#sf3 fest

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SF3 Celebrates Fifth Year with First Smartphone Feature

“My prediction is that a couple of years from now the fact a feature was shot on a phone will be totally unremarkable. When Blue Moon screened in Dublin the curator didn’t tell the audience until after the screening that it was made on iPhone – the audience was astounded.”

Championing film’s most democratic innovation, Australia’s dedicated Smartphone Film Festival has taken the leap from shorts to features. Having put out the call, SF3 are premiering Stefen Harris’ Blue Moon to an Australian audience which would not have been possible but for what’s now in all our pockets.

“I knew from the get go we were shooting iPhone – that’s what allowed us to green light the film,” said Stefen. “Not necessarily because the camera was cheap and accessible but because the iPhone gave us tremendous freedom – I was giving myself a green light to shoot a feature film in 30 hours over six nights.”

“All these limitations dictated the style of the film. The plan was to keep the camera constantly moving, using long takes up to 8 minutes in some cases. The time pressure meant the actors were under real duress and that translates into their characters on screen.  There was no stop start reset… Any other camera would have slowed us down to the point where we would not have completed the film.”  

Commencing at 4:20AM within a petrol station and concluding at 6AM, the first SF3 Best Feature winner reunites two men who have a tried, decades-old past

“Once the audience was along for the ride there was no opportunity to look away, no respite from the relentless,” said Stefen, who will soon be making the trip over from New Zealand with cast and crew. “There is a ticking clock device built into the story so the characters and audience know something has to happen at six o’clock.”

“We’re totally thrilled to premiere Blue Moon at SF3…. our first screening to an Australian audience is particularly significant for us.”

Hosting the inaugural SF3 Gala at the Chauvel in 2015, throughout each of the successive years the Festival, unique to Australia, has grown in scale, audience and reach. Achieving too a record number of entries at this new milestone, clocking in at over 200 this year and now over 1000 since the Festival started, SF3 has opened an uncommonly accessible avenue to filmmakers; local and international. With the smartphone advent dually attracting both seasoned filmmakers who want to experiment together with burgeoning Directors who can render ideas achievable with their new Galaxy, the Festival remains a unique networking opportunity and distinctively creative forum for filmmakers of wide-ranging experience.

Importantly, SF3 has also excelled in three major respects. Firstly, and this really shouldn’t be of note but here we are; the Festival has consistently highlighted the most deserving technicians and creative minds behind its crops of finalists.

In 2017, Ren Thackham’s Rearview deservedly garnered the bulk of SF3’s major awards with her stand-out short, as did Malwina Wodzicka with 2018’s no doubt best entry She Rose. Not all Film Festivals consistently reward the best addition to any year’s slate, a matter of familiar and ongoing frustration for fans and filmmakers alike. Winning at SF3 and moreover so for succeeding filmmakers so deserving of their plaudits is no minor matter for any up and coming creator.

Secondly, and to this point, SF3 has consistently achieved what any Festival should set out to do; providing a grounding for filmmakers to grow their career. Having served as a key breakthrough for creatives, Thackham, who this week was the only entrant to nab Jury and Audience Awards at the Short + Sweet Film Festival, too returned for the 2018 SF3 Finals and, amidst composing the SF3 2019 trailer, is now preparing for her first feature film.

Wodzicka, in 2018 a first-time Director, too returned to this year’s Finals and following the 2018 Gala has gone on to receive numerous accolades for She Rose at Festivals around the world.

Finally, SF3, an early Festival to recognise the soon to be much greater significance of Virtual Reality technology within the film industry, again returns to a now weekend of Festivities with the dedicated VR strand SF360. Preceding the Gala Awards this Sunday, the preceding Saturday will too showcase SF3 Kids, SF3’s Masterclass and Blue Moon.

“It was always going to be just a matter of time before we opened up our festival to include a smartphone feature film,” said SF3 co-Founder Alison Crew. “We thought, why don’t we just add it as a new category and put it out there and see what we get? We really didn’t know. If all else failed we could maybe do a retrospective screening of Tangerine.”

“As it turned out, we received 11 feature film entries! And to our surprise, they were all really good, We’d already made the decision to screen just one this year to test the water and demand. But having received so many great films, we’re considering growing the Festival next year to include more features. It may be that we bring back some of the other films that were entered this year, they really were that good. I definitely see smartphone features as where SF3 will grow into the future.”

“This is momentous for SF3,” said Festival co-Founder Angela Blake. “Since the beginning we knew we wanted to eventually screen a feature to complement our Gala and SF3 Kids. 5 years ago when we started, smartphone filmmaking was still relatively new, we were still convincing people that this could be done, that the films looked amazing.”

“We were blown away by the quality (of the feature entries). We wanted to screen them all! And they came from every corner of the world: Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Georgia, Italy, UK, and India. But just wait till you see Blue Moon, wowsers. It is shot on an iPhone 7+ but that just doesn’t matter anymore because the film is just so incredible. You forget it’s shot on a phone and instead are lost in the cinematography, the script, the actors and the world.”

This year’s Gala Finals, acknowledging changes in the medium, have too adapted as smartphones have become both more adept and ubiquitous in film circles.

“For the first year we extended our time limit from 6.5 minutes to 20 minutes, so that is a huge change for the audience,” said Angela. “We realised filmmakers are getting savvy on their phones and starting to make longer films… we have 15 films in our Official selection, ranging in time from a 1 minute French comedy about vegetables to a 18 minute Russian drama about the dangers of live streaming.”

Amid international entries there are numerous Australian Gala finalists including Colder; developed by local filmmaker and Kino Sydney regular Kenny Foo together with Kino Director Byran Fisher.

“Many months of hard work by a small and dedicated group of friends have gone into this 13 minute short,” said Bryan. “This was the first film shot on a phone that all of us had worked on… it’s incredibly rewarding to have your hard work recognised by such a prestigious Festival. It’s both exciting and terrifying to see this film on the big screen in a full house (but mainly exciting).”

“We have some beautiful Aussie finalists including comedies about the selfie culture among parents, a horror film set in the suburbs of Sydney, two inspirational tales, a Jewish wedding gone wrong and so much more,” said Angela. “It’s always interesting to see the issues of the world reflected in the stories of films we get. A change this year is that we have seen a lot of films entered telling tales of the dangers of living your life on line and live streaming your life via social media.”

With prizes worth in excess of $40,000 up for the taking, SF3 will take place at Event Cinemas George Street from September 14-15.

on Festevez

[2bstudioblog]

Sakura - A Legacy comes to an end...?

After I had completed the Street Fighter Alpha Arcade Mode for the new updated game, at the same time, the first character right out the gate for Season 3 was pitched to me and I only had about 3 weeks to get everything fixed up for Sakura.

Inception

Following a rich history all the way through the Street Fighter Alpha timeline, Sakura has always been the character to (to use the Kondo term) spark joy into the series. And the timeline reaches all the way into SF4 were she technically has reached her peak of her fighting skill with a song to boot her childlike energy. So the plan was now, with the new information at hand, take her melody and reshape it into something more....”mature”.

Legacy

With a long time following with fans all over the world, writing music for my first LEGACY CHARACTER meant I had a totally different challenge in front of me. It seemed to work well with my re-imagining/update for Street Fighter Alpha/Zero here, but this Sakura has become a lot different. It cannot be a carbon-copy of the previous game. We have to find a way to make her still be her, but a progression of her timeline, since right after this game it goes into STREET FIGHTER III territory where she is no longer present. Looking at the timeline we are in the 90′s now, so the most logical step was to go into electronic house music of some kind. But as we all know, taking her lead melody, I had to morph it, rephrase it to fit this style. If her melody was very straight to the point in SF4, I wanted to show that she has grown and giving herself a little bit more thought about her future. Destiny dictates a dreamy piano with serious undertones in the bass would show her progression, meanwhile the lead is doing an off-kilter rendition of her melody. Luckily, I was only responsible for her character theme, but when I saw there was going to be a Kasugano-resident song with another version aching towards her SFA days, it was of course more upbeat to give everyone a homage to not only her more innocent days, but a shout-out to everyone who has been fans of Sakura.

