Experiencing Interruptions?

Dusty

After the death of his best friend, we follow Dustin on a grief-induced bender for one. Amidst the chaos, he accidentally mixes her ashes with a fat slug of cocaine, and to his utter confusion, Ashleigh appears. He realises the more ashes he combines with the ever-growing quantity of drugs, the more vivid Ashleigh becomes, and the longer she stays. They proceed to have the time of their lives. Dusty goes to great lengths to keep her memory alive, taking his mind and body to places they were never meant to go.

  • Jeremy Lindsay Taylor
    Director
    Puberty Blues, The Dry, Underbelly, C*A*U*G*H*T, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Transfusion, Bump, Heartbreak High
  • Travis Jeffery
    Writer
    Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes, Unbroken, The Preacher, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Gallipoli, Danger Close
  • Travis Jeffery
    Producer
    Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes, Unbroken, The Preacher, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Gallipoli, Danger Close
  • Elizabeth Sarah Middleton
    Producer
    The Nightingale, The Hustle, Belonging, Beecham House, Blinded By The Light, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Surpri!, Strife
  • Valentin Lang
    Producer
    Domesticated, Boogey Man, Last King of the Kross, Home and Away
  • Jeremy Lindsay Taylor
    Producer
    Puberty Blues, The Dry, Underbelly, C*A*U*G*H*T, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Transfusion, Bump, Heartbreak High
  • Travis Jeffery
    Key Cast
    "Dusty"
    Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes, Unbroken, The Preacher, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Gallipoli, Danger Close
  • Shannon Ryan
    Key Cast
    "Ashleigh "
    First Moon, Age
  • Susie Porter
    Key Cast
    "Mumma"
    East West 101, Puberty Blues, Cargo
  • Kate Cornish
    Director of Photography
    Nugget is Dead, Dive, Dykes on Bikes
  • Jessie Hildrebrand
    Editor
    Bump, The Kettering Incident
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Black Comedy
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 6, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    46,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cannes Indie Shorts Awards
    Cannes
    France
    June 7, 2025
    Cannes New Waves Online Event
  • Vaughan International Film Festival
    Ontario
    Canada
    June 18, 2025
    Canadian Premiere
    OFFICIAL SELECTION
  • Brooklyn Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    May 6, 2025
    East Coast Premiere
    OFFICIAL SELECTION
  • Sparrowland Short Film Festival
    Milton
    Australia
    May 31, 2025
    WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM
  • FP Arts Short Film Festival
    East Kilbride
    United Kingdom
    May 9, 2025
    WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM, BEST MAKE UP, BEST ACTOR
  • Melbourne Nocturnal Film Festival
    Melbourne
    Australia
    May 7, 2025
    OFFICIAL SELECTION
  • Venezia Shorts
    Venezia
    Italy
    April 30, 2025
    SEMI FINALIST
  • Bass Coast Shorts
    Wonthaggi
    Australia
    April 26, 2025
    WINNER: BEST ACTOR
  • Hollywood Shortsfest
    Los Angelas
    United States
    April 16, 2025
    HONOURABLE MENTION
  • Beverly Hills Film Festival
    Beverly Hills
    United States
    April 4, 2025
    U.S Premiere
    OFFICIAL SELECTION
  • Manchester Film Festival
    Manchester
    United Kingdom
    March 22, 2025
    WINNER - BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
  • FP Arts Short Film Festival
    East Kilbride
    United Kingdom
    February 21, 2025
    Scottish Premiere
    WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM
  • Liverpool Film Festival
    Liverpool
    United Kingdom
    December 11, 2024
    United Kingdom Premiere
    WINNER - BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ACTRESS, BEST ACTOR
  • Made In The West
    Liverpool
    Australia
    November 30, 2024
    WINNER - BEST SHORT FILM, AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD, BEST LEAD ACTOR, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN, NOMINEE - BEST DIRECTOR, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, BEST EDITOR, BEST SOUND DESIGN, BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE
  • Australian Screen Editors
    Sydney
    Australia
    WINNER ELLIE AWARD - BEST EDITING IN A SHORT DRAMA
  • Canberra Short Film Festival
    Canberra
    Australia
    November 6, 2024
    Australian Capital Territory Premiere
    WINNER - BEST LEAD ACTOR
  • Australian Cinematographers Society
    Sydney
    Australia
    November 2, 2024
    NOMINEE - CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD
  • Brisbane International Film Festival
    Brisbane
    Australia
    October 26, 2024
    Queensland Premiere
    WINNER - BEST AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILM
  • The Francigena Film Festival
    Tuscany
    Italy
    September 21, 2024
    WINNER - BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ACTOR, NOMINEE - BEST SHORT FILM
  • CinéfestOZ Film Festival
    Western Australia
    Australia
    September 3, 2024
    Western Australian Premiere
    WINNER - BEST DIRECTOR, NOMINEE - BEST SHORT FILM, BEST LEAD ACTOR
  • St Kilda Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    June 6, 2024
    World Premiere
    NOMINEE - BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Director Biography - Jeremy Lindsay Taylor

Jeremy is well known to Australian audiences for a variety of roles across film, television and theatre. Some of Jeremy’s credits include Black Comedy, Love Child, Home and Away, Gallipoli, Puberty Blues, Underbelly: Razor, Heartbreak High, Transfusion and The Dry. Recently Jeremy has appeared in Force of Nature: The Dry 2, Amazon series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Claremont Murders, Stans Original series CAUGHT starring Sean Penn and Matthew Fox and the comedy feature film AUDREY which had its International premier at 2024 SXSW Film Festival Austin Texas. Jeremy has been nominated for the AACTA Choice Award for his outstanding portrayal of Norman Bruhn in Underbelly: Razor, an AFI Award nomination for Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama for his role in False Witness and a Green Room Award for Best Featured Actor in a Theatre Production for MTC’s Take Me Out.

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Director Statement

Grief, intense sorrow, the loss of a loved one, is something every human being experiences in their lifetime. How each of us copes with it is what varies dramatically. DUSTY is a deeply personal and courageous story written by my incredibly talented dear friend, Travis Jeffrey. It’s been an absolute honour to step behind the camera for the first time with such an empowered, professional and passionate team of creatives and bring this story to life. I truly believe taking on such a universal and crucial subject matter opened the door for good Karma throughout the film making process. So, take a seat, strap yourselves into our DUSTY rollercoaster, and be prepared to be punched in the heart!