A variety of middle school and high school students from the South West and Great Southern Region have been revealed as finalists in the 2021 Cinesnaps Short Film Competition, set to go ahead next month as part of the 14th CinefestOZ Film Festival.
Topping masses of young filmmakers from around the two regions, eight short films by the students will now be showcased as part of the Full Festival Program, set to be viewed by an extensive range of film industry professionals.
The eight short films going through to the finals include six entries from the year 10 to 12 category, and two entries from the year 7 to 9 category.
Students selected to be screened at the Festival, and who will also be included in a Red Carpet Grand Finale Event on August 26, are:
- Ella Demarchi – Sincerely H – St Mary Mackillop College, year 10-12 category
- Aiden Gillett & Jake Holland – Treasure Heist – Cape Naturaliste College, year 10-12 category
- Henry Baker & Edward Baker – Pillow Dude and the unexpected weird attack of Mr Bellybutton Fluff – Great Southern Grammar, year 10-12 category
- Julia Spencer & Darcy Eagles – The Meaning of Treasure – Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School, year 10-12 category
- Josh Clark – One Man’s Trash – Great Southern Grammar, year 10-12 category
- Mia Swanepoel – The Treasure of Courage – Great Southern Grammar, year 10-12 category
- Jordyn Brown & Kaila Byrne – My Treasure – Cape Naturaliste College, year 7-9 category
- Jorja Plant, Chloe Basten, Brooklyn Kiddie, Ty Guretti, & Liam Thomas – Treasure – Harvey Senior High School, year 7-9 category
Now in its 9th year, the Cinesnaps Short Film Competition invites students from the South West and the Great Southern Region to create and showcase an original 3-5 minute short film based on a specific theme. This year’s theme was Treasure.
The finalist’s short films will be screened before an audience of 200 people on August 26 at the Esplanade Hotel in Busselton.
This year is the first time the competition has included a category for students in years 7-9, with previous editions of the Cinesnaps Short Film Competition only open to students in years 10-12.
CinefestOZ chief executive officer Malinda Nixon said this year’s entries were the most the Festival had ever seen and she was thrilled to see such excitement from students entering the competition.
“It’s sensational to see so many students from these Regions interested in film and we can’t wait to screen their work at the Festival next month,” she said.
Ms Nixon said the Cinesnaps program wouldn’t be possible without the generous funding of Festival sponsor and community partner Rio Tinto.
Submission for the Short Film Competition closed on June 30 with 28 entries across 10 schools.
Rio Tinto community relations Regional FIFO communities manager Justin Francesconi said the Cinesnaps program fostered creativity and technical innovation for students in the area.
“The program provides a wonderful opportunity for young creatives to showcase their talent and develop their film-making skills,” he said.
“Rio Tinto is proud to support Cinesnaps as part of its partnership with CinefestOZ and congratulates all this year’s entrants.”
The Short Film Competition is part of the Cinesnaps Program, a dynamic Schools Program for students and teachers that offers students the chance to engage with renowned filmmakers and industry professionals.
The program has engaged more than 32,000 students from around the region since its 2008 inception.
Short films by the students will also be screened as part of the Free Community Screenings event which will take place between August 28 and 29 in Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River, and Augusta.
Tickets to the Cinesnaps Short Film Competition Red Carpet and Grand Finale event will go on sale from July 30.
The eight films will be judged by an expert Jury Panel which will be announced in the coming weeks.
CinefestOZ would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land we live and work on and pay our respect to the Elders past, present and future.
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.