Goodbye..?

Not sure what to say, but I played it according to the specifications of the clients request and I honored the music supervisors goal to complete the character. But many speculates that this would be the end of Sakura as a character. I honestly don’t believe that, but with any movie or TV show, there is always a way to bring back a character even beyond the grave (Alien 4). So if anyone asks me, my answer is that I don’t know. It’s like JK Rowling only told the true intention about Snape to Alan Rickman and he turned in a very interesting, puzzling performance because he knew something nobody else knew. In my case, I don’t and even if I did, I would never reveal any other information. But if according to the timeline, SF3 is what happens after the events of SFV and she’s not in there. With the song we wanted to show that she has started to really think hard about her future and what she will do next. Heck, even I took a break from the DEMO-SCENE for 20 years, came back, blasting a 2nd place at the Tokyo Demo Fest last December.

My first Legacy character was completed with a lot of mixed reactions from the SF-community. Just remember, I think about what fans would like to hear, but I also take in consideration to the client’s request very seriously, and usually we find a middle-ground. Remember that no game-company or music-supervisor wants to micromanage a composer, and that’s where fresh-new direction takes place. They give me ideas and I try my own vision to create something that fulfills the requirement. My ultimate goal with the Legacy Character’s is to stay true, but also to show progression. I believe that is what we have done here in this case. But later... something big. A lot bigger was coming my way. The one and only....

[mattiedaisy]

SF3 - the SmartFone Flick Fest is back for their 7th season and they want your films. All films must be shot on smartphones or tablets; the rest is up to you. Find out about their amazing prizes, awards, judges and ambassadors, including Anthony Montes, Phillip Noyce, Kriv Stenders, Nicole da Silva, Kerry Armstrong, Wayne Blair, Stan Grant, Jon Bell and more at www.sf3.com.au Entries are now open across all SF3's categories: * the SF3 Gala Awards - short films up to 20 mins in length; * SF3 Kids and SF3 Teens - short films made by filmmakers 16 years and younger * SF3 Feature Film Award - feature films 40 mins and longer; * SF360 – Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D/360 degree films up to 20 mins in length; * SF3 Mini: ‘RISE’ – shorts with a maximum three minute time limit and inspired by the theme of Rise and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Find out more & enter by August 1st at www.sf3.com.au @montesmethod #filmfestival #independentartist #movie #film (at Sydney, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPTa4cXJo8K/?utm_medium=tumblr

[mobilemoviemaking]

More About SF3 Fest 2020 The celebrated @SF3Fest takes place October 9-18 in Sydney, Australia, and online. The screenings showcase sixteen mobile movies from around the world. The frame here is from “Prelude to Stars and Scars,” an experimental film directed by Yi Zhou and shot on an iPhone during the U.S. Covid lockdown. For tickets to view the movies—in Sydney or online—head over to www.sf3.com.au. #mobilemoviemaking #mobilefilmfestival #filmfestivals https://www.instagram.com/p/CGBLQl0BEny/?igshid=bud5z5kqbtq

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Film Fight Club S3E32: Queer Screen, SF3 & Sydney Underground 2019

Where we chat all things Queer Screen with #QSFF19 Director Lisa Rose (Sep 18-22!), cross the galaxy with the SF3 2019 Gala & Smartphone Feature debut ‘Blue Moon’ and emerge from the Underground Film Festival to shed some light on our favourites – Wednesdays 7:30PM on 2SER and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes & Spotify!

