Event: The St Kilda Film Festival
Date: 21st-30th June 2019
Location: The Palais & The St Kilda Town Hall
Presented by the City of Port Phillip, the St Kilda Film Festival is one of Australia’s largest and longest running short film festivals, this year providing a platform for short films and big ideas. The festival has been running for 36 years and is now an annual celebration of the past present and future of Australian film.
This year, opening night was a month later than usual, on a Friday evening, 21 June 2019. The Filmmaker Development Program “The Big Picture” ran over the weekend on 22 and 23 June. It offered a fantastic opportunity for aspiring filmmakers to connect and learn at the festival. The program covered everything you need to know about making a short film, from inception to production and distribution. The Australian Screen Editors Guild were there again this year with an information stall set up in the St Kilda Town Hall, along with the other guilds, colleges and universities.
Helping to promote the Guild were committee members Barrie Munro ASE, Grace Ayre and Sam Hardy.
(R-L Sam Hardy talking to Robert Hunter Stephenson from VCA. Photo credit: Cloakroom Media.)
On Sunday 21 May, Adobe teamed up with the ASE and the St Kilda Film Festival to present The Perfect Cut. The event showcased three short films and was introduced by John Barrie from Adobe. All three short films were edited on Adobe Premiere Pro.
The films were:
'Gaslight', Editor - Simon Dan.
One night, a bar waitress encounters a mysterious and charming stranger whilst waiting at a bus terminal, however things soon take a dark turn when the stranger becomes a psychotic vampire.
'We're All In This Together', Editor - Logan Mucha.
Young queer Australians audition to retell stories from their elders who have paved the way for their rights. Scripted verbatim from interviews, accounts of public protest, police brutality and isolation are retold by a younger generation.
'Kaya', Director/Writer/Editor- Lara Kose.
In a remote Turkish Village, an ostracised orphan girl seeks out the forbidden Alevi in her quest for faith.
Camille van Wessem hosted the session with a panel of three Editors who discussed how they constructed and edited their films - what challenges they faced, how they overcame these post-production obstacles, and what they learnt in the process.
(Jon Barrie introducing the films. Photo: Barrie Munro ASE)
(L-R John Barrie, Logan Mucha, Simon Dang, Louisa Weichmann, Lara Kose, Camille van Wessem
& Barrie Munro ASE. Photo: Amber Harris.)
Camille had an extensive list of questions she asked about their filmmaking journeys. They included choosing your production team, director/Editor relationships, advice from other Editors/mentors, sharing project files, proxy files, audio files, Pro Tools, and why you all chose Adobe Premier Pro.
The St Kilda Festival awards night had 12 awards with a prize pool valued at over $50,000. It was a great night for all. The nominees were spread across all genres; animation, thriller, comedy and documentary.
Rohan Cooper won the Best Achievement in Editing Award for 'Here There Be Monsters'.
Sam Hardy, representing the ASE, and Sean Meltzer from Roar Digital presented the Best Achievement in Editing Award of one year's membership to the Guild, and in-kind services from Roar Digital. Congratulations to Rohan, from the Australian Screen Editors Guild.
(Sam Hardy & Sean Meltzer. Photo: Cloakroom Media.)
Thanks to Amber Harris, Programming Manager of the St Kilda Film Festival, who helped facilitate and co-ordinate such a much-loved and successful event.
Barrie Munro ASE & Sam Hardy
Chair & Secretary, Victorian Committee
(eNews 94 - October 2019)