Our much loved and celebrated Movie Crew volunteers, with their smiles and helping hands are the backbone of CinefestOZ Film Festival. Among this army of 350, a smaller group of talented interns register with the festival each year to participate in an internship program that supports their interests and studies in areas like film, events, publicity and schools.
Sophia Armstrong is one of these young people – she is living proof of the value of the Cinesnaps Schools Program and where it can lead. Having won the Short Film Competition in 2014, Sophia has returned each year to the festival as an intern and worked countless hours with the CinefestOZ team in various roles – from driving the VIPs to their events, delivering equipment, assisting film guests with the school program activities, photographing/videoing events, helping with publicity and many other little jobs in between.
She squeezes this into her busy schedule as a film student studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Screen Arts, at Curtin University.
Sophia’s association with CinefestOZ and more widely the intern program was very much a part of CinefestOZ’s 10-year story. Youth engagement and pathways for young filmmakers has long been a major pillar of the festival and the CinefestOZ takes great pride in creating these opportunities.
Here’s what Sophia says:
“My involvement with CinefestOZ continues to grow and inspire my passion for film making each and every year. Being able to interact and get to know people in the industry, and learn from the very best, has given me invaluable information I just wouldn’t get anywhere else.
I believe the Cinesnaps program is one of the most important aspects of CinefestOZ as it has the ability to engage and inspire young filmmakers to get creative and to maybe even enter into the industry. Being an intern with the festival has gives me the opportunity to learn on my feet, be surrounded by inspiring people, gain greater insight into the film industry and I adapt more and more skills each year.
“Being able to interact and get to know people in the industry, and learn from the very best, has given me invaluable information I just wouldn’t get anywhere else.”
The festival also welcomed back Jessica Childs as an intern this year. Jess was the winner of the Cinesnaps Short Film Competition in 2015. We will watch and nurture as many keen young interns as we can!
If you would like to become an intern at the 2018 festival (22-26 August), let us know by emailing [email protected]
CinefestOZ volunteers are supported by Rio Tinto.