See here for Blue Moon & SF3 coverage, reviews of Portrait of a Lady on Fire & Pain and Glory (both screening at Queer Screen) and reviews of SUFF flicks Tone-Deaf, The Art of Self-Defense, Greener Grass, Dreamland & Braid

Listen here

[mobilemoviemaking]

SmartFone Flick Fest Is Open for Entries Based in Sydney Australia but open to the world, @sf3fest is open for submissions to their 2020 Festival. Whether you’re a first-time filmmaker or a seasoned professional, you can enter as long as your film is shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet. SF3 (as the Festival is popularly known) has 5 categories: SF3 Best Film (films 20 mins and under), SF3 Best Feature Film, SF3 Kids (for filmmakers 16 and under), the Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award (for films both completely shot AND edited on a mobile device or tablet) and SF360 Award (360 and VR videos). Submission deadline is August 1, 2020 via @FilmFreeway. You’ll find all the rules and the online submission form at https://filmfreeway.com/SF3. The frame here is from Joel Perlgut’s “Sad Sachs,” winner of the Festival’s 2019 Best Film Award. #mobilemoviemaking #smartphonefilmmaking #shortfilmfestival https://www.instagram.com/p/B7eHV0thg9m/?igshid=197q18pkcl2u5

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Film Fight Club S3E31: Sydney Underground & SF3's Smartphone Filmmaking Weekend

Where we chat all things Sydney Underground Film Festival #13 with #SUFF Director Stefan Popescu (Sep 12-15 at Marrickville’s Factory Theatre) and Smartphone Flick Fest SF3 #5 with #SF3 2019 Finalist (and Kino Sydney Co-Director) Bryan Fisher (Sep 14-15 at Event Cinemas George Street) – Wednesdays 7:30PM on 2SER and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes & Spotify!

See here for The Art of Self-Defense, Dreamland, Greener Grass and Braid reviews and SF3 coverage

Listen here

[mobilemoviemaking]

SMARTFONE FLICK FEST The Smartfone Flick Fest (@sf3fest) is calling for entries. This celebrated worldwide festival is open to anyone shooting with a smartphone or tablet. All genres are acceptable. Run time maximum is 20 minutes except for feature films which must run at least 60 minutes. Prizes total more than $30,000 (Australian dollars). Categories include an award for the best female creative and a prize—sponsored by @lumatouch—for the best movie edited on a mobile device. (You can use any editing app to qualify as long as the editing is done on a smartphone or tablet.) Submission deadline is August 1, 2019. Entries fees are $20 standard; $15 students (Australian dollars). You may submit your entry on the SF3 website or at Film Freeway. Kids 16 and under are invited to compete in the SF3 Kids festival. Screenings will be held on September 14, 2019, and September 15, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. Visit the Smartfone Flick Fest website for all the rules. #mobilemoviemaking #filmfestivals #filmcontests #studentfilmcontests #videocontests https://www.instagram.com/p/BxnbLakl0A7/?igshid=19c9ylds9y946

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NEW FILMMAKER CHALLENGES: FESTIVALS LAUNCH ISOLATION COMPS

“The world has never been through a pandemic like this in our lifetime; we want to see what that world looks like from each individual’s perspective.”

Three new competitions have launched this week pegged at filmmakers who only want to thrive within newfound limitations. One arising from grassroots filmmaking collectives and another from independent cinemas, the third comes about from a Festival whose own unique creative parameters are more COVID-adaptable than most.

“With many parts of the world in lockdown right now we know that many people have had a lot of extra time on their hands (not true for everybody of course) and they’ve been looking for creative outlets,” continued Ali Crew, co-Founder with Angela Blake of Australia’s dedicated Smartphone Flick Fest SF3. “That’s why we’ve created the SF3 ISO category this year, to tap into that creative energy; by limiting the maximum time for the films to 3 minutes we hope the shorter time-frame will appeal and inspire even more people to pick up their phones and tell their unique stories during this time through film.”

“I anticipate the coronavirus could be a common theme, but our everyday lives have changed and the world in which we live is a very different place right now; with so many going through such hugely life changing experiences there are bound to be some incredible stories emerge and we can’t wait to see them.”

SF3 has now for years generated an uncommon mix of filmmaking talent, with the smartphone format both encouraging new and emerging creatives while too attracting seasoned filmmakers ready to experiment with shorter or less resource-intensive projects. Knowing that there is no expectation that it will necessarily look like it was shot on a $10,000 camera, because you can’t enter anything shot on a $10,000 camera, has broken down a barrier for many reticent to otherwise put themselves out there.

