Valley Artists

Date: Friday 23-Sep-05 19:00
Category: Performances

PROGRAM No. TITLE FILM-MAKER

1 Making of The Circus Guntis Jansons
2 Retrograde Bob Clarke
3 Eddie & Joan Marcelle Lloyd & Fi Young
4 News Laguna Public School
5 Listen Andy Rasa
6 The Trophy Guntis Jansons
7 Chris & Ruth Nick McDougall
 
INTERMISSION
 
8 The Hard Sell Andy Rasa
9 Dare to Dream Wojt Kowaluk
10 And Puppy Dog's Tails Andy D'Rororea
11 An Urban Fairy Tale Marc Beers
12 Wanker Damien Slevin
13 Bovinian Rhapsody  Ken Smith

2005 WINNING ENTRIES

1st $250 Bovinian Rhapsody
2nd $150 Wanker
3rd $100 And Puppy Dog's Tails
People's Choice $250 Bovinian Rhapsody

Congratulations to all entries!

Maurice Murphey's Film Festival 2005 Review

It's the day after the Wollombi Valley Short Film Festival and I want to thank the film contributors and the organisers of the Festival for inviting me to be one of the judges given the responsibility to choose the three winners of the festival. I'd like to congratulate...

Best Film and Best Director
Ken Smith for the mockumentary, Bovinian Rhapsody,
Over the top. Extraordinary plot. A jumble of ideas. A truly kaleidoscopic story that treads a really fine line of ridiculousness which Ken makes us accept. There are a couple of cows who should share this award.

The Runner Up and Best Animation
Damien Slevin for the animation, Wanker
So well drawn that many in the audience winced in recognition of those sort of artistic ‘events'. The drawing of the characters was spot on...

Third Place and Best Producer
Andy Rodereda for the kidult drama, Puppy Dog's Tails.
A very modern tale. This film should be sent to Canberra as required viewing for all politicians. Excellently made, very good performances, funny analogies. I longed for pictures to make the point more explosively at the end.

In making our decisions we judges were amazed at the quality of all the films in the festival. I would like to mention some of the individual contributions that I thought demanded recognition.

Best Script:
Puppy Dog's Tails. By Andy Rodereda
Capturing the boyish posturing in adult behaviour the story was funny with serious implications. I particularly liked the brief appearance of the only girl in the story.

Best Actress:
Chris and Ruth by Nick McDougall
Voice over work to rival those in the Simpson's
Note: I was aware and surprised how few women's roles were in the films

Best Actor:
The Hard Sell. By Andy Rasa
A fine and restrained comic performance in a story in which the lead performer can only react to the voices he hears on the phone. The audience laughter on the night proved how effective a performance it was.

Best Supporting Actor:
We must acknowledge the fine work of Atticus Jack Burless although his entry was too late to make the official judging.

Best Supporting Actress:
Atticus Jack's mother Fiona Burless

Best Camera:
Eddie and Joan. By Fiona Young & Marcelle Lloyd
The opening shot of this film was remarkable and the angles chosen to tell the story, inventive and witty.

Best Sound:
Andy Rasa for the coastal drama Listen
A very atmospheric piece set in a delightful location that held the audience with enigma and style.

Best Art Direction:
Nick McDougall Chris and Ruth.
What entertainment from such simple images. The eye movements alone were a delight of design.

Best Documentary:
Guntis Jansens satirical documentary The Trophy
stood out because as it used the animal documentary format to effectively illicit laughter and satire.

The other two documentaries, Making of the Circus by Guntis Jansens and Dare to Dream by Wojt Kowalk were documents rather than documentaries. I particularly admire the Festival for supporting this area of filmmaking - the historical documentation of important events in the community's life that can be kept for generations - particularly if it can be stored on a format which will survive.

I admired Dare to Dream because of the interesting and more inventive way that the cricket match was shot. I wish that professional cricket could be shot with as much imagination.

Best Young Film Maker:
Bob Clarke for his time-travel thriller, Retrograde,
The movie was the most adventurous of the films, an excellent concept, with fast paced action and a startling conclusion. Bob is a film maker of the future to watch.

Best Very Young Film Makers:
Laguna School for News,
What an inspiration to us all that the primary school children's entry captures the feeling in what a professional news report should be - immediate, informational and caring.

Best Overseas Entry:
Marc Beers for his doco drama An Urban Fairy Tale
Juxtaposing real and unreal elements in a story that had the audience laughing from the beginning to the end. I hope this entry is a start to many more films from other places.

Best Music:
I haven't awarded a best music gong as this is the creative area that I want to single out for improvement.

I would suggest that film makers in future festival work...

A. Use original music in their stories. Original music employs the local composers and musicians
   
B. Decide on music before you shoot the movie. It makes editing faster and easier. It also constrains the enthusiastic director to a finite time
   
C. Record the music before you shoot. Play it to the actors on the set. It helps their performance

I had a great time on Friday night as I felt that the future of Australian film is in good hands at Wollombi and wish that a night at the Dendy or Hoyts was half as good as the Wollombi Valley Short Film Festival.

I'd like to come back in future years and in the meantime wish all your film makers and film lovers very happy storytelling

Maurice Murphy
Director