Refused Classification
Official Selection - Made in the West Film Festival 2021
Official Selection - Revelation Film Festival 2022
Official Selection - Cannes Short Film Festival 2022
Official Selection - Underground Film Festival Sydney 2022
Official Selection - Queerscreen Mardi Gras Film Festival World Pride 2023
Official Selection - Capricorn Film Festival 2023
WINNER 2022 CANNES SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
Jury Prize - Best LGBT Short
Jury Prize - Best Comedy Short
NOMINATED FOR 2021 MITWFF AWARDS:
Best Film
Best Screenplay ( Bradford Elmore )
Best Actor ( Gabrielle Scawthorn )
Best Supporting Actor ( Bernie Van Tiel )
Best Cinematography ( Kym Vaitiekus )
Best Production Design ( Jess Hole )
Best Original Score ( Nerida Tyson-Chew )
Best Director ( Chris Elena )
A Short Film (and short play) written by Bradford Elmore and Chris Elena
Originally devised as a short play for a Sydney-based festival cancelled by COVID-19, the creative team have redesigned the project for film, keeping all creatives involved.
Refuse Classification was born from an inspiration to show how the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has, and continues to, negatively impact how western screens depict queer relationships, and sex in general. Poly, bisexual and queer audiences struggle to find depictions of their lives on screen without restriction and often with condensed or diminished representation due to a flawed and outdated ratings system. This US-based system affects the honest portrayal of non-heteronormative relationships globally, across film, television and now streaming content.
In it, a polyamorous family grapple with the evolution of their relationship while contending with an omnipresent MPAA at every step. We ask, what would it look like if state censors got into our very homes, onto our sofas, and between our partners? Or have they achieved that already? And just how (un)funny is it to try to meet their standards while staying true to your heart.
CREATIVE TEAM
Written by: Bradford Elmore and Chris Elena
Director: Chris Elena
Executive Producers: Robbi James & Erica Lovell
Director of Photography: Kym Vaitiekus
STAGE CAST
Amy: Alice Anderson
Pamela: Cassady Maddox
Matt: David Halgren
The Man: David Bond
FILM CAST
Amy: Gabrielle Scawthorn
Pamela: Bernie Van Tiel
Matt: Sam O’Sullivan
The Man: David Whitney
The Woman: Angela Elmore
FILM TEAM
DOP & Editor: Kym Vaitiekus
Production Manager: Will Usic
1st Assistant Director: Stefan Goslinga
2nd Assistant Director: Nicole Fouzas and Janine Lau
Sound: Rowan Yeoman
Music: Nerida Tyson-Chew
Art Director, Costumes, Hair and Make-up: Jess Stirnemann
Asst Art Director: Nathan Knowles
Camera Assistants: Reswin Bahas and Blake Wise
Gaffer: Will Suen
Best Boys: Lucky Chen & Kenji Sasai
Colourist and VFX: Tim Egan
Script Supervisors: Bradford Elmore And Isabela Gonzalez
Intimacy Coordinator: Erica Lovell
Archive Photography: Parker Floris
Fundraising
A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who donated to our Australian Cultural Fund Campaign. We’re so thrilled to have raised over $8000 toward this project with your love and support.
Thanks to the support of the Australian Cultural Fund we were able to offer tax-deductible donations toward the making of the film - and we raised 100% of our first goal in just three weeks. With the shoot costs covered we are now hoping to find an angel or two to help us with the final costs toward artists fees and festival marketing.
This film has been an exceptional opportunity for the company and artists involved to adapt their theatrical practice for a new art form. Working with the director of an award-winning short film (Chris Elena, Audio Guide) Refuse Classification has pre-selection at film festivals in Australia and the USA, and a bright future exists for this and future work from the team
Funding bodies in Australia no longer support stand-alone short film projects. Short films provide invaluable opportunities for emerging artists to explore new fields, grow skills, and tell stories unable to be told elsewhere. This is a short story but it’s an important one and we want to share it with the world.