2017 FAKESHEMP.NET AWARDS

It's that time of year again when we celebrate independent Australian filmmaking by awarding our favourite local films with individual awards. Our criteria is simple... the films must be Australian (doi), they must be independent and they must have received a festival, theatrical or home-entertainment/streaming release in 2017. All other factors are at our discretion. 

Congratulations to THE LEGEND OF BEN HALL, THE VIPER'S HEX and HOUNDS OF LOVE. They will each receive a personalised, signed and framed award.

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There was no denying the impact that Matthew Holmes' THE LEGEND OF BEN HALL had on me in 2017. I had followed its production from the early days, when it was still a short film, right through to it's release at cinemas across rural Australia. My review speaks for itself.  

"It avoids cliché while taking advantage of the 'western' tropes, and successfully makes an Australian story universal."

I stand by those words. BEN HALL is a remarkable, sophisticated and courageous independent film from one of Australia's most exciting up and coming filmmakers. 

It goes without saying that I am proud to award THE LEGEND OF BEN HALL with Glenn's FakeShemp.Net Award for 'Best Australian Film' and I would encourage everyone to buy it (or stream it) and watch it as soon as possible. Support an important filmmaker and our incredible local industry.  - GLENN.

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In the three years since Addison Heath & Jasmine Jakupi first guested on our podcast to promote their 2014 film, UNDER A KALEIDOSCOPE, their production company Black Forest Films has gone on to produce a further three features. Their latest, THE VIPER’S HEX, marks the feature directorial collaborative debut of Heath & Jakupi and is without a doubt their boldest film yet.

An Australian/Japanese co-production, THE VIPER’S HEX is a hard-edged drama that fuses familiar elements of the pair’s previous efforts with a newfound subtlety to craft a film that is as deeply moving as it is unflinchingly brutal.

​Its world premiere at last November’s Monster Fest left me in awe, so impressed by its balance of technical aesthetic and profound storytelling, I found myself in an hour-long conversation with the filmmakers immediately afterward. THE VIPER’S HEX is an outstanding accomplishment for both the Black Forest Films team and independent Australian cinema, as such I have awarded it with Jarret’s FakeShemp.Net Award for ‘Best Australian Film’. - JARRET.

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HOUNDS OF LOVE is, in this humble reviewers opinion, the best independent Australian release of 2017. Perfectly paced, unsettling and rattling to the core, it's filled with a trio of razor-sharp performances from the leads and it’s a shame it didn't garner more attention.

Ben Young, showing a confidence beyond his experience in this realm, has the viewer exactly where he wants them at every step of the narrative; a vice-like grip, commanding your attention even when the horrors unfolding are too much to bear.

It’s not a film for everyone but those who experience it aren’t likely to forget it any time soon and that is the mark of a great film. I am proud to award it the Shaun's FakeShemp.Net Award for .Best Aussie Film'. - SHAUN.
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