Best Australian Short Film: Bird Drone, a quirky story of a lonely seagull wins best short film competition

A heartfelt story of unrequited love explored through a lonely seagull that falls in love with a drone has taken out the top honours at the inaugural The Best Australian Short Film Competition.
Radheya Jegatheva’s Bird Drone shows the seagull struggling to accept that his newfound object of affection is a human-operated drone with a limited battery life.
The 25-year-old rising star claimed the grand prize of $30,000 at The Shorty’s — Australia’s short film version of The Oscars — on Thursday.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I spent nearly three years directing and animating this film on my laptop. It was a labour of love. And that was, you know, almost, an eighth of my life,” he said.
Run by PerthNow in collaboration with major sponsor SAE University College, the inaugural awards recognised industry talent young and old, near and far, offering a platform to budding storytellers whose stories may have otherwise gone untold.
Entrusted to judge the top 30 entries were some of the nation’s most revered industry figures, including actors Mark Coles Smith and Kirsty Marillier, and director Nel Minchin.
“It was an absolute joy reviewing this year’s short film entries, and being reminded of all the wonderful talent that exists within our creative communities,” Smith said.
