Shortwave - New Screen Commissions

Shortwave - New Screen Commissions

3 Seasons

Shortwave is a commissioning program from Sydney Opera House that invites interdisciplinary artists to explore their relationship with the screen.

In 2023, this playful and provocative showcase included short films by Brad Darkson, Nasim Patel, JD Reforma, Claudia Nicholson, Riana Head-Toussaint and Feras Shaheen. Together, they presented films that spoke to the moment, channeling dance, the internet, photography, disability, artificial intelligence and and experimental film techniques.

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Shortwave - New Screen Commissions
  • Shortwave: Trà Mi Dinh - Nhang Trầm Hương (2024)

    Episode 1

    Nhang Trầm Hương is a cinematic movement piece suspended in a cloud of incense smoke.

    In an abstract choreography of body and film, Dinh considers her relationship to incense, identity, and family. Incense smoke is fleeting; always moving, unfurling, expanding. As it curls and wafts through spac...

  • Shortwave: Blak Social - Gatekeepers (2024)

    Episode 2

    Gatekeepers is a hidden bar out the back of Haze Land in Queen’s City. The place where you find all the Indigenous musicians you never get to meet because of the gatekeepers in the music industry.

    Gatekeepers is the fourth instalment of Blak Social’s Queenscitiverse project which already include...

  • Shortwave: Maissa Alameddine & Narjis Mirza - Mohabbat, a Lullaby ... (2024)

    Episode 3

    Maissa Alameddine & Narjis Mirza - Mohabbat, a Lullaby for a Rising.

    Multi-disciplinary artists Maissa Alameddine and Narjis Mirza share a practice of working collaboratively with their communities, developing contemporary stories grounded in their diasporic experiences. Stemming from their rec...

  • Shortwave: Em Yali - Planetether Kin (2024)

    Episode 4

    Planetether Kin follows an exploration of human relationships with the Earth and each other. Through a blend of neo-ritualistic practices and contemporary film techniques, we embark on a journey of intergenerational wisdom and interconnectedness. Soft sculpture and earth materials guide us throug...

  • Shortwave: Mat Spisbah, Harrison Hall, Li Yi Fan - If you cant Larp... (2024)

    Episode 5

    "If you cant Larp, You'll cry" scrutinises the shift in digital media production brought about by the subscription economy and the implications of not owning but merely accessing software. It explores how these tools have changed the way we communicate, and created new desires for understanding a...

  • Shortwave: Tahlia Palmer - Look Intruder (2024)

    Episode 6

    Look Intruder confronts the volatility of Australian national identity, a concept fraught with contradictions, where symbols and narratives of colonial triumph mask harsh realities. The flag’s southern cross and union jack are to be found everywhere, floating above, haunting and hanging. “Austral...