Deep inside the ultra-prestigious International Film Festival of Rotterdam is a wonderful playpen called the Tiger Competition, which the festival describes thus: ‘IFFR’s most prestigious competition celebrates the innovative spirit of up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world.’
Tucked into this list, among filmmakers from Serbia, China, Brazil, Thailand and France, you will find Friends and Strangers, the first feature by James Vaughan, produced by Lucy Rennick and Rebecca Lamond. It is an ultra-low budget Australian film, which is now in the slam-bang best European slot to premiere, pushed along by advice from Michelle Carey, until recently the artistic director of the Melbourne International Film Festival.