By Cameron Weston
TOM Vogel and his Angry Penguin simply will not quit.
Mr Vogel shot to fame last year in the fringe-world of short films when his 10-minute piece, The Angry Penguin, became a cult hit.
The Newport resident is now capitalising on his success and making a name for himself by organising the Angry Film Festival, a growing concern that gives emerging film-makers a chance to see and be seen on the big screen.
Mr Vogel said the inspiration for the small, home-made festival came from a situation familiar to many struggling young amateurs – rejection.
“I had a few rejections, so I got my own festival up and running.”
Mr Vogel has entered his work in short film festivals like Sydney’s Tropfest and the Melbourne International Film Festival but, with about 1000 and 700 films entered in them respectively, he said it was easy for one to be lost in the crowd.
This meant many little gems never made it to a big screen and, therefore, to an audience.
This is where The Angry Festival filled the niche. With only 18 films screened from 62 entries, the scale was more suited to the medium.
Mr Vogel said the plan was to get film makers involved as much as possible, with many industry heavyweights using the festival as a valuable networking opportunity.
He said short film was an art form, with it’s own unique charms, and that people responded differently to them than they did to a feature film.
“When the films have got a good pace and they cut to the chase, that’s when the audience responds.
“Film makers tend to be able to hit the audience when they tell the story really hard and fast – in about three to five minutes.
“I really look for something that is going to entertain people. It has to have a good story, and it’s good if it has a nice twist at the end.”
The Angry Film Festival kicks off at 7pm, on 11 July, at First Floor, 393 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.
Visit www.angryproductions.org for more information.
