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Youth On Film
The Bayside Film Festival provides a showcase for emerging young filmmakers. FILMINK spoke to Festival Director Amadeo Marquez Perez about this year's festival.
While getting young people off the streets might be the goal of many cranky old people, getting them on the streets (with a camera in hand) is the goal of the Bayside Film Festival. This festival, running at Palace Brighton Bay Cinemas in Victoria in mid July, aims to provide an outlet for young filmmakers to explore their abilities and celebrate their creations.
This year's festival includes an exciting line-up of shorts and features that reflect both the talent of Australian filmmakers and young filmmakers' ingenuity. Director Amadeo Marquez Perez said that the ‘Beyond Our Shores' program, which will open the festival, perfectly highlights Bayside's aims. "‘Beyond our Shores' includes both features and shorts by emerging filmmakers," Perez explained. "These provide a benchmark for the younger filmmaker to observe high production and story line values to assist them in their own creative processes. For the broader audience it is an opportunity to experience well-crafted stories, which reflect our humanity and interconnectedness."
Perez further explained his passion for providing an outlet for youth to explore their filmmaking talent. "It is important to provide a platform for young people to present their ideas, thoughts and perspectives. It is fantastic to have an insight into a young person's world and see what kind of films they are making," Perez said.
The festival, which runs from the 15-18th July, includes a collection of local and international short films, including the ‘Jump Cut' program which includes shorts made by 13-25 year olds around the country. While the short format may seem restrictive, Perez believes it offers more people the chance to express their creativity. "I love its immediacy and accessibility to telling a story in the short film format, it can capture a world within its brevity," Perez said. "I love the fact that filmmakers can experiment and explore different ideas and elements; and the fact that this can be done relatively inexpensively. I love the fact that it is accessible and that these days a short film can be created on most family computers."
Screening alongside these new productions will be a program of films and workshops run by experienced filmmakers. Adam Elliot's Mary and Max will screen at the festival, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers, as well as workshops with documentary maker Lisa Maza (Living In Two Worlds), plus actor Blair McDonough (Neighbours) and filmmaker Anna Brady about their short noir spoof Strangers on a Sushi Train.
The process of selecting films for the festival can take up to six months because Perez places great importance on putting together a cohesive program that will best exhibit the talents of emerging filmmakers. "The whole program for the Bayside Film Festival is a reflection of the abilities that Australian filmmakers have to contribute in the film industry. I am excited by the diversity in stories that I have collected for this program and hope to inspire local audiences to be moved and to understand the decisions I have."
For more information on the festival visit http://www.bayside.vic.gov.au/arts_bayside_film_festival.htm