The prohibition on equipment beyond what’s already in most pockets has also permitted a greater breadth of filmmaking than one would typically see at Festivals from solo artists or those otherwise bounded by budget or access to either talent or higher-end tech. Now, with even the most experienced creatives lacking the lenses, casts, crews and funding, a category and indeed Festival specifically primed for filmmaking constraints is poised to engender a tide of entries from across the creative spectrum.

“I think the fact that our Festival is a platform for accessible and affordable filmmaking means there’s never been a better time to pull out your phone and make a film, whether it’s your first or it goes for 3 minutes, 20 minutes, or even a feature,” said Ali, with entries set to open tomorrow. “It’s the perfect creative outlet during these times, filmmakers can recruit their family members, use their homes as sets; the only limit is your imagination!”

With traditional movie-making on hold for the moment, some cinemas aren’t wasting any time either. Melbourne’s Lido, Cameo and Classic Cinemas alongside chain partner Ritz Cinemas, a favourite of the Sydney scene, have already launched and opened for entries the Isolation Film Festival. With a deadline extended to May 11 and seeking entries likewise no more than 3 minutes long and made within the confines of all self-isolation and social distancing measures, the prize winner and winner of the U18 category will each receive a year of free movies at their closest cinema (once the Ritz et al are allowed to reopen) and $1,000 and $500 respectively; with each entry set to nab a double pass.

“We’re hoping to capture this craziest of moments in time via film and highlight what unites us all in this fragile human race of ours,” said the Cinemas’ Owner Eddie Tamir. The chain, curators of the Jewish International Film Festival, Fantastic Film Festival Australia and the Children’s International Film Festival, will too be granting a CHIFF Festival pass to the U18 winner. Short-listed entries will also screen on the cinemas’ social media channels.

“So far, there have been films ranging from those that are shot really professionally, to films shot solely on smartphones, and even one or two stop-motion animation films,” said the Festival. “Thematically, we’re expecting that we’ll get a lot of submissions depicting the daily struggles and joys (if any?) of living in self-isolation, but we’re open to anything! We’re just as happy seeing films that are recreations of classic film scenes, or even completely original stories.”

No stranger to filmmaking limitations are Sydney’s filmmaking guerilla outfit Kino who, having run their latest short filmmaking night online, attracted numerous home-centric entries from filmmakers who absent traditional resources and outlets might not have had another forum. In conjunction with the Film Championships collective, which specifically arose to support and further filmmakers in the current environment, the crew have initiated a new COVID-conscious 48 hour filmmaking comp. Set to kick off tomorrow night, filmmakers are confined to the 2-day window, a theme and a 3-minute time limit. Creatives are also encouraged to take part in Kino #149, with the monthly film night set to take place this Monday.

“So many creatives are offering online content during this time of lockdown and there’s a hungry audience looking for new and unique content,” said Ali, set to launch the open SF3 categories alongside SF ISO with virtual screenings of SF3 2019’s feature smartphone winner ‘Blue Moon’ this weekend, commencing tomorrow. “After last year’s festival we had a lot of people express their disappointment at not being able to make it to the SF3 2019 Blue Moon screening and asking us where they might be able to see the film.”

“It hasn’t been online until now so we hope to bring an even bigger audience to the film this time around. It’s a wonderful film, shot on a smartphone over the course of one week on a budget of $12K NZD. We’re hosting the Online Premiere for the launch of SF3 2020 in the hope it will inspire others to make their own smartphone masterpiece, whether that be a short or even a full length feature“

Currently set for the second half of the year, SF3, alongside numerous other Festivals, too faces the prospect of heading online.

“If large public gatherings are still banned in October then we will take the Festival online; we didn’t want to be deterred by something that might or might not happen and decided to proceed with the Festival either way,” said Ali of a conundrum preoccupying Festival organisers with schedules set for months away. “We figured those involved will be very accommodating and understanding regardless of the outcome.”

