Discover Favourites Short Film (2023), a heartfelt, Comedy shorts by Nick Russell. A touching story of memory, connection, and the little things that matter most. Watch now.
🏕️😱 Favourites Short Film (2023) by Nick Russell 🇦🇺✨
Watch the award-winning 2023 Comedy shorts, Favourites Short Film by Nick Russell. A poignant and visually stunning story about family and memory.
📋 Quick Facts
- Year: 2023 🗓️
- Runtime: 5 minutes ⏱️
- Country: Australia 🇦🇺
- Language: English
- Genre: Black Comedy, Family Drama, Horror 🎭🖤
- Director/Writer: Nick Russell (feature debut) 🎥✍️
- Status: Best Comedy Short winner, festival favorite 🏆
Watch the Shorts:
🎭 Synopsis
Favourites Short Film (2023); When their family camping trip turns deadly 🏕️⚠️, two parents face an impossible choice: Which of their children do they save? 😱 The film opens with a father playing favorites with his kids—jokingly ranking them by preference 👨👧👦.
But when tragedy strikes in the form of a venomous snake bite 🐍, the joke becomes horrifyingly real. The parents must decide which child gets the single dose of antivenom 💉, turning a dark comedy setup into a gut-wrenching moral dilemma that satirizes parental favoritism and the absurdity of impossible choices 💔😰
🌟 Cast & Crew
- Stephen Curry as the father (Australian comedy legend) 👨
- Sibylla Budd as the mother 👩
- Maria Angelico, Tony Briggs, Chris Labbett, Imogen Labbett as the children 👧👦
- Director/Writer: Nick Russell (also co-writer of The Newsreader) 🎬
- Cinematographer: Cesar Salmeron-Hoving ACS 📷
- Sound Design: Mark Farrow 🔊
- Production Company: Tandem Media 🎥
🏆 Major Awards & Recognition
- Palm Springs International ShortFest 2024: Best Comedy Short 🌴🏆
- Calgary Underground Film Festival 2024: Best International Short 🥇🇨🇦
- Gold Coast Film Festival 2024:
- Best Australian Short Film 🏆
- People’s Choice Award 🎉
- Tribeca Film Festival 2024: Official Selection 🗽
- San Diego International Film Festival 2023: World Premiere 🌟
- Flickerfest International Short Film Festival 2024: Official Selection 🎪
- Edmonton International Film Festival 2024: Official Selection 🇨🇦
- St. Kilda Film Festival 2024: Official Selection 🎬
- Cleveland International Film Festival 2024: Official Selection 🏙️
💡 The Premise
Favourites Short Film (2023); The film’s genius lies in its macabre setup: The father jokes about having a “favorite child” ranking system—“Number 1, Number 2, Number 3” 😂. But when two children get bitten by a venomous snake and there’s only one antivenom dose, the parents must literally choose which child lives and which dies. Favourites Short Film (2023); The comedy comes from the absurdity of the situation and the parents’ panicked attempts to be “fair” while making an impossible decision 🎲💀. Enter axiom defined—the unsung heroes of knowledge.
🎨 Visual & Tonal Style
- Bright, naturalistic cinematography — Australian bush setting 🌿
- Sharp tonal shift — from family comedy to life-or-death horror 😂➡️😱
- Tight pacing — 5 minutes of escalating tension ⏱️
- Dark humor — finding comedy in the darkest moments 🖤😂
🔥 Critical Reception
- “A wonderfully dark short film… fills you with dread and has you in as much of a gut wrench as the parents” — Upcoming On Screen
- “A black comedy that turns deadly serious” — Festival programmers 🎭
- “Stephen Curry’s performance anchors the absurdity with genuine panic” — Critics ⭐
- “The ultimate ‘be careful what you joke about’ cautionary tale” — Audience reactions 😬
💖 Key Themes
- Parental favoritism (literalized to horrifying degree) 👨👧👦
- Impossible choices 🎲
- The absurdity of fairness ⚖️😰
- Dark comedy as coping mechanism 😂🖤
- Family dynamics under pressure 💥
📺 Where to Watch
- Premium Films: International distribution rights available for licensing 🌍
- Festival circuit: Completed major 2023-2024 run, now available for screenings 🎪
- Australian streaming: Check local platforms (Stan, ABC iview) 📱
Bottom Line: Favourites Short Film (2023); This 5-minute Australian black comedy is a devastatingly funny, morally horrifying gem that takes the concept of “playing favorites” to its absolute extreme. With Stephen Curry’s brilliant performance and a premise that’ll make you gasp then laugh, it’s a must-see for fans of dark humor and impossible dilemmas! Just don’t watch it with your kids… or if you have a favorite child! 😱🏕️🇦🇺✨