Australian High Commission
Mauritius
Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, Comoros, Reunion Island (consular)

Film Festival 2007 - The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello

THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO

Screening at the Serge Constantin Theatre, Vacoas
Monday 19 February 2007 from 7:30 PM

Synopsis

Jasper Morello (voice of Joel Edgerton), guilt-ridden over a fatal accident in which caused a man's death, leaves his Plague-ridden planet on board a space ship under the no-nonsense Captain Grimwald (Tommy Dysart), desperate to redeem himself. He is joined by Aerial Biologist Dr Belgon (Helmut Bakaitis), sent by The Academy for scientific purposes. The chance discovery of an abandoned dirigible leads Jasper through unchartered waters to an island on which lives a terrifying creature that may provide the cure for the Plague. The journey back to civilization is filled with horrors and Jasper's redemption is elusive.

Review

Courtesy of Andrew L. Urban (www.urbancinefile.com.au)

Gothic sci-fi in which elements, machines and ideas of the past and the future merge; a space ship is exactly that. A ship flying in space. Well, not exactly, since the animation turns everyday objects into mysterious, spiky versions of their familiar selves. The characters are all in black, angular silhouettes, with occasional highlight features, like spectacles.

Eye-catchingly singular, with a narrow colour palette outside the basic black, of pale blues, with a few splashes of red. The film is dark, complex and fatalistic.

With its mythic qualities, the stylised narration (Edgerton) and its haunting, other worldly mood, Jasper Morello is a unique and remarkable addition to Australian cinema. 

Production Information

Director: Anthony Lucas
Producers: Susie Campbell, Anthony Lucas, Julia Lucas
Writer: Mark Shirrefs
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Helmut Bakaitis, Tommy Dysart, Jude Beaumont, Lewis Fiand
Duration: 26 min
Genre: Short animation
Screen Ratio: Wide screen 1:1.85

Selected Awards

  • 2006 Academy Awards USA nominated for Best Short Film nominated
  • 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Short Animation
  • 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Outstanding in Achievement in a Craft in a Non- Feature
  • 2005 Vallodalid International Film Festival won Best Short Film

 


 

Australian Film Festival 2007 proudly sponsored by:
  • Australian Film Commission
  • Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • The Ministry of Arts and Culture
  • The Mauritius Film Development Corporation
  • Air Mauritius
  • IDP Education
  • La Sentinelle
  • Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
  • Scott & Co Ltd
  • Urban Cinefile

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