Vengeance is an animated short film that screened as part of the late-night compilation program Eat Carpet, which showcased shorts by students and amateur filmmakers in Australia and around the world. Written and directed by Wendy Chandler, and featuring a voice cast that includes Magda Szubanski, the film reflects the type of irreverent and boundary-pushing entertainment curated by the Eat Carpet crew.

This excerpt of the opening depicts the experimental style, which blends photographic collages of natural landscapes with cartoony animal and human forms, heightening the complex satirical tone. The scenes of bumbling tourism are ultimately set up for a farcical narrative about a goanna that bites off the finger of a toddler in Queensland's Wallum National Park, which spirals into a media circus and eventual violence. Melding glossy beauty with tongue-in-cheek shock, Vengeance skewers the sensationalism and celebrity culture of the ‘90s, resolving into a bold satirical work with a distinctly Aussie kick.

The film aired as part of Eat Carpet’s AFI special, an episode that brought together AFI (now AACTA) award-winning productions from that year. Vengeance won the Best Short Animation category.

Read our interview with Eat Carpet host and commissioning editor, Annette Shun Wah.