Experiencing Interruptions?

IMPERIUM

A father stuck in the past. A son searching for an escape. And a family business caught right in the middle, inching ever closer towards oblivion.

  • Indigo Parer
    Director
    First Assistant Director - 'Land of Nod' Short Film (2021), Second Assistant Director - 'I Wanted to be a Butterfly' Short Film 2021), Actor - 'Moja Vesna' Feature Film (2022), 1st AD - 'Deep Clean' Short Film (2023), Actor - 'Dress to Impress' Short Film (2024), Voice Actor - 'A Fox and a Sun' Short Film (2024)
  • Josh Massarotti
    Writer
    Director/Writer - 'Land of Nod' Short Film (2021)
  • Alper Kasap
    Director of Photography
    Cinematographer - ‘Crossfire’ (2019) Short Film, ‘The Fall’ (2020) Short Film, ‘The Ninth Tower (2021) Short Film, ‘Land of Nod’ (2022) Short Film, ‘Sanzelize Dügün Salonu’ (2023) TV Show, ‘Mr Gypsie’ (2023) Short Film
  • Natalia Nespeca
    Producer
    Production Assistant - 'MasterChef' TV Show, 'The Weekly' TV Show, 'Hunted' TV Show, 'The Cheap Seats' TV Show
  • Maia Abbas
    Producer
    Actor - 'Secret Bridesmaids' Business' (2019) TV Show, 'Fires' (2021) TV Show, 'Land of Nod' (2022) TV Show, 'Savage River' (2022) TV Show, 'Apple Cider Vinegar' (2023) TV Show, 'House of Gods' (2024) TV Show
  • Sal Galofaro
    Key Cast
    "Julio"
    Actor - 'Broken' Short Film (2018), 'Crossfire' Short Film (2019), 'Mr Gypsie' Short Film (2023), 'Sunflower' Short Film (2023)
  • Josh Massarotti
    Key Cast
    "Lucio"
    Actor - 'Mr Gypsie' Short Film (2022), Actor 'Why Can't We Have Nice Things' Short Film (2023)
  • Francesca Arena
    Key Cast
    "Angela"
    Actor - 'Cats the Musical' Stageplay (2008), 'In the Heights' Stageplay (2015), 'Antigone in New York' Stageplay (2017), 'Leaving Darkness' Short Film (2018), 'I Wanted to be a Butterfly' Short Film (2022), 'Love, Tea & Epiphany' Feature Film (2025)
  • Tom Arcaro
    Key Cast
    "Vince"
    Actor - 'The Sound of Music' Stageplay (2017), 'The Addams Family' Stageplay (2019), 'White Rose' Short Film (2020), 'Breathe' Short Film (2021)
  • Alex Francis
    Sound Designer/Foley Artist
    Foley Artist - 'Nitram' Feature Film (2021), 'The Power of the Dog' Feature Film (2022), Sound Designer - 'Monkie Kid' TV Series (2022)
  • Daniel Stonehouse
    Colourist
    Colourist - 'Marungka Tjalatjunu' Short Film (2022), 'The Defenders' TV Documentary (2023), 'Bromley: Light After Dark' TV Documentary (2023)
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 27, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English, Italian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4k with ALEXA 35
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Indigo Parer

Since graduating in 2015 from the New York Film Academy (Gold Coast) with a Diploma in Screen and Media, Indigo has relocated to Melbourne where he made his theatre debut as Gately, in the stage play ‘PVT Wars’ (2018), before co-founding Exodus Films in early 2020.

In 2021 he gained experience as a First Assistant Director, working on award winning films such as ‘Land of Nod’ and ‘I Wanted to be a Butterfly’, the latter of which he won ‘Best Editing’ at the Rome Independent Film Awards.

Recently, Indigo has appeared in the Slovenian-Australian feature film Moja Vesna (2022), before shifting his full attention to producing ‘IMPERIUM’ (2024), with which he will also make his directorial debut.

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Director Statement

I’ve been a teller of stories for as long as I can remember. There was me when I was 5, playing in the back yard with nothing but a broom stick, pretending I was a wizard and believing it utterly and entirely. Or me when I was 14, in school and discovering drama class for first time, eyes all wide with ideas and curiosity. For a long time acting is what was at the core of me, but we grow older and our sensibilities and interests change, naturally.

When Josh first came to me with the proposal that I direct our next film ‘Imperium’, I recall a sense of excitement sinking in, shortly followed by a heightened sense of fear. Throughout the pre-production, that never went away. The fear of the unknown. And the self critiquing of course, things like ‘You’re not right for this’, ‘You don’t speak Italian’. It went on and on. And so soon enough, it’s time to block out the head noise and take a step back to say: You’re a story teller. You always have been.

For me, that was the switch that needed to be flicked. Back to basics. Let’s talk character, let’s talk place and let’s sit with these people for a moment, to be a fly on the wall. In another time and another place. That’s the beauty of cinema isn’t it. To sit in a theatre, lights going down, popcorn in hand. To be transported, if only for a moment, to a new world. To people watch. To ask questions and forget about your own life for a while. That’s story telling and that’s why I love films.

Josh wrote a wonderful screenplay with ‘Imperium’, it explores addiction, inter-generational trauma, family and touches on the hardships of immigration. But the script doesn’t bother itself to throw these things in your face. They’re layered in there for you to find. I hope we’ve gone some ways to realising the script Josh entrusted me with.

We had an amazing cast on this film, coupled with a brilliant crew who were working at the top of their game. I’m proud of each and every one of them. And I’m eternally grateful that I was able to be a part of it.