A story about a loving husband who tries to implant an artificial memory in his wife’s mind before she dies has won this year’s AACTA Pitch: Focus initiative.
The team behind Alter — Peter Majarich, Sophia Le Ray, and Breah Sands — will receive a $15,000 production fund and $20,000 worth of Sony’s camera equipment on loan to bring their proof-of-concept piece to life.
In accepting the prize, Le Ray paid tribute to the other finalists.
“Receiving the official funding is a massive honour, especially considering the number of incredible projects in the running,” she said.
Now in its fourth year, the national short film development and production initiative empowers student filmmakers to create standout, original productions with industry guidance and support, with the recipient awarded a $15,000 production fund and $20,000 of Sony camera equipment on loan.
Alter was chosen by a judging panel comprising producer Scarlett Koehne, actor and writer Osamah Sami, and directors Bonnie Moir and Jeffrey Walker.
Walker said he couldn’t wait to see the project come to fruition.
“The talented team making ALTER have shown a groundbreaking vision for their film,” he said.
AACTA Awards and industry development manager Ivan Vukusic expected audiences to respond to the “powerful” story.
“Alter is such a strong project and their proof of concept blew our minds,” he said.
“It’s such a pleasure and an honour to discover these projects through our Focus initiative, and we look forward to supporting this exceptional team to bring it to the screen. A very strong field this year with finalist Empty Chairs also worthy of a shout-out for its charm and humour.”