by FilmInk Staff
In 2023, a boon to the arts scene on the Central Coast was launched to a capacity crowd at the Avoca Beach Theatre.
The Coastal Surge Film Festival launched with red carpet photos, brand new films, live music and a filmmakers’ Q&A. The inaugural Coastal Surge Film Festival was a sellout, and its success prompted Creative Art Central to get involved. The festival returns in 2024 – this time as part of The Lakes Festival.
Festival directors Glenn Fraser and Amelia Foxton – award-winning filmmakers in their own right – are keen to bring a short film culture to regional NSW. “The sheer volume of visual creatives operating regionally is enormous and events like this unify the community,” Fraser offers.
The festival runs across two nights, November 7 and 8, and will be judged by a panel of accomplished, international-level jurors and screened in front of enthusiastic audiences.
Foxton adds “There will be red carpets, trophies, prize money for the music videos and some great mixers to introduce the filmmakers to other film professionals and to the public.
“A unique aspect of this film festival is its celebration of the art of music video, an artform pioneered by celebrated filmmakers like Russell Mulcahy and David Fincher. It’s a genre that really deserves a renaissance and we’re hoping to reignite something in a way that brings together musicians, bands and filmmakers.”
The final submission deadline for short documentaries and short fiction (under 15 mins) and music videos is October 1 and entry is made via FilmFreeway here.
Tickets for the documentary and fiction event at the Avoca Beach Theatre on November 7 are here and for the music video competition evening November 8 at Everglades Woy Woy, visit here.