“The online premiere of ‘Blue Moon’ will be a good test to gauge the interest and appetite for people looking for alternative online entertainment. Part of the thrill for filmmakers and audiences coming to SF3 is seeing films shot on small smartphones blown up on a huge cinema screen. They really do look amazing and generally exceed everyone’s expectations. That element will be lost in an online screening but at the end of the day it’s about bringing an audience to participants’ films and if we can still manage to do that then we’ll be really happy with the outcome.“

on Festevez

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FILM FIGHT CLUB S2E41: SF3 SMARTFONE FLICK FEST & WHAT IS DEMOCRACY’S ASTRA TAYLOR

Where we review the best smartphone filmmaking on offer at the SF3 Gala and chat all things What is Democracy with Director Astra Taylor, screening at the Antenna Documentary Film Festival – tune in Wednedays 7:30PM on 2SER and subscribe to the podcast!

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SF3 GALA 2018 SHOWS WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH AN IPHONE OR SAMSUNG

“Smartphone filmmaking has come a long way – thank you for supporting the democratisation of filmmaking”

SF3 SmartFone Flick Fest co-founders Angela Blake and Alison Crew welcomed the Festival’s largest-ever crowd to last night’s Gala, the first ever SF3 event to screen at the Opera House. Filling out the Playhouse theatre, SF3 began in 2015at the Chauvel Cinema in Paddington, Sydney, the Festival’s home until 2017, where SF3 consistently drew larger crowds, more filmmakers and more accomplished films. 2018, the first year with 13 finalists, in addition to the return of the Kids, #Filmbreaker and Founders’ Flick Awards saw more than ever before increasing experimentation and that resembling the output of some of the best cameras you’ll struggle to fit in your pocket.

(Pictures by Bob Barker)

‘She Rose,’ a stark black-and-white piece quite literally about a person confronting their shadows, took out the Best Film prize as well as Best Director. Malwina Wodzicka, a Melbourne-based Editor and first-time Director, having only the day prior taken first place at Spain’s Cinephone Festival for the same flick told the crowd “I honestly never thought my film would screen at the Sydney Opera House… thank you so much.”

Among several quality entries, including Sydney filmmaker Lauren Orrell’s “I’m Too Sad To Tell You” about a suicidal woman’s encounter with an unlikely person and ‘Clickbait’ by UK filmmaker Ryan Phillips, a comedy about the worst thing that can happen to you if you click on a pop-up, for the second year running the clear stand-out amidst the competition deservedly took the top prizes.

Returning to the competition, last year’s winner Ren Thackham, who went home with Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Female Director for her short ‘Rearview’ last night won Best Screenplay for ’97 Seconds,’ the most heart-warming and endearing comedy among several that screened. Reminiscent in stretches of “Doctor Who’s” McCoy-era, ’97 Seconds’ blended high-concept sci-fi with a very, very human story.

“A Ghost’s Story” by Sydney’s Kate Heffernan won the #Filmbreaker Award for emerging and first-time filmmakers for her flick about a spirit getting increasingly annoyed by returning ghost hunters, while Orrell took home the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Australia Award for an Australian Film for “I’m Too Sad To Tell You,” which also netted the prize for Best Actress.

Showcasing just what you can do with an iPhone or Samsung, there are huge advantages to shooting on a smartphone. While the product may not always be as sharp, or necessarily as focused (notably each film was shot predominantly in daylight or well-lit environments), there are places you can weave and jut a smartphone you just can’t manage with a regular camera. There are huge advantages in getting candid, public or expedient shots made exponentially more difficult by the presence of a conspicuous camera and, most importantly, it gives just about everyone the opportunity to become a filmmaker.

SF3 is filling that crucial space in the industry, recognising that emerging talent, new talent and, significantly, tentative talent needs to be nurtured if we are going to see a new generation of dynamic filmmakers. Those looking to break out or even start their first film will invariably shoot on what they have available which will in many cases be their smartphones. This advent should be encouraged, and SF3 is doing a marvellous job of ensuring that those looking to do so have a platform to get their work out there.

