Today we announced the students from Albany, Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River who are finalists in the 2022 Cinesnaps Short FIlm Competition and will have their short films shown as part of the full CinefestOZ program, 23-28 August.
Open to middle and high school students in Western Australia’s South West and Great Southern regions, the Short Film Competition requires the creation of an original, 3-5 minute short film based on a theme, which this year was Space.
Finalists in the Year 7-9 category are Edward Baker, Maxwell Cruse and Thomas North with W-Files, as well as Colin Ferreira with Mars… Maybe Not, all from Albany’s Great Southern Grammar. While finalists in the Year 10-12 category include Margaret River Senior High School students Joshua Yates, Seth Weadley and Asher Muir with Alone; Henry Baker from Great Southern Grammar with Lemon and the Pelicans; Ava Evans, Matilda Cole, Katelyn Bunn, Madi Macartney, Emily Erdmann and Sophie Anderson from Busselton Senior High School with Ruminate; from Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School, Cooper Williams, Charlie Youngson, Aaron Lanagan and Latisha White with Aversion alongside Declan Fahie and Ruby Membry with The Comical Conquests of Captain Cardboard.
Our Chief Executive Officer Malinda Nixon said this year saw the participation of a wide range of schools and was thrilled to see such dedication from students entering the competition.
“It’s so exciting to see so many students from regional Western Australia interested in film and we can’t wait to screen their work at the Festival,” she said.
Finalists will also be included in a Red Carpet Grand Finale Event on August 25 that will be screened before an audience of 200 people at the Esplanade Hotel in Busselton. The seven films will be judged by an expert Jury Panel headed by actor/director Myles Pollard as Jury Chair and Cinesnaps Patron. He will be joined by Zara Zoe and Carlos Sanson. Tickets to the Cinesnaps Short Film Competition Red Carpet and Grand Finale event are on sale now.
Short films by the students will also be screened as part of the Free Community Screenings event, which will take place between August 26 and 28 in Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River, and Augusta.
The Short Film Competition is part of our Cinesnaps Program for students and teachers, and involves engagement with renowned filmmakers and industry professionals. A range of activities are undertaken with students, such as special guest workshops, Q&As and the readily available CineOnline content that includes Myles Pollard’s “Shoot To Win” masterclass.
Ms Nixon also said the Cinesnaps program wouldn’t be possible without the generous funding of Festival sponsor and community partner Rio Tinto.
Manager of Regional Communities WA, Justin Francesconi said: “We’re exceptionally proud to be associated with Cinesnaps. The program offers regional students a unique learning and development opportunity not only in the creative arts, but also in digital technology which is critical to many industries including the resource sector.”
The Cinesnaps program has engaged more than 41,000 students from around the region since its 2008 inception.
CinefestOZ thanks Presenting Partner Tourism WA, Premium Partners Screenwest and City of Busselton and Community Partner Rio Tinto. The festival acknowledges its strong support from Lotterywest and Screen Australia.
Jury Bios:
Myles Pollard: Myles has a Bachelor of Arts in Education (Secondary) from Edith Cowan University and a Bachelor of Dramatic Art from NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art). He has appeared in many Australian television series including McLeod’s Daughters, Packed to the Rafters, Underbelly and Rescue Special Ops. His feature film credits include Wolverine, Drift (which he also produced), The Turning, The War That Changed Us and Looking for Grace. Myles has worked as an actor with respected Australian theatre companies including Ensemble, Black Swan and Bell Shakespeare, a company he also teaches for Australia wide. Myles has been a great supporter of the Festival over many years and became involved as the Schools Program Patron in 2014.
Zara Zoe: Zara is a Sydney based actor most recently known for her work alongside Russell Crowe in the upcoming feature film “Poker Face,” as well as recently starring in television’s “Home & Away.” Since starting her career, Zara has worked both locally and internationally, while always retaining her passion for the Australian film industry. Carlos Sanson: Carlos is renowned for this role as the male lead, Santiago, that is now entering the third season of Australia’s #1 Stan television series, BUMP. He was nominated in 2022 for the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent. In 2021 he travelled to remote Western Australia to film as one of the leads, Fernando, in the upcoming Robert Connolly produced feature film, SWEET AS. He spent early 2020 and late 2019 based in Atlanta whilst filming on The CW series, LEGACIES. Prior to that Carlos was in Los Angeles to film a supporting lead role in Netflix’s MALIBU RESCUE 2, which was the number #1 movie on Netflix upon premiering in the first week of August 2019. He graduated with a Diploma of Arts (Acting) from Screenwise in 2018.