Made in the West Film Festival fosters student talent
Photo credit: Nataly Thomson
The following article, authored by communication student Alex Hon and photos by design/creative industries student Nataly Thomson from Western Sydney University’s School of Humanities and Communication Arts, is part of a ‘student spotlight’.
Made in the West Film Festival celebrated its 11th annual red carpet gala event on Saturday, 26 November at Event Cinemas in Liverpool with a record-breaking audience in attendance to support local filmmakers and celebrate the Western Sydney film community.
Western Sydney University’s School of Humanities and Communication Arts is proud to have supported Made in the West Film Festival again this year as their Gold+ Sponsor.
Hosted by University alumni Ross Page, Misty McPhail and Jay Knapp, who started the festival when they were undergraduates in 2012, Made in the West is an annual red-carpet event that shines a spotlight on the region’s growing film scene.
“The atmosphere at the festival this year was absolutely electric with so many people in the house and all the action on the red carpet,” says artistic director Ross Page.
This year’s Official Selection featured 19 short films that were judged by a panel of ten industry professionals, including renowned Bankstown-born actor Bryan Brown, ABC presenter Sunil Badami and two Western Sydney University academics, animation specialist Dr Wendy Chandler and documentary producer Dr Rachel Bentley.
Bachelor of Screen Media student Kasey Medeiros was announced the runner up ‘Best Student Film’ for her documentary-style web series, Arco’s World, which she made for an assignment in her Episodic Screen Media subject.
“Seeing my film on the big screen was very exciting and insightful, especially having it shown to a large audience and seeing live how they respond and react to my film,” said Kasey.
“To walk on the red carpet is an opportunity that not many people get the chance to have, so I’m very grateful to have had this experience and it was like a dream come true as a filmmaker!
“I feel even more motivated and inspired to continue making films knowing that my crew’s and my hard work is being recognised.”
Western Sydney University student filmmaker Pamela Manos submitted the short film Hello My Name Is Mother Nature which won the highly coveted Audience Choice Award, decided by a live vote among the crowd in attendance on the night.
Bachelor of Creative Industries student Darcy Carroll, who directed the film for his Fictional Screen Narrative class, was in the audience to accept the award when it was announced.
Photo credit: Nataly Thomson
The festival was also an opportunity for student volunteers, Thomas Fleming and Sam Pashmi, to learn new skills running live events, while Bachelor of Screen Media student Diana Caicedo took on a role as camera assistant, and Bachelor of Design student Nataly Thomson was a festival photographer.
Made in the West has also been working with students from the University throughout the year on internships, networking events and a poster design project.
Bachelor of Communication students Alex Hon and Van Le gained internships with the festival, assisting the team with publicity and marketing throughout their campaign calling for submissions.
Alex and Van joined the Made in the West team over ten weeks, participating in team brainstorming and planning sessions, and working with the team each week on practical tasks.
As part of the internship, Alex and Van helped behind the scenes by hosting an online networking event for western Sydney filmmakers.
Made in the West has been hosting its live, interactive online networking events since 2020, featuring special guests and filmmaker interviews, as well as opportunities for local creatives to meet each other in a fun, informal and accessible setting.
Western Sydney University’s Burrow Design Studio worked with Made in the West to design their annual festival poster, which became the lead artwork for the 2022 event.
Bachelor of Design student Catie Boffa had her poster design selected for the 2022 campaign, working with Made in the West on their whimsical hot air balloon poster brief.
“Working in a professional context is such an educational experience, and I learnt so much about the way I work and how to respond to real-life briefs and work to a professional schedule. It was just a very encouraging and friendly environment all around and I’m so grateful to be able to have this experience,” said Catie.
ENDS
16 December 2022
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