Young local filmmaker Brady O'Sullivan takes on Cannes

The emerging filmmaker is in France for Cannes Film Festival, participating in masterclasses, industry panel discussions, the film marketplace - and attending as many film screenings as possible.

The 18-year-old, from Freshwater, also managed to meet his favourite actor, Woody Harrelson, at a masterclass the prolific star was teaching.

For his HSC, O'Sullivan produced and directed a short film called Sydney 2078, which made the cut for The American Pavilion's (AMPav) emerging filmmaker program. It introduces a teenage boy from the northern beaches, played by Gordon Carroll, who has a fascination for science fiction movies and novels and experiences a vision during the night which leads him on an inter-dimensional endeavour into the future.

O'Sullivan's film was one of 33 to be selected from around the globe as part of the 2022 showcase and will be presented alongside 68 finalist films from the 2020 and 2021 editions of the program.

Two other talented young Australians, Sydney's Michael Raso and Mudgee's Jessica Nipperess, are also in Cannes for the program.

Since 1989, AmPav has offered experiences in Cannes to film students from around the world, as well as the opportunity for young filmmakers to have their works seen by Cannes Festival and Film Market attendees.

Julie Sisk, founder and director of AmPav, said the 2022 cohort of student filmmakers and young talents was bringing a richly diverse program exploring topics such as the meaning of community, gender identity, COVID, cultural identity, family dynamics, the quest for love and more.

This may not be the last Cannes sees of O'Sullivan. He is now in his first year of film school - he's studying film and cinematography at SAE Creative Institute Sydney - and is now even more determined to follow his filmmaking dreams.

The full list of finalist projects screening this year can be found at ampav.com. See the Sydney 2078 trailer at northernbeachesreview.com.au.

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