CANNES, Venice and Toronto all boast internationally renowned film festivals, and now Bathurst is rolling out the red carpet to a new generation of movie makers.
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A new short film competition will be launched in Bathurst next year as part of the region’s bicentenary celebrations.
MountFlