Filmmaker Jane Hamilton-Foster has told Tasmanian Times she felt ‘overwhelmed’ when her short film, Loop, won third place in the Open category at the Very Short Film Festival (VSFF) on 31 May.

“There were a lot of people to say thank you to [at VSFF].”

Loop – which was shot in Tasmania – is about a neurodivergent woman who is stuck and has lost her spark. She longs for an opportunity to pause and uncover everything she has missed, hoping it can lead to happiness.

The film developed out of Hamilton-Foster’s own experience with neurodivergence.

“I’ve discovered something about myself over the past 5-ish years: that I have a neurodivergent brain,” she said.

“I have felt like this answers so many questions about my life and my interactions with things, ideas, people, family, lovers, friends.

“It has brought so much realisation that it came to a point of burn-out. The exhaustion that you can get from realisation is a little unnerving.

“I’m not willing to do the things I used to be willing to do for the sake of keeping others happy. It seems harsh, but the world is exhausting and ‘keeping going’ for the sake of a job or ‘fitting-in’ isn’t something I can do anymore.”

She added that “it’s been an interesting couple of years in the neurodivergent space”.

“Women – who have largely been forgotten in the diagnosis processes – are finally able to connect with each other and realise that maybe they too have ‘different’ brains. The study of bio-chemical and bio-mechanical pathways is so recent and there is so much we don’t know – we need to make sure that we include everybody in studies because it looks different for all of us.”

Hamilton-Foster said she hopes Loop is “a film people want or need to watch more than once to get all the details”.

“There’s a lot in the film that different people can connect with and have conversations about, from living alone as a woman in a rural part of the country to the ins and outs of how a sci-fi loop could exist.”

Empowering emerging filmmakers

The Very Short Film Festival supports emerging filmmakers with free entry, a junior category, and prizes like mentorship and cash awards.

“[It] gives those without industry access a chance to be seen, fostering conversations and communities that lead to more interesting stories and filmmakers nationwide,” VSFF judge David Balfour said in a media release on 4 June.

“That’s powerful.”

Twelve short films — seven in the Open category and five in the Junior category — were showcased at the premiere event, which was held at the State Cinema on 31 May.

“Tamara and the [team at Artology] did a wonderful job in organising everything at the State,” Hamilton-Foster said.

“I was very happy to have the State as the opening for the festival [because] more people were able to see the films. And now [VSFF is] off to Newcastle! That’s just another wonderful treat the organisers have spoilt us with.”

Short films, big impact

Lord Mayor Councillor Anna Reynolds officially opened VSFF on 31 May.

“This is the first time that this wonderful little film festival has occurred in the City of Hobart,” she said during her remarks.

“We don’t have a ‘Hobart Film Festival’, so I’m pleased that we’ve got the Very Short Film Festival to be part of our city.”

Reynolds admitted that making a short film is “a really challenging brief” but it is also “a really exciting break because you have to be so on message”.

“That brings out the diversity in the amazing stories of this country and really celebrates the places and the people of this country.”

The filming of ‘Loop’

Callum J. Jones studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania. He has written fiction and non-fiction for Tasmanian Times since 2018. He can be traced by the smell of fresh coffee.

Follow him on Twitter (@Callum_Jones_10) and Facebook (@callum.j.jones.creative).