The word 'RIFE' in bold, irregular white letters on a black background.

RIFF (RMITV Independent Film Festival) is a student film festival that invites students to showcase their short films in one big event! The 2024 theme was "bittersweet," inspiring the curated selection of films that explore complex emotions. The festival encourages filmmakers to approach their work as an art form, using the audiovisual medium to its fullest to create impactful, visually engaging stories.

To make this event happen, RMITV collaborated with The Cinematic Collective Club (TCC) at RMIT.

About the Collaboration

RMITV and TCC share a mission of engaging students through media, film, and television, and this collaboration aims to unify their communities. By combining their unique strengths and networks, RMITV and TCC aim to present a broader range of film genres and styles at the festival, attracting a diverse audience and providing an inclusive platform for filmmakers. This partnership enriches the festival's quality and reach, promoting a sense of community and support within Melbourne/Naarm's emerging audiovisual industry.

Digital illustration of a woman with wavy, shoulder-length hair and a neutral expression, with a pink background and white decorative border. Text overlay reads "I Love You In The End 1st Place Winner Riff."

2024 RIFF WINNERS

Two young women sitting on stools indoors, one with glasses and a T-shirt, the other with dark hair and a light-colored jacket, smiling and looking at something off-camera.

Black-and-white photo of a woman with exaggerated clown makeup, smiling, holding her face with both hands, with a red border around the image.

Close-up of a woman with wavy brown hair and blue eyes looking to the side with a gentle expression against a blurred nighttime cityscape background.

Pilgrims

by Ali Sadek

On an eye-opening trip to his birthplace, Cairo, Ali is subject to an onslaught of cultural dissonance, which unleashes an inner crisis of disjointed identity, caught between the culture he left behind and the one he’s never really belonged to.

A camera viewfinder capturing a scene of a woman with long blonde hair and a man with dark hair in a dark setting, with date 20.7.2001 displayed on the screen.

Days of Candy

A young boy is confronted by his ex-girlfriend's father following a messy break-up

Director - Gilmer Gil Writer and Producer - Ashok Vasu

Starring - Nick Chua and Ravi Shankar

Story By - Utrraa

Director of Photography - Edmundo Lee Yan Hang

Edited By - Edmundo Lee Yan Hang Sound By - Hans Fuad Shahruddin

Gaffer - Hans Fuad Shahruddin

Assistant Director - Vinod Ramachandran Production Assistant - Isa Narotama

Original Score - Thinesh Additional Photography - Nicholas L.Y.M.

Dear Mum

Interviewing my own Mother, Genevieve Barker, the single mother of two reflects on her life from early childhood to motherhood, and now to her recent diagnosis with Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma). Exploring the stages of grief that come with expecting a loved one to soon pass, Libby Thomas investigates how their Mother’s own life experiences have influenced their own identity.

Director and Producer- Thomas Libby

Camera and Lighting Operator - Ashley Foot

Location Sound Recordist - Mikaela Ellery

First AD- Ronan Jenkins

Production Assistant - Paul Millican

A young man sitting on a park swing with an older man sitting on a nearby bench at night, both looking down in thought.

Close-up of a young man with brown hair and green eyes, with his mouth open, holding a black object near his mouth, in a home setting with a blurred plant in the background.

FOTOAUTOMAT

Love, mystery, and a photo-booth with a secret...

Executive Producer - Emilienne Paul Director and Writer - Rémy Mégard

Cast - Laura Hedley (Elise) and Campbell Jordan (Gabriel) Cinematography - Anthony Bowler

Production Design - Lucia Bidois, Jinyoung Park Unit Production Manager Johnathan Hibberd

First Assistant Director Katarina Tobin-Spall Art Direction- Lucia Bidois, Jinyoung Park

Sound Recordist- Connor Wilson Assistant Camera- Ethan Lee,Nick Owens

Gaffer- Eli Chadwick Production Assistants- Mia Alexander, Tai Paulo

A large ornate fountain with water flowing, surrounded by green plants and shrubs, in front of a historic building with architectural details.

The Student

Archie, a young student, struggles with the idea of academic failure. As his older brother Evan, tries to stop him.

Cast-

Tyler Mansell as Archie
Daniel Sultana as Evan

Crew:

Camera Operator- Eiman Khai
Cinematographer- Daniel Johnsson
Makeup Artist- Laura Caruk
Writer- Sebastian Zinghini
Director, Writer and Editor- Tai Paulo

An abstract digital portrait of a woman with shoulder-length hair on a white background.

The roommate

When Julia's friend goes missing after visiting her house, there's only one person to blame; her pale, creepy roommate, who she believes is a vampire.

Louella Breach as JULIA
Cam Summers-Eve as SIMON
Piper Skelton as VANESSA
Alex Saveski as MINA
Nora Dandurand as LUCY
Assistant Director - Bella Rosalie Camera Operator- Alex Gibbs
Sound Operator - Jackie Yang Gaffer - Ethan Boots

Mouth_Wide Open

The monologue of a lone performer on stage reflects the silent struggles of an unknown audience member obscured by the shadows. As memories and reality blurs, the film investigates the suffocating emotions of pain and fight

Director - Andrew Tan

Producer- Ryan James

Writer - Bandong

AD- Spring Li

Production Design- Mira Dowine

Assistant director-Taylor Zenelovski

We Can Do Hard Things

The loving relationship between a mother and son begins to go to ruin. But in the end they make the uncomfortable switch from being bitterly resentful to admitting that they both have demons to face.

Writer and Director - Finn Darlington 1st AD and Cinematography - Mina Thurmasorm

Lighting- Gracie Poole

Sound - Will "Billy" Stanley Music - Tom Godbert

Clapper - Darragh Roach

Unit - Karen Hinds

Catering- Melissa Langfield

Potential

Alice was once hailed as a gifted child, but now that she is turning thirty she feels like she hasn’t lived up to the promise of her former self.

Cast: Dia Taylor - Teacher (voice)
Bridget Morrison Bridget Morrison - Alice
Loraine Fabb Loraine Fabb - Gwen
Faouzi Daghistani Faouzi Daghistani - Uncle Frank
Luna Halo Mendes Luna Halo Mendes - Gwen's Sister
Sue Rosenwax Sue Rosenwax - Aunty Dot
Joshua Plante Joshua Plante - Dad
Thomas Hurley Thomas Hurley - Interviewer
Bridget Morrison Bridget Morrison - Alice
Goldie Genziuk Goldie Genziuk - Young Alice
Lauren Mueller Lauren Mueller - Young Gwen
Zahra Blake Zahra Blake - Cousin (voice)
Jessica Chenhall Jessica Chenhall - Mum
Maple Luella Maple Luella - Audrey

Crew: Directed and Written by Olivia Staffieri
Produced by Danaë Grieef, Olivia Staffieri, Dia Taylor and Jenny Pham Vo
Music by Zimran Dass

Black Dog

By Dylan Evans

After a man unsuccessfully tries to unalive himself by dropping a toaster into his bathtub, he makes it his mission to attempt to return the toaster on account of being faulty.

Remnants

Neil wakes up one morning feeling unsettled. Unable to shake his emotions, he wanders through the city, consumed by memories of his ex, Julie. As the day unfolds, he surrenders to his past.

Cast:

Eponine Fynmore Green, Rhys Carte

Executive Producer- Shelly Posner Supervising Producer - Carolyn Reid

Writer, Director, Editor- Shaun Nuique Assistant Director- Ronnie Cook

Sound Operator- Luca Haran Lighting Operator- Bailey Cleland

Camera Assistant: Noah Heimann

A horse-drawn carriage with tourists in front of the Pyramid of Khafre in Egypt.

Scat Jacket

Stuck in the daily rut, a young man rediscovers the joys of everyday life through a new found jacket.

Producer - Aisha Ahmed

DOP - Joshua Busano,Jared Morgan

1st AC - Stefano Valla Dova

Gaffer - Matthew Robertson

Sound - Niall Allen

Post-sound - Daniel Pate

A woman with blonde hair wearing a dark sweater and jeans is looking at her phone on the left side of the image, while a man in a black leather jacket and dark pants is also looking at his phone on the right side, standing against a brick wall with framed artwork.

epiphany

By Nishtha Rana

Epiphany is an experimental short film exploring the transformative journey of embracing solitude. Through abstract visuals and a poetic narration, it depicts a character navigating the emotional weight of loneliness, discovering the beauty of solo experiences, and ultimately finding peace in their own company. As the film progresses, it reflects on self-love, inner resilience, and the profound realization that joy begins within oneself

A young man with curly brown hair has blood and cuts on his face, looking slightly to the side with a serious expression.

I love you, in the end

by Elizabeth Dorey

Camera and Animation -Ryan wotton

Camera - Hugo della bosco

An experimental piece of filmmaking and poetry, conjoined illicit thought and emotion about who we are in the world and how others fit into and interact with such

Two young women sitting indoors, one is on a chair and the other is sitting on a table, both smiling and looking at their phones, with a vintage television nearby and a glass window reflecting a red-lit room.

A young woman with glasses and black hair reading a red book titled "How to Be an Adult in the Galaxy" while sitting on a bench at night. The background features a brick wall, a brown railing, and illuminated buildings with dark sky.

A young woman in a denim jacket standing in front of a brick wall and door, looking down at a notebook in her hand.

If This Conversation Isn’t Over Yet

A mentally ill daughter and her overbearing Asian immigrant mother try to reconcile the cultural conflict of their relationship, through an unconventional family therapy session.

Writer, Director, Producer, Editor - Yan Zi Feng (Rosey)

Assistant Director - Finn Morris

Camera Operator - Lucas Tunley

Sound Recordist - Anastasia Armitage

Gaffer - Jesse Wheeler

A woman with blonde hair and a serious expression, wearing a brown checkered blazer, sitting in front of a plain wall with a partially visible poster of a plane and sunset behind her.

A man and woman sitting at a table in a bowling alley, sharing a tray of french fries and dipping sauce.

A young woman with long red hair and wearing a sleeveless red top and black pants standing in a living room, with a large abstract line drawing of a reclining figure on the wall behind her, next to a sideboard with books, a glass vase, and a bowl of bananas and other fruits.

currently unavailable

Island Girl

A young girl meets an escort and they spend the day together comparing their different lives and worldviews

Director - Clarissa Chan Caymie Writer and Producer - Ashok Vasu Starring - Rhea Raj and Iris Lo Editor- Ashok Vasu

Director of Photography - Isa Narotama Camera Operator - Edmundo Lee Yan Hang and Tan Wei Yong Additional Photography - Hans Fuad Shahruddin and Ashok Vasu Gaffer - Edmundo Lee Yan Hang and Hans Fuad Shahruddin

Assistant Director - Tan Li Xuan Sound - Gilmer Gil Original Score - Thinesh

Cinematography by Scott David Lister and Darby Maxwell
Editing by Jeremy Costa
Production Design by Danaë Grieef and Lauren Wynd
Makeup Department Artists: Teresa Salafranca and Lauren Wynd

1st AD: Dia Taylor Graphic Designer: Daniel Bugeja
Set Dresser: Joshua Grunik. Sound Mixer: Daniel Bucknell Sound Recordist: Max Bursztynski First Assistant Camera: Leo Anderson and Sienna Catterall Best Boy: Oscar Clark
Gaffer: Brodie McMullan-Jones Best Boy: Benji Wragg
Animator: Eloise Large Colorist: Daniel Bugeja
Location Managers: Daniel Bugeja and Crystal Nappo Continuity: Hannah Groenewegen
Unit Manager: Jeremy Costa Production Assistants: Sel Ellett, Aspen Forster and Agnes McDermott Still Photographer: Vee Rodrigues Thanks: Sebastian Bertoli, Jeni Bezuidenhout, David Chan, Frank Nappo and Glenn Parker

Black and white photograph showing two hands with one hand mouthing open wide, with the text 'Mouthed_Wide Open' overlaid in red at the bottom left.

currently unavailable

Platform 2

Two passengers share a brief connection.

cinematographer, co-editor and producer- Ash Knipler

co-writer- Tina Bartle

Music - Dawson Mansell

Cast - Deyan Pejovic and Alexius Choi Jen

Two people lying on a bed, one with eyes closed and the other crying, sharing an emotional moment.

How to Heal a Broken Heart

by Alyssa De Leo

additional crew - Olivia De Leo

actor - Jacob De Leo

A young woman is diagnosed with a broken heart by her doctor. As a result, she is forced to experience all the ups and downs of a breakup, and must work through her symptoms in order to heal

Person with clown makeup and tears painted on face, smiling and pointing to cheeks with fingers, in a black and white photo.

Thought you were different

‘Thought You Were Different’ is a narrative music video, where we follow Ella as she tries to heal from the trauma of her first adult relationship and reflects on how the negative male influences have impacted her.

Writer, Director, producer, editor, singer - Amelie Damiano

1st AD - Roisin Tobin

Gaffer- Bonnie Muhling

PA's- Ally Dickie & Luna Goncalves Teran

Cast: Lilly Betts, Jordan Edwards, Fintan Woods, Nyabana Tut & Jeremy Harlan

Group of women sitting on grass, engaged in a prayer circle, holding hands and with a bowl of rice in the center.

Between Petals

When Jini discovers that her new best friend Jo is deeply enmeshed in a mysterious and dangerous cult, she faces a heart-wrenching decision between escaping alone or risking everything to save Jo, ultimately confronting the limits of friendship and self-sacrifice.

Director of Photography - Hannah Meder 1st AC - Nicole Ifurung, Jasmine Young

Sound Recordist/Gaffer- Michael Lay Stills Photographer - Mimi Hernandez Ortiz

Set Designer - Rowan Morris Set Decorator- Celine Yee

Colorist - Jess Ruasol. Composer -Aimann

A man with a beard and long hair, wearing headphones and a checkered shirt, sitting on a couch, drinking red wine through a straw, with multiple wine bottles on the table in front of him, in a room with brick wall background.