NPS MedicineWise and American Express Openair Cinemas announce winners of national short film competition

Entrants were tasked with creating a 30-second short film to win their share of $10,000, with first-place prizes awarded to talent across two categories: Australians under 18 and over the age of 18 years old.

Announced on Wednesday evening at the AMEX OAC location at Bondi Beach, ‘Keep the bugs outta the club’ took out the top prize for the 18+ category. The film features a man who is rejected from entering a pharmacy based on his overuse of antibiotics.

The film is the work of Brisbane-based cinematographer, Lucas Tomoana, who says, “It was such a fun challenge to try and communicate the message about antibiotic resistance. We wanted to produce something that was engaging, funny, relatable and delivered in a small amount of time. Humour was key for us, as people are more likely to share content they get a laugh out of. I was inspired by a lot of New Zealand ads that have gone viral recently, where they deliver important messages in a humorous and relatable way.

“One thing a lot of us can relate to is having a night out and trying to get past the bouncers into the club. The bouncers obviously want to make sure everyone’s safe and also that you don’t bring any friends that might ruin the night for everyone else”, says Tamoana.

Winners were chosen by an influential panel of judges including Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), Kate Cherry, Australian GP and media personality, Dr Sam Hay, acclaimed actor and Weekend Sunrise ‘Movie Man’, Jason (Jabba) Davis, Fairfax’s Digital Entertainment Editor, Aja Styles, and CEO of NPS MedicineWise, Dr Lynn Weekes.

Judge Dr Sam Hay said 'Keep the bugs outta the club' was “the total package, showing a great balance between comedic timing and messaging with outstanding cinematography and editing.”

The judges were also impressed by ‘Therapeutic’, which took out first-place for the under 18 category. The film features a couple, representing an antibiotic and a bacterial infection, having a therapy session.

“Sending a message about antibiotics is exceptionally important especially in today’s age when they’re losing their strength. However, it seems that a message has more power if it is expressed through humour or a symbolic scene. Thus, we tried to find a way to send a message about antibiotics and make it fun to engage with”, says 16-year-old Therapeutic producer, Catriona Warren.

Judge Aja Styles said 'Therapeutic' was “brilliant and showed great creativity linking antibiotics and resistant bacteria to people. It was well shot and certainly made me laugh.”

NPS MedicineWise Chief Executive Officer Dr Lynn Weekes said that she is thrilled with the quality and imaginative structure of the winning films and their creative approach to raising awareness about antibiotic resistance.

“Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health and can affect anyone of any age, in any country. The competition provides an avenue for emerging Australian filmmakers to showcase their talent while shining a light on a very serious issue. Short films both remind and inspire the community to take action to preserve the power of antibiotics and combat the spread of superbugs”, said Dr Weekes.

Films were submitted from across the country by primary and high school students, amateur and professional film makers, health professionals and people whose lives have been affected by antibiotic resistance.

The winning films can be viewed on the NPS MedicineWise YouTube channel:

• Keep the bugs outta the club
  
• Therapeutic