The SF3 Kids Best Film winner ‘I Hate It’ by Ethan Do was also a highlight of the night; a brief, charming episode about our affinities to pop culture to which just about any movie fan can relate. The Festival also featured the returning SF360 competition focused on virtual reality, with ‘Vega Islands’ all the way from Norway winning the prize for its chronicling of several small stories of the lives of local islanders.

With voting for the annual Audience Award now open, entries for next year’s competition will open in May 2019.

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FILM FIGHT CLUB S2E40: SF3 FINALISTS REN THACKHAM & LAUREN ORRELL + A SIMPLE FAVOUR

Where we chat all things smartphone filmmaking with SmartFone Flick Fest SF3 finalists Lauren Orrell & Ren Thackham & more than simply favour ‘A Simple Favour’ – Wednesdays 7:30PM on 2SER and subscribe to the podcast!

Listen here

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Film Festivals Bridging the Void

“My son turns around to me and says, take it online, go for it”

A record number of Australian Film Festivals have now either transitioned events or gone entirely online in 2020, with two new Festivals in this day past announcing digital programs the length of traditional runs and five events set for this very evening.

“We were all very happy planning for our second Festival and of course COVID came along,” continued Sydney South African Film Festival Co-Director Claire Jankelson; today announcing a heft of features set to stream from May 16-26. “We ran our first Festival in 2019, we played at Event Cinemas and we sold out six out of eight films.”

“The essence of our Festival is that we are a not for profit and are funding Education Without Borders, a project in the Western Cape in South Africa. It was announced that cinemas are going to shut and I was completely devastated and upset because we have a commitment to Education Without Borders.”

Originally slated for May 7-17, the turnaround of several weeks saw the Festival crew and Claire’s immediate family developing the online platform to deliver flicks only 8 days later than originally scheduled. Permitting patrons to access features and indeed an all-in pass, for the first time SSAFF will go national, with a focus, much like the recently announced We Are One, very much on getting the support to those who need it most.

“This time of COVID has brought everybody much closer to their screens; there have been people approaching us from Melbourne and Perth and other places already after last year’s Festival longing to get the Festival to those places,” said Claire. “We haven’t had the wherewithal to take it there but we’re so excited it now has this reach; we would have liked for it to have an international reach but there are of course so many restrictions because of the licensing agreements with the filmmakers given fears about piracy and security – at this stage it’s only Australia wide.”

“We’re so strongly driven by our commitment to the infrastructure that has been created through Education Without Borders, that was our strong motivating factor; not knowing when the shutdown would end. We didn’t know if and when we would be able to get the money that is needed to South Africa – we’re holding out for a really fantastic response.”

Melbourne’s St Kilda Film Festival have too only just announced an online run for June 12-20; set to replace the beach-side Fest previously scheduled to commence only two weeks prior.

“The screen culture environment is a dynamic one and in recent years it has seen massive changes in digital exhibition and a trend toward embracing streaming services – as audiences have changed, so have how to reach them,” said Festival Director Richard Sowada. “It’s up to Festivals – and the film industry at large – to keep moving, experimenting, seeking out new audiences and shape-shifting accordingly in this new landscape.”

“For us, it’s become a great opportunity and something the team were able to launch into by virtue of our collective experience. It’s quite exciting for us to explore new directions, new contexts and new audiences despite the challenges. Our program content naturally contains a high level of experimentation and motivation, so the filmmakers are right behind everything we’re doing.”

Slated to screen dozens of shorts, the communal atmosphere essential to audience participation at any Festival and moreover continued investment online has remained no small factor, with fixtures at Festivals across the country too poised to reflect, thematically and technically, the challenges uncommon to filmmakers beset by the current circumstance.

“We’re taking that spirit and giving what we can a red-hot crack by re-interpreting the Festival with talks, professional development, retrospective and curated programs, all of which are free to view on the website,” continued Richard. “The most important thing for us is providing access to an already intelligent and sophisticated program that speaks to the high standard of Creative Play short-form filmmaking in this country.”

