Students vie for Golden Shorts award

”SHOW us your shorts” is not usually a recommended opening line, but for Yarra Ranges’ aspiring filmmakers, it is an invitation they shouldn’t refuse!
Young people are being invited to show their shorts – short films, that is – as part of the 2008 Warburton Film Festival.
On the 25th anniversary of the hugely successful film festival organisers are holding a student filmmakers’ competition as part of the celebrations.
Yarra Ranges Film Society president Dagmar Limp said the student competition would allow young people to express themselves on film.
“They will be able to enjoy exposing their creativity to a large audience too,” she said.
The film society has dabbled with short films before as supporters of the Shire’s Bravado Youth Film Festival, but with Show Us Your Shorts, they are running their own competition.
“We are now looking at a prize pool of close to $4000,” Ms Limp said. “What is unique is that we are encouraging students from all around Australia, as well as our own Yarra Ranges filmmakers, to take part.
“We wanted to make it bigger so people would be asking the question ‘where’s Warburton’,” Ms Limp said.
The best film overall will take home the inaugural Golden Shorts Award.
“We are having this special framed award made especially for the competition and are still looking for a sponsor which we hope will allow for a cash prize to go along with the prestige of that award,” Ms Limp said.
Prizes for the five-minute films centred around the theme My Place/My Family, will be awarded in three categories – Best Drama, Best Documentary and Best Animation.
Ms Limp said prizes would include VCA School for Film and Television summer or winter school courses for student’s aged between 16 and 18 years.
Winners aged over 19 years will receive $500 cash prizes. There will also be encouragement prizes including a $500 cash prize and trophy sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation League for the best film depicting the environment and its impact on the filmmaker’s world.
Entries are open to all students currently living and studying in Australia and must be received by Thursday 10 April on DVD format.
Ms Limp said all accepted films would be screened at the Shire’s Upper Yarra Arts Centre on Friday 13 June as part of the film festival.
The winning films will be re-screened over the weekend.
Entry forms are available from Mary-Jane Warfield at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre on 5966 5160 or from Dagmar Limp on 5966 9096.
More information is available at www.yarrarangesfilmsociety.org.au.