On Saturday, September 7, Creative Wollongong hosted the Wollongong Short Film Festival at Lakeside Reserve in Kanahooka.
About 400 festival goers enjoyed eight locally made films, including the 'best of' Creative Wollongong's Short Film competition, a handful of new films by local filmmakers and films made in partnership with Screen Illawarra, Careways Community, Bus Stop Films and Coequal.
The Best Film winners were Tamia Herrera and Maika Shiine James for Dear Ocean, I Love You (in the ages 12-24 category); Elkie Chadwick (ages 25+) for The Crown; and Anna Phillips and Duncan Ragg (commissioned films) for OVER. Best performance went to Sabina Salas in Dear Ocean, I Love You (all ages) and Adam Dunn in OVER (commissioned films). See the full list here.
Winning filmmakers were awarded with $6000 worth of prizes on the night.
Thanks to the local filmmakers who shared their thoughts with the Illawarra Flame.
Tamia Herrera, director of Dear Ocean, I love you
"Tonight was really cool, we had a really great turnout and it was good to see everybody's films because I know they all put a lot of hard work into it and they all turned out so great, I loved watching them."
Lily Piper, co-writer, costume and production designer of Dear Ocean, I love you
"Tonight was so fun and it was just really cool getting to kind of be in an area with everyone who just loves film and breathes film, and has such a deep appreciation for it and getting to see everyone's work was so fun."
Anna Phillips, James Carey, Duncan Ragg
James: "It went awesome!"
Anna: "It was wonderful. So much amazing filmmaking and beautiful, talented actors and filmmakers and scriptwriters. It was wonderful, we had a great night."
Duncan: "There’s something special about coming together as the rain starts to pour but you have a crowd of like 200 people who hold out because they really love supporting each other and watching films. It's very special.
"I think having so many perspectives was great. It felt like a very diverse festival and everything was of really high quality and so earnestly and honestly made."
Anna: "What stood for me is how many beautiful young filmmakers there are in this community that are just blowing our minds. I feel really proud to be a part of it."
Angela Blake, writer and director of Skull Hunters
"I had a great night. It was a night of incredible films that were all so different, very eclectic in their genres and with the theme of the lake. So it was really nice to have that unifying tie of the lake. It is one of the most naturally stunning places in the world. Anyone that lives down here or visits down here knows how beautiful the Illawarra is. So to see that up on the screen was amazing at the lake, outdoors, even the rain. It created a magical feel."
Shayan Murray, writer, actor and director’s attachment for Trip Down Memory Lake
"This night has been an amazing experience, just watching all these unique ideas and how they all integrate Lake Illawarra. The lake is the theme behind a lot of the stories, and the character interactions and just the connection as well. It was just so beautiful to watch and there’s a lot of talented people. I was just so honoured to be amongst a lot of creative people.
"Seeing my short film being presented here – it’s such a different experience than watching it on a laptop. I just had no words. I was so emotional. It was so beautiful. I will say it's been a wonderful way to get myself out there and show people what my stories are. Congratulations to everyone who won the awards, they're talented and they should be very proud of themselves."
