Press release from Sydney Film School
A comic social drama about the Internet Generation, ‘Owned’ took home both the best film award and the audience award at the Australia-Japan Student Film Forum held yesterday, November 30 at the Event Cinemas in Sydney’s George Street.
Part of the annual Japanese Film Festival, the Australia-Japan Student Film Forum (AJSFF) is a cross-cultural event that brings together emerging filmmakers from Japan and Australia to share their visions through short film.
Each year films are judged by industry professionals and the director of the winning film is invited to Japan to participate in the Kawasaki ShinYuri Film Festival, with paid accommodation and a return airfare.
This year in its 8th edition, AJSFF has stuned its audience with a handpicked selection of high-calibre films made by recent film school graduates and undergraduates from both countries. Schools represented this year were the Victorian College of the Arts, UNSW College of Fine Arts, WA Screen Academy, AFTRS, Sydney College of the Arts, Nihon University College of Art, Holmesglen TAFE and Sydney Film School.
The 2009 AJSFF awards were judged and presented by the Filmink magazine publisher Dov Kornits. The best film award went to Sydney Film School graduate Cara Lipson Dvorjak and her 12 minute drama Owned about a lonely teenager Zieke who encounters a rowdy gang of local kids and their world of practical jokes and video pranking.
Produced at Sydney Film School in June this year, Owned had its premiere at the 10th Sydney Film School (SFS) Festival in July 2009 where it won the Audience Award, the Sydney Underground Film Festival’s Most Provocative Film Award, and Sydney Film School Festival’s Best Director and Best Editor awards.
Held twice yearly at the Palace Academy Twin Cinema in Paddington, the SFS Festival celebrates the completion of the semester’s productions and the graduation of the 1-year Diploma students.
Two days of student film screenings attract a full house of general public, actors, aspiring filmmakers, media and industry leaders who are specially addressed by the keynote speakers chosen equally for their ability to inspire passion as for their insight into the realities of the film culture of Australia.
The 11th SFS Festival will be held on 15th and 16th December and it is with great pleasure that Sydney Film School announces a celebrated Australian film director, writer, and producer, Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies, Driving Miss Daisy and most recently Mao’s Last Dancer) as their 11th Festival key-note speaker.
The festival is free and open to public so you are warmly invited to join us and participate in one of the most exciting film events in the city!
SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL FESTIVAL
Dates: Tuesday 15th December 2009, Wednesday 16th December 2009
Venue: Palace Academy Twin Cinema, 3A Oxford Street, Paddington
Awards Night: Wednesday 16th December 2009, 6.00pm start
RSVP for Awards Night: marketing@sydneyfilmschool.com