Close, by Belgian director Lukas Dhont, explores a powerful, intimate bond between two 13-year-old boys that is shattered by the transition to high school.
Close is highly personal to Dhont, who found inspiration when he returned to his primary school and re-examined his early male friendships and sexuality: "The memories came flooding back of going to school at that time, when it was really tough to be my true, unfiltered self," he said in press notes for the film.
Accepting the award via a video message, Dhont said: "We wanted to make a film about friendship and connection after a moment in time where we all understood its necessity and power."This year's Documentary Australia Award was awarded to Luke Cornish for Keep Stepping, which takes viewers into the street dance subculture, through the prism of Australia's flagship annual competition, Destructive Steps.
This year, the festival opened in June as normal, with full capacity audiences. While masks were worn by all venue staff, they were not mandatory for audience members. Artistic director Nashen Moodley told ABC RN's The Screen Show: "The turnaround from November to June is extremely tight for us; usually we have a year between festivals."
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