With a record number of online events scheduled to take place tonight from numerous Festivals that have either gone online or had runs postponed or cancelled, Tasmania’s Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival will become the first major regional Festival to go online, with three weekends worth of screenings commencing this evening. Monster Fest will continue their Friday Fright Night Watch Parties with ‘Sheborg Masscare,’ SF3 will host multiple screenings of 2019 Feature Winner ‘Blue Moon,’ Static Vision will for the first time join Film Club in any evening of Canadian-centric Canuxploitation and the Melbourne Queer Film Festival will too host the Fest’s first virtual watch party.

“We have ‘Freak Show’ playing this Friday; it was actually our Opening Night film a couple of years ago at the Festival,” said MQFF CEO Maxwell Gratton. “We’ve got so far a thousand people interested to join, we’re expecting a reasonable patronage.”

“What we’re really hoping to do is engage with our audience during this challenging time. It can be isolating for many people, particularly those living alone and the elderly, but anyone during this time needs to reach out to other people and we’re hoping to create a forum where people can connect with each other. The moving image is such a powerful medium to build communities and we’re hoping to do this for those who may be isolated, who are alone, who may be vulnerable and everyone who misses that contact and connectivity; hopefully we can help build a little bit of solidarity.”

MQFF called off the remaining 8 days of their 12-day run originally scheduled for March 12-23. Devastated to do so, the Festival underlines that it was the correct decision to ensure the safety of those in the community including those with compromised immune systems, even if the sense of community the Festival engenders couldn’t be realised in its traditional form.

“COVID-19 caused us to look at our online and innovative offerings; I suspect into the future these would be good mediums and avenues to build on our existing audiences and to reach out to audiences who are unable to engage with the Festival say due to geographical constraints, for people in regional areas or for those who are for whatever reason unable to attend in person,” said Maxwell, who is hoping for a physical event in the fourth quarter of the year. “We create safe spaces, a community vibe – for that reason online offerings wont necessarily replace anything we do but can very much complement our activities in the times ahead.”

MQFF have too instigated Couch Critic; a forum where MQFF devotees can still share any and all of what they’re watching.

“It’s a lighthearted way to encourage our audience to remain connected and to share with each other queer films they’re currently seeing in isolation,” continued Maxwell. “We encourage you to do your own review, you can do it on your phone, as fancy or as simple as you’d like; what’s good about it, what’s bad about it, what’s funny, then share it with the MQFF audience.”

“We’re going to have a finale where the weekly winners will become the finalists and there will be a judging panel to present the winner who will become the MQFF Couch Critic at the 2021 Festival, write further reviews and attend films and signature events with an all-in-pass.”

Not alone, the Setting Sun Film Festival, a stalwart of Melbourne’s Sun Theatre, will too venture online for it’s seventh edition and prize-giving with an abridged series of shorts set to screen during the Fest’s original dates of May 6-12, now accessible via the Festival’s website. tilde Melbourne will likewise bring it’s community together for an online event on May 15. The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival will screen online, only four days later than its originally planned run, from May 18-24. Slated to feature one film per day each with an allotted themed, the initiative has been named ‘Humankind.’

With so many Festivals going online, the lack of technical expertise, resources and indeed tight turnovers can be hugely prohibitive. Responding to the barrier, Screen Queensland have launched the V-Fest initiative to reach Festivals where they’ve found themselves.

“The $50,000 V-Fest initiative is intended to help Festival organisers develop and deliver online experiences for existing events, or for entirely new virtual events,” said Screen Queensland via Zoom. “We believe that V-Fest has the potential to help existing events retain audiences that enjoy their physical events, but also engage with people that may have never connected with them before – this is incredibly exciting for us to be in a position to expand the reach and engagement for screen culture in Queensland.”

Helping the successful applicants address the costs involved in running and delivering a virtual screen Fest in the next 6-12 months, no doubt with a reach not limited to the north, the initiative is now open.  

“V-Fest is part of our core Screen Culture funding program that promotes and highlights screen content that inspires, entertains, informs and connects audiences. While the focus for V-Fest is primarily for Queensland-based audiences, we hope to support events that may also reach a larger virtual audience across Australia and potentially the world and that V-Fest will ignite the passion for Queensland-made screen stories in local, national and international audiences.“

on Festevez