The numbers added up and so did the sheer magnitude of Cinesnaps, the film-related schools program at CinefestOZ. Now a year-round program for some South West students, Cinesnaps touched more than 5000 school children in 2017.
Sponsored by Schools Partner Rio Tinto and Associate Partner ATCO Gas Australia, the program saw students participate in a range of film related activities, including the Cinesnaps Student Short Film Competition, incursions and excursions.
During the festival, Jasper Jones, (based on the high school English curriculum text) sold out in both Bunbury and Busselton and received excellent support at the Nannup Community Screening from local schools. Amongst the action were participants from from Augusta, Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River schools.
Students from Eaton to Dunsborough participated in assembly activities and many participated in a special Day Excursion featuring various educational filmmaking “pods” including a virtual reality experience, a green screen activity and a special effects make-up workshop. The hands-on environment, together with the film screening and film guest Q&A session made the excursion both fun and educational. A Community Film morning offered some of these interactive filmmaking pods to the general public including Collisions, the virtual reality experience.
Twenty-six film guests were involved in Incursion and Excursions around the region, delivering workshops and Q&A sessions.
There was standing room only at the sell out Grand Finale event held at the City of Busselton Civic Centre to crown the winner of the Cinesnaps Short Film Competition. James Forster from Bunbury Cathedral Grammar took the title from a field of seven finalists with his film Salt Water. Two powerful IndigifestOZ Student Short Film Project entries from Busselton Senior High School screened to a captivated audience. Actor and writer Eddie Baroo hosted the event, with filmmaker and actor Myles Pollard (Cinesnaps Patron) and industry favourites Rhiannon Bannenberg and Mark Coles Smith adjudicating.
Student Filmmaking Masterclasses with industry professionals helped Short Film Competition entrants hone their ideas and entries and to round out the activities, Professional Development Q&A’s for teachers with film guests continued.
Continued support from Schools Partner Rio Tinto and Associate Partner ATCO Gas Australia enabled this year’s Cinesnaps program to meet its many cultural, educational, community and youth focused goals and deliver its best program yet.
CinefestOZ Schools Program is proudly supported by Rio Tinto and Associate Schools Partner ATCO Gas Australia. IndigifestOZ is supported by Rio Tinto and a generous philanthropic donation from Kylie and Alan Brierty. CinefestOZ volunteers are supported by Rio Tinto.