By KATH GANNAWAY
BY ANY measure, the 32nd Warburton Film Festival was an outstanding success.
From the Friday night’s Show Us Your Shorts short film competition for young film-makers through to the screening of the Polish drama ‘Ida’ on Sunday afternoon, an average audience of 100 people settled into the beautiful Mecca Cinema to enjoy a winter weekend of film.
The festival is hosted by the Yarra Ranges Film Society in conjunction with Yarra Ranges Council.
YRFS president, John Bodin, estimated at least half of the audience came to Warburton especially for the festival, making it a valuable tourist drawcard for the town.
Vicki Paris and Rina Altobelli from Healesville embraced the festival atmosphere, staying overnight and enjoying the whole program of nine films, great food and interesting guest speakers.
Vicki described the experience as like going around the world in a weekend.
The films included drama and comedy from Australia, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, France, Poland and Belgium and the documentary portrait of Brazilian photographer Sebastio Salgado ‘The Salt of the Earth’ filmed in Brazil, Italy and France.
“We learnt about history, human relationships, art, philosophy, religion, and then to come out of the theatre and walk through beautiful Warburton, look out over the river … it was just wonderful.”
Rina said the committee had come up with a well-balanced choice of films with almost every one rated four out of five by the audiences.
“There were no mainstream films and that’s what I like,” she said.
“There was not one film I had seen before and I enjoyed every single one.”
The Golden Shorts award this year went to Sierra Laird for her animated film ‘Help Wanted’.
The Yarra Ranges Film Society screens films at the Mecca in Warburton on the second Tuesday of each month, and at The Memo in Healesville on the third Tuesday.
“Members choose the films in advance and it’s as much for the social get-together as for the love of cinema and seeing films that are very often not easily able to be accessed,” Mr Bodin said.
The next screening is ‘My Sweet Pepper Land’ a 2013 drama from Iraq.
Visit www.yarrarangesfilmsociety.org.au for information on membership.
