{"id":5998,"date":"2017-05-10T06:15:25","date_gmt":"2017-05-09T22:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/first-years-short-film-wins-22-awards-counting\/"},"modified":"2022-12-07T13:07:54","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T05:07:54","slug":"first-years-short-film-wins-22-awards-counting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/first-years-short-film-wins-22-awards-counting\/","title":{"rendered":"First-year\u2019s short film wins 22 awards and counting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not many 17-year-olds can say they beat an Academy Award-winning director at their own game, but that\u2019s just one of the claims advertising\u00a0student Radheya Jegatheva can put his name to with his award-winning short film, Journey<\/em>.<\/p>\n

To date, the seven-minute animated short, which follows a stranded astronaut who embarks on an epic voyage through space to find Earth, has won a total of 22 film festival awards in countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Montenegro, Nigeria, Russia, UK and US.<\/p>\n

Last year, Jegatheva stunned judges and audiences alike when Journey<\/em> was selected as the winner of the 2016 Port Shorts<\/a> Open Filmmaker Awards, beating a submission by American director Patrick Osborne, whose previous film had won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really shocked. I feel like it still isn\u2019t real. But it\u2019s encouraging to know the impossible is possible and that all those months of hard work were worth it,\u201d says Jegatheva.<\/p>\n

Recently, Jegatheva was able to attend his first overseas film festival in person, after being offered a paid trip to the 2017 George Lindsey UNA Film Festival<\/a> in Alabama.<\/p>\n

While Jegatheva ended up taking out the Golden Lion Award in the festival\u2019s youth category, he stresses that the best part wasn\u2019t winning or even watching a screening of his film \u00ad\u2013 it was getting the chance to meet more members of his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust being able to meet all these amazing dreamers out there, see their work, hear their advice and know where film took them is really inspiring. I really look up to them,\u201d says Jegatheva.<\/p>\n

The astonishing reception to the film has been a long time coming for Jegatheva, whose desire to \u2018make a film about space\u2019 saw him dedicate years to animating the characters and backgrounds, composing the music and editing the scenes in his bedroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad used to take me to the Gravity Discovery Centre in Gingin [a few hours drive from Perth]. I guess that really catalysed my interest in \u2018the universe\u2019,\u201d he jokes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Journey<\/em>, I wanted to tap into the intrinsic nature humans have to find home, which is something anyone can relate to. I think the lack of dialogue also helps, because it\u2019s able to transcend the language barrier. I think that\u2019s why it has done well in non-English speaking countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Jegatheva is embarking on his own exciting journey by studying advertising<\/a> at Curtin, which he hopes will help position him for a strong career in business, but he\u2019s adamant that film will forever remain a part of his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to concentrate on my studies and film at the same time and see where it leads me,\u201d says Jegatheva.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out a trailer of Journey<\/em> below:<\/p>\n