‘Crimson Sands’, a short film directed by SAE student Mia Charleson and shot and edited by fellow student Brady O’Sullivan as part of their Bachelor of Film coursework, has made a splash in several film festivals across the globe.
Mia was shortlisted for the Best Australian Short Film competition and received an honourable mention alongside producer Ganesh Tiwari at the Changing Faces Film Festival in Sydney.
Brady won Best Cinematographer at the Madrid and Shorts Film Festival and the International World Film Awards in Cambridge, as well as Best Student Cinematographer at the European Cinematography Awards and the New York Cinematography Awards. He was also named a finalist six times and shortlisted four times in various other festivals.
Brady said he was surprised and excited by the film’s success.
“I hadn’t really worked on something that was thriller-related with that kind of environment and atmosphere, so I feel like that helped me develop my cinematography skills,” he said.
“It was really cool to get recognised for it.”
He felt particularly proud of winning open categories, where he went up against industry cinematographers.
Mia said she, Brady and the rest of the cast and crew poured their hearts and souls into the short film.
“I am so glad this film got the recognition it deserved, and so did the crew and actors, as none of us could have done it without each other,” she said.
“It was massive for me when it recently got picked for The Best Australian Short Film Festival and I was amazed when Brady sent me the list of winnings for the cinematography as it had not only won most of the categories, but in international festivals as well!”
The broody noir piece, set in rural Australia, explores themes of mental illness and domestic violence, following an isolated protagonist suffering hallucinations and psychological torment around a former relationship.
Mia developed the concept and script for ‘Crimson Sands’, by drawing on regular family trips across regional NSW and Victoria to Swan Hill, Wagga Wagga, Ballarat and Daylesford as a child.
“These times inspired me to write a country Australian film touching on the topic of mental health, as it is a massive issue around country life and farmers,” she said.
“I drew on my own experience of ADHD and dyslexia to write the film and characters in a way that was not overused or predictable.”
Brady said he has dreamed of working in film since he was a child growing up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in Freshwater.
“I started doing film stuff when I was about 10 years old,” he said.
Both Brady and Mia pointed to the collaborative nature of the film as contributing to its success.
“It is definitely a shared achievement, because my role was as the cinematographer, but that’s really just a way to portray what the director’s vision is,” Brady said.
Mia said they couldn’t have done it without the support of the University College.
“SAE helped with getting us all familiar with industry-standard equipment and procedures, which allowed us to be professional and safe when outsourcing locations and actors,” she said.
SAE University College General Manager Dr Luke McMillan commended the group on the film’s outstanding success.
“For more than 45 years, SAE has earned a strong international reputation for delivering practical experiences, industry connections and real-world opportunities to our students,” he said.
“The success Mia, Brady and the rest of the cast and crew have had with ‘Crimson Sands’ at home and abroad confirms that our students graduate with skills that are of an international calibre.”
