SPRINGVALE filmmaker Al Mehicevic was stunned when he found out his 13-minute short film
Razor was selected for screening at next month's St Kilda Film Festival. Mehicevic, a Bosnian man who migrated to Australia from the Czech Republic in 1994, said he almost fell off his chair when he opened the letter of acceptance.
"It is a wonderful achievement. Often there are more than 800 entries into the festival and only 100 are selected. My lecturers were also surprised."
The 35yearold is undertaking a masters degree at Deakin University in Burwood and has based his major project, a film about the unfolding friendship between a private detention centre officer and an Afghani asylum seeker, on personal experience.
"I had an experience in 1999 when I was returning to Bosnia, but I missed my flight at a stopover in Serbia. I was stuck at the airport for four days and there was a Serbian guard who bought me food.
"On the first day he just slapped down the food and didn't say a word, but by the fourth day we were talking with each other like friends and wanting to know about each other."
Mr Mehicevic shot the movie in Werribee on a shoestring budget with two actors and 20 crew who did it ``for the love of the art''.
"The film will also be shown at the Bosnian Film Festival at the Tribeca Cinema, New York, and at the Short Film Corner exhibition at the Cannes Film Festival next month,'' he said.
He wants to go to Cannes to support the movie but, being a student without a steady income, he is strapped for funds and is hoping for support from the community. He also has a full-length feature film project on the horizon.
"I am working on a screenplay based on a book called Linden Girl by Pamela Rajkowski.
"Obviously, I will need permission to make the film, but it is a lovely story about an Afghan boy and an Aboriginal girl who run from Perth to Adelaide on a camel to get married.''
Mr Mehicevic has started up a small, unnamed Bosnian theatre company.
"We have seven actors, all of Bosnian background, and we're looking for more. We meet at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Centre in Springvale, but are also looking for somewhere to stage a production.''
Razor will screen at the St Kilda Film Festival on May 31 at 6pm.
DVD copies of the movie are available by phoning Mr Mehicevic on 0400 131 770 or from his sponsor Asmara Cafe, 365B Springvale Road. The cafe is offering anyone who purchases the DVD a free coffee.
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