Spreading the kosher lovin’

AD man Adrian Elton has backed up his 2008 Celluloid Soup win, taking top prize in the biennial Jewish short film festival at Melbourne’s Astor Theatre on Thursday last week.

Together with fellow filmmaker Abhijit Chattaraj, he scooped the prize for their comedic music video My Girl She Isn’t Kosher, in which he¬† sings about a fictional non-Jewish girlfriend.

The films must incorporate the festival’s theme, which this year was Kosher Lovin’.

“I just happened to have this song which I’d written, which felt like it fit that theme so perfectly. I thought ‘I can’t not make the clip for it’,” said Elton, the head of advertising agency Adrian Elton Creative.

The clip has Elton playing several characters, including a supermarket checkout chick, three band members, and a butcher.

With slick production values and lyrics like “My girl she isn’t kosher, but she tastes fine. She’s more like Bollinger than Carmel wine,” Elton’s video was the standout of the 12 finalists. “After winning last time I just wanted to up the ante and make it the biggest production that I could put together.”

The top 12 films screened in front of a large crowd. “To sit in that amazing old cinema and seeing your work projected on the big screen, is prize enough. It’s a huge thrill,” Elton said.

Second place went to The People of Dybbuk, an animation by director/producer Ben McGill, while One True Love, a film about popstar wannabes The Clones rounded out the minor placings.

Jackie Bloustein received the award for the best debut entry for her film Love: Matters, three vignettes about life and love.
One final trophy was not

presented, however — the inaugural AJN Reader’s Choice award, to be selected by members of the public. All the shortlisted entries are currently online at www.jewishnews.net.au so readers can watch them and vote for their favourites.

The festival is the lovechild of Adam Krongold, who was the director of Celluloid Soup again in 2010.

ADAM KAMIEN