Australian 2020 Oscars contender JUDAS COLLAR announces limited ten-day online release

Western Australian Writer/Director Alison James and WA Producer Brooke Tia Silcox are thrilled to announce their critically acclaimed, award-winning short film, JUDAS COLLAR will be released online for a limited ten-day release on Monday, 4 November 2019 as part of its 2020 Oscars campaign.

Following countless accolades, glowing reviews and 100 festival screenings across the globe including official selection at eight Academy Accredited film festivals, the film has twice qualified for the Academy Awards Live Action Short Film category through winning Best Narrative Short Film at the Academy Accredited Austin Film Festival in Texas and St Kilda Film Festival in Melbourne.

The film has also resulted in Alison securing Hollywood representation. Just days after it premiered at AFF 2018, WME talent agent Phil D’Amecourt who represents Armie Hammer and Avengers directors Anthony and Joe Russo along with fellow agent Tanya Cohen, repping Jake Gyllenhaal and M. Night Shyamalan were visiting the set of Netflix’s upcoming feature RATTLESNAKE, written and directed by Alison’s husband Zak Hilditch (Stephen King’s 1922, THESE FINAL HOURS) when Hilditch mentioned the Austin win.

Cohen and D’Amecourt had heard of “the camel film”, not realising it was written and directed by Alison. They watched JUDAS COLLAR in their Uber back to the airport, calling and signing her on the spot. Alison was subsequently signed by Grandview founding partner and manager Jeff Silver. Alison won Best Screenplay at the Australian Writers’ Guild Awards (AWGIE) and Best Director at St Kilda Film Festival, and Brooke is nominated for Best Short Film at the upcoming Screen Producers Awards being held in Melbourne on 14 November 2019.

Based on a real-life practice, JUDAS COLLAR is a scripted, non-dialogue, live action short film that explores the story of a camel used to betray her kind. It is a heartbreaking tale about the camel culling practice whereby a tracking device with the biblical name ‘Judas Collar’ is used to control camel populations in Australia.

Alison and Brooke filmed the short in regional Western Australia with a cast made up entirely of camels. The female filmmaking duo and their small crew endured extreme conditions on the shoot including having the camel float breakdown, two bogged vehicles, eight flat tyres and desert temperatures. All the while, Alison was four and a half months pregnant.

Upon release, the film will be the Short of the Week on Vimeo and will also be available on Facebook, YouTube, Omeletto, LinkedIn and Instagram.

An impressive online audience response will go a long way in supporting the film’s Oscars 2020 campaign, so Alison and Brooke are encouraging all Australians to get behind this homegrown success story and watch it before it’s taken offline while the Academy casts their votes.

Alison and Brooke are currently in LA attending festival screenings, presenting the film to Academy members and attending press interviews while they wait to hear the 2020 Oscar nominees announced next month.

JUDAS COLLAR limited online release will be from November 4 – 14, 2019 at www.judascollar.com

JUDAS COLLAR was developed and produced with support from Screenwest and Lotterywest and Executive Produced by WBMC and Walker Films.

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