Directors Dario Russo (The Fox) and Zoe Pepper (Birthright) discuss the making of two films that stand out from the crowd because of their boldness.

A sweltering beach house party in 1986 turns savage when a spiked cupcake, a jealous cousin, and a gang of violent men crash the scene. Penny Lane is Dead is a punk-fuelled, blood-soaked survival thriller laced with dark comedy and gendered rage.

Evicted and jobless, Cory and his pregnant wife move back in with his boomer parents. What begins as uneasy dependence spirals into paranoia, as both generations confront their failures and fears. Birthright is a sharp, unsettling family satire of housing, inequality and the collapse of middle-class dreams.

Anyone involved in financing a feature gets close to tearing their hair out at some stage. Adelaide Film Festival CEO and Creative Director Mat Kesting and filmmakers share war stories and strategies, and how they remain clear-eyed and committed.