rob Zombie, turn Raw into the kind of crossover film that takes the horror genre into another domain” - Hollywood Reporter

““Raw” is a deliciously fevered stew of nightmare fuel that hangs together with a breezily confident sense of superior craft.” - Variety

“Genre buffs and fests will gobble it up, and this prime cut should be the plat du jour on cult theatrical menus worldwide... All in all, a classily savorous fright tartare.” - Screen Daily

RAW will Open Monster Fest on November 24 and will be followed by the Opening Night Gala. Tickets will go on sale over the coming weeks and will be announced via the Monster Fest website and associated social media.

Monster Fest is also pleased to announce its second themed sidebar, ‘Frequencies’, which is focused on genre narratives made for or about the small screen. The Frequencies section will be headlined by the World Premiere launch of the new Headpress book, ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE ALONE? A TV MOVIE COMPENDIUM 1964-1999, edited by American television scholar Amanda Reyes who will appear at the festival on a clip-and-tell panel about the history of television movies, with the book’s contributors Lee Gambin, John Harrison and stuntwoman Marneen Fields, followed by a screening of Buzz Kulik’s 1974 telefright, BAD RONALD and co-presented by Melbourne film society Cinemaniacs.

The section will also include the Australian Premiere of Jackson Stewart’s BEYOND THE GATES starring Graham Skipper (THE MIND’S EYE) and Chase Williamson (JOHN DIES AT THE END) as two brothers who find that their father’s disappearance may be connected to a sinister VHS board game. The premiere is presented by Umbrella Entertainment and will be accompanied by a NIGHTMARE VHS Board Game Party in association with Toronto’s Black Museum.

This year’s Monster Symposium series of multimedia lectures also expands on this broadcasting theme with presentations including Jodi McAlister’s DIERDRE HALL IS THE DEVIL about occultism on daytime soaps, Andrew Nette on the long-unavailable Australian horror anthology show THE EVIL TOUCH, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on Stephen Volk’s influential and hysteria-inducing pseudo-doc GHOSTWATCH, Kier-La Janisse on Nigel Kneale’s prescient 1968 teleplay THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS and Andrew Nette and Dean Brandum on the beloved Crawford crime show HOMICIDE, preceding a special screening of the 1964 episode “Witch Hunt”.

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All-access Passes to Monster Fest 2016 are on sale now here: https://www.lidocinemas.com.au/Promotion/Monster-Fest-2016-At-Lido

Tickets for the recently announced Ted Kotcheff masterclass at the Swinburne University Media and Communication Monster Academy are available here: http://www.monsterfest.com.au/events/ted-kotcheff-masterclass/

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Founded in 2011, Monster Fest is a mix of Premieres, international festival favourites, challenging new discoveries and curated repertory sidebars alongside industry-focused events such as panels and masterclasses with renowned international guests, and a special emphasis on supporting emerging Australian genre film talent through the festival and beyond. Monster Fest is mounted with the support of Screen Australia and Film Victoria.

Horror T.V. Spotlight: Span's 'Wolf Creek'

Your favorite maniac from down under is back! But, 'Wolf Creek' the Series is not just another sequel. It's 6 hours of murderous mayhem billed as a revenge movie. Could this be the end of our favorite Australian nationalist?

This six-part series continues the relentless slayings of Australian Outback serial killer, Mick Taylor, who John Jarratt continues to play with a real love for the sadistic monster. Rather than this just being a series that chronicles Mick’s murders, we are introduced to survivor Eve, a compelling Final Girl who loses her family at Mick’s hands. Thus we have a split perspective as Mick continues on with his happily destructive lifestyle and Eve tries to track the bastard down and get revenge for what he did to her.

Lucy Fry (11.22.63) as Eve does not fail at fulfilling the final girl role. Dustin Clare's Sheriff  Hill is lacking, mostly in a desire to care too much for him in the. There is a love triangle of sorts, that's twisted into a convoluted square by the end. But all in all 'Wolf Creek' is an origination story of how Mick became so twisted (a very familiar story by the way) and of one survivor getting her comeuppance. No worries though, this series has everything you'd expect, follows every traditional stalker horror path, and ultimately doesn't contain any surprises. Its just good dirty fun with a cat a mouse game across the entirety of Australia. One question that you have to ask as you watch is whether John Jarratt seems tired enough to be ready to put his maniacal monster to rest after 2 films and 6 episodes. A fun romp through the Australian outback if not new and exciting. Check out 'Wolf Creek" the series after seeing the original films and maybe reading one of the books.