Bunny New Girl: Unmasking the anxiety of a first day at school
Bunny New Girl is a multiple award-winning Australian short film that follows shy young Annabelle Dunn (Molly Williams) from Western Australia as she embarks on her first day of school in Sydney.And if second grade isn’t tricky enough, upon entering her new class, Annabelle is almost immediately forced to confront her external barriers and unveil her hidden secret.This imaginative story, magnified through the eyes of childlike innocence and its instant bonds of friendship, highlights how doubt, fear and self-consciousness can be overcome through support, acceptance and camaraderie.Melbourne-born Natalie van den Dungen can now add writer to an already diverse range of film and television credits, including director, producer, cinematographer, camera operator and editor.In 2011, van den Dungen directed and produced feature documentary Persecution Blues: The Battle for the Tote and double DVD live performance, The Drones: A Thousand Mistakes, which together caught the attention of Screen Australia, SBS, ABC and Triple J.However, it is her uplifting tale Bunny New Girl that has since garnered international acclaim, winning 13 Best Category Awards at film festivals in Europe, Russia, Singapore, Japan and the US, as well as three additional nominations.Starring Aussie actress and AACTA award winner Susan Prior (The Rover, Animal Kingdom, Puberty Blues) and Peter Fenton (Praise, Love is a Four Letter Word), this heart-warming portrayal of a little girl and her bunny mask transports us back to that first friendship when you realise you’ve found someone in the world who is just as weird as you.And, possibly, even weirder.For more information, contact media@BBFF.com.au, or call Digby Hildreth on 0401 935 760.To buy tickets or a Flexi-Pass, you can download the Ferve app on your iPhone or Android. You can also buy online at bbff.com.au or in person at the Byron Community Centre.
