2nd FEMME FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL (2017)
- Short Film Editing – Jarrah Gurrie
- Short Film Writing – Anna Kerrigan
- Male Performance – Byron Quiros
- Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize) – Anna Kerrigan
How awkward is it to not be one of the cool kids invited to a teen house party? Ask Andrea (Jess Gabor) who desperately wants to be part of birthday girl Daphne’s (Carmela Zumbado) exclusive clique. Daphne has gotten her besties all together from private school (most of them still in their uniforms) and treated herself to her first male stripper as she turns 18.
Jonny Cash (Byron Quiros) – yes, really- shows up ready to raise the roof and only makes a perfunctory protest over the ages of these young women practically salivating at the prospect of him doing his thing. The female gaze is explored here and it is interesting to see who embraces their sexuality and who backs down from Jonny’s offer of further entertainment-for a price.
A great study in how a clique can make or break a young person’s self-esteem, Hot Seat works as a solid proof of concept that leaves the viewer wanting more of the story of the characters we are introduced to. A minor quibble is the film’s depiction of teen smoking as a rite of passage. While this may be true, it should not be encouraged as something all the “cool” kids do since we should all know better by now the harm it can cause.
