The NSW Film and Television Office (FTO) has announced the latest recipients of its Young Filmmakers Fund and Digital Visual Effects Placement Scheme. The schemes are important to the professional development of emerging NSW filmmakers, including training in the increasingly important area of visual effects and post production.
Through its Digital Visual Effects Placement Scheme, the FTO puts young digital artists in several of the State’s world class post production companies. Most of the artists placed over the past several years have gone on to professional careers in the industry. Participants in the Scheme have worked on projects such as Happy Feet, Charlotte’s Web and Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix.
The recipients of the Digital Visual Effects Placement Scheme – Round 12 are:
– Daniel Heckenberg, Research & Development, Animal Logic
– Alice Ngo, 3D Animation & Texturing, Animal Logic
– Anouchka Farrenc, 3D Animation, Rising Sun Pictures
– Eric So, Compositing, Rising Sun Pictures
– Phil Sloggett, 3D Animation, The Lab
For more than a decade, the FTO’s Young Filmmakers Fund has provided production funding for short films and television programs by NSW filmmakers under the age of 35. The Fund has achieved an international reputation for producing short films of remarkable quality, with several films screening at festivals and on television in Australia and around the world.
The recipients of Round 20 and Round 21 of the Young Filmmakers Fund are:
Projecting the Body – Producer: Sophie Harper. Writer/Director: Walter McIntosh
Type & Duration: Documentary, 26 minutes
Synopsis: Filmmaker Stephen Cummins blazed a trail through the tumultuous 1980s, examining oppression, desire, and the politics of sexuality. Reacting against the environment of AIDS paranoia and ensuing homophobia, Stephen created films that are both bold in their politics and beautiful in their poetry.
The Mirage – Producer: Clare Young, Mark Bradshaw. Writer/Director: Leonie Savvides
Type & Duration: Short Drama, 7 minutes
Synopsis: Ali, dying and lost in a war ravaged desert, is seduced by the mirage of a distant world where pop culture reigns. In the heart of this illusion lies the answer to all his strife, held in the hands of two lustful teenagers trapped in their own game of seduction.
Bonfire – Producer: Katrina Beck. Writer/Director: Melissa Anastasi
Type & Duration: Short Drama, 20 minutes
Synopsis: Mira is a wild little girl hungry for her father’s love. Mig is a factory worker so obsessed with saving money, he’s too tired and angry for his children. Unable to communicate, their unspoken needs spark off a chain of escalatory violence.
Daniel’s 21st – Producer: Gillian Moody; Writer/Director: Adrian Wills
Type & Duration: Short Drama, 10 minutes
Synopsis: It is Daniel’s 21st and he is nowhere to be found. Something has gone terribly wrong. His return home may only be in mind and spirit, but at least he has the time to talk to his mother one last time.
Grey – Producer: Tristan Waley, Writer/Director: Luc Anthony
Type & Duration: Short Drama, 13mins
Synopsis: The suburban surroundings of Sydney’s west can very easily lead to humdrum but not in this family. Grey looks at the twists and turns of sibling rivalry set against the backdrop of the Australian bicentennial.
Brother Boys – Producer: Monique de Groot, Writers – Simon Blyth & Jessica Halloran, Director: Simon Blyth
Type & Duration: Short Drama, 8 mins
Synopsis: Indigenous boys Nathan and Dean are best friends. Growing up in the country town of Tingha, they spend their days fishing, catching rabbits and dreaming of becoming professional rugby league players. The events of one weekend will leave their friendship in jeopardy.
Moon Man – Producer: Zane Pearson, Writer/Director: Brooke Goldfinch
Type & Duration: Short Drama, 7 mins
Synopsis: A fairy tale about crime and violence in the big city.
Boundless – Producer – Lisa Shaunessy; Writer/Director: Stephen Kanaris
Type & Duration: Short Drama, 14mins
Synopsis: Craig is a 27-year-old man with Down syndrome who desperately wants his independence. After taking the family car without permission on an ill-fated joy ride, he attempts to reclaim the respect of his family and himself by getting a job.
‘The Young Filmmakers Fund and the Digital Visual Effects Placement Scheme both create targeted opportunities for professional development of emerging film talent in NSW; they provide practical, on-the-job training for those identified by the FTO as having the potential to excel in the industry,’ said Tania Chambers, Chief Executive of the FTO.
[release from TM Publicity]