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CinefestOZ unveils finalists for student contest Cinesnaps

Breanna RedheadBusselton Dunsborough Times
CineFestOZ community manager Gabrielle Whirledge with BSHS student finalists Madi Macartney, Sophie Anderson, Matilda Cole, Katelyn Bunn, (front) Emily Erdmann and Ava Evans.
Camera IconCineFestOZ community manager Gabrielle Whirledge with BSHS student finalists Madi Macartney, Sophie Anderson, Matilda Cole, Katelyn Bunn, (front) Emily Erdmann and Ava Evans. Credit: Breanna Redhead/BDT

The creative minds of South West students are being recognised at the country’s largest film festival, set to take over the region this month.

CinefestOZ has announced the seven finalists of its Cinesnaps awards, a short-film category with South West and Great Southern regional students participating.

This year’s finalists hail from Margaret River, Busselton and Bunbury, with three of the seven finalists coming from Albany’s Great Southern Grammar.

Instructed to create a 3-5-minute film around the theme ‘Space’, this year’s finalist include Joshua Yates from Margaret River Senior High School, Cooper Williams and Declan Fahie from Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School and Ava Evans from Busselton Senior High School.

All the students are vying for the Year 10-12 division winner.

Evans, 16, led an all-female film crew from BSHS as writer and director, starring Matilda Cole and Sophie Anderson, with Emily Erdmann on sound design, Madi Macartney as cinematographer and Katelyn Bunn as producer.

They said their film Ruminate takes a unique view on this year’s theme.

“We created a story of this girl who is struggling with her life, her parents are fighting, and everything and then she has this journal, and she writes and goes into this new head space, into this dream sort of world,” Evans said.

“When she writes, she’s writing about this person she wants to be.”

Erdmann added: “It’s pretty much like a guardian angel who’s trying to help lead her to be that better version of herself.”

The nominated films will be shown as part of the festival’s red carpet grand finale event at Busselton’s Esplanade Hotel on August 25.

Deciding the winner will be an esteemed panel led by Cinesnaps patron, actor/director Myles Pollard.

CinefestOZ chief executive Malinda Nixon said she is excited to be providing such a unique opportunity to young people.

“It’s so exciting to see so many students from regional Western Australia interested in film and we can’t wait to screen their work at this year’s festival,” she said.

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