A coming of age story with more depth and more complexity than the genre expects. Justin McMillan, represented in Queensland by Taxi, and Finch’s Christopher Nelius have packed a lot of punch into their thirteen-minute film, Buoy.

It’s also a story of the ocean. Of its power and its vulnerabilities. Of relationship and responsibility. But above all, it takes hold of your attention and doesn’t let go. Little wonder it was chosen to screen at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August. And now it has added selection into the Montreal World Competition’s Short Film Section to its achievements so far.

McMillan and Nelius have often collaborated on documentary work. Their creative partnership began with the 2012 biopic of legendary big wave surfer, Ross Clarke-Jones, called Storm Surfers 3D, and continued into an original series, Storm Surfers, for Discovery Channel.

Storm Surfers 3D sold internationally, won Runner-up Best Documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival, the International 3D Society award for Best Documentary and the AACTA award for Best Feature Documentary.

And McMillan’s two-minute film, Byron, which he directed for Marcel Sydney chief creative officer, David Nobay, has been turned into the promotional film for the Byron Bay International Film Festival and will be screened at all film festival venues in the lead up to and throughout the festival, that runs October 6 to 15.

As well as the spectacular cinematography that the co-directors elicited from Tim Tregoning and Dean Cropp (underwater filming), the two storytellers were able to capture powerful performances from their cast, Otis Oates (The Code, Deep Water) and Oscar Redding (Top of the Lake, The High Road).

The film was edited by Simon Njoo. Music was composed by Michael Yezerski and its VFX were by Cutting Edge.

McMillan is represented in Queensland by Taxi and in AUNZ by Goodoil.

Watch Buoy here: