Experiencing Interruptions?

Dusty

DUSTY is an ambitious dark comedy that explores the toxic side of grief. 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 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 14, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    42,000 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
  • St Kilda Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    June 6, 2024
    World Premiere
    Nominated for Best Achievement in Editing
  • CinéfestOZ Film Festival
    Western Australia
    Australia
    September 3, 2024
    Western Australian Premiere
    Winner of Best Director, Nominated for Best Short Film, Nominated for Best Lead Actor
  • The Francigena Film Festival
    Tuscany
    Italy
    September 19, 2024
    Short Film Finalist, Winner of Best Director, Winner of Best Actor
  • Brisbane International Film Festival
    Brisbane
    Australia
    September 26, 2024
    Queensland Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Canberra Short Film Festival
    Canberra
    Australia
    November 6, 2024
    Australian Capital Territory Premiere
    Official Selection
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.

Add Director Biography
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!