In Summary

Swinburne University of Technology Film and Television students, recent graduates and staff have dominated the 2014 Remi Awards. These highly acclaimed awards were held during the annual Worldfest Houston Independent Film Festival (Worldfest) in Texas on Tuesday 15 April.

Bachelor of Film and Television graduate Klayton Stainer took out the Grand Remi Award (the top award) in the Independent Student Films category, for his Swinburne final year film ‘I Remember the Future’. The 26 minute film, which was developed from a story in the book The Mammoth Book of Nebula Awards SF by Michael A Burstein, is a science fiction story that follows the journey of an elderly writer struggling with his fading mind and the future.

Mr Stainer said he was excited to receive such a prestigious award so early in his film career.

“After entering films into the festival for the last couple of years, the Grand Remi Award has been something I’ve had my eye on for a while now.  So I was absolutely thrilled when I found out that I had taken out top spot! It is truly an honour to receive the award,” Mr Stainer said.

“This is one of the first film festivals that I have entered my final year Swinburne film in, so hopefully this is just the beginning of I Remember the Future’ssuccess.”

The film, which took 13 months to complete, was made possible thanks to crowdsourcing website Pozible. This enabled Mr Stainer to raise more than $5000 to fund the production costs of the film.

“Without Pozible, I doubt that my film crew and I would have completed the film in a year. I’m very proud of the film and also so appreciative of the generosity from all those who were involved in making it.”

Other Swinburne’s Remi Award recipients include Ryan Alexander Lloyd, Courtney Broad, Marcus Doherty, Ramon Watkins, Leana Moone, Alex Moore and Swinburne Film and Television Lecturer Dr Jeff Bird.

Running for more than forty five years, Worldfest is an annual event dedicated to recognising excellence in various types of independent films and filmmaking. It is the only dedicated independent film festival in North America.

Previous famous recipients of the Worldfest Grand Remi Award include George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and the Coen Brothers.


Swinburne’s full list of award recipients at the 2014 Remi Awards include:

Grand Remi Award

‘I Remember the Future’
Independent Student Film
Klayton Stainer

Platinum Remi Awards

“Rhododendron” 
Short Films Cinematography- Shorts 
Ryan Alexander Lloyd

“Who Mines the Riches”
Music Video
Dr Jeff Bird

Silver Remi Awards

“A Silly Little Walk"
Biographical or Autobiographical 
Courtney Broad and Marcus Doherty

“Last Ditch”
Graduate Kevel Student Productions 
Ramon Watkins

Bronze Remi Awards

“Splendr”
Graduate Level Student Productions
Lena Moone and Alex Moore