Press release from Tsuki
With less than 3 months to go, time is running out for aspiring filmmakers to enter their films into the prestigious DigiSPAA digital filmmaking competition. The winner will take away a cash prize of $15,000 and $20,000 worth of post-production, a guaranteed screening of their film on the Movie Extra channel, plus a return airfare and free registration to the prestigious CineMart International Film Festival Rotterdam.
The annual DigiSPAA competition has long supported the view of taking artistic risks, and making feature films at all costs – or no costs! It was created to support Australian and New Zealand filmmakers and is recognised as one the top initiatives for fostering storytelling and nurturing talent through mentorship’s as well as financial rewards.
The competitions focus is on digital filmmaking, a medium that can cost effectively tell the important stories that Australian filmmakers are renowned for without a sacrifice in quality.
2008 Winner
Bringing together the talents of 11 of Melbourne’s emerging film directors to create a feature film on 11 vignettes on love with a minimal budget was a difficult feat, but well worth it for Jason Byrne, Producer of Little Deaths, the winning film for last year’s DigiSPAA competition.
Little Deaths has played at a number of film festivals including a sold out screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and has since been picked up by Odin’s Eye Entertainment due for a theatrical release later this year and a DVD release by Madman.
The digital medium is quickly gaining acceptance, with Academy Award winning films such as Slumdog Millionaire <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slumdog_Millionaire> winning best cinematography for a film that was shot half on digital. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Case_of_Benjamin_Button_(film)> , also an Academy Awards nominee, was also shot digitally.
Initiatives such as DigiSPAA are an intrinsic part of a strong Australian film industry. It’s open to all Australians who want to rekindle a love for our own stories and bring audiences back to the cinema.
Applications close at 5pm on Friday 18 September 2009. Eligible films are feature length, with a running time of at least 70mins, digitally produced and completed to advanced post-production stage no earlier than 31 August 2008, and independently funded.
For full details, application form and guidelines go to www.spaa.org.au <http://www.spaa.org.au/> .
DigiSPAA is a creative project of the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) an industry body that represents Australian independent film and television producers on all issues affecting the business and creative aspects of screen production.
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