Having screened at the Heartland Film Festival and Byron Bay International Film Festival earlier this year, Frank Kelly’s Raise My Hands has also been selected for international competition at the Newport Beach Film Festival and the Tokyo Short Shorts FIlm Festival.
Launched in 1999 in Harajuku, Tokyo, the Short Shorts Film Festival has become one of the most important short movies festival. Last year the festival received over 4200 submissions! In 2004, the festival became recognised by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science as a qualifying festival in the short film category for the annual Academy Awards.
Raise My Hands is a photographic montage, which uses text, poetry and music to link the images on screen in a single narrative, connecting them to one man, whom the film celebrates, Nelson Mandela. The images used in the film are by renowned photographer Scott McDermott and are part of his Mandela Day collection. The collection includes the photographs of hands and portraits of stars from the entertainment industry, including Morgan Freeman, Robert de Niro, Quincy Jones, Clint Eastwood and many more.
Frank directed and edited the film, Elliot V. Kotek (140) wrote and produced, as well as narrating with Celia Almanzan-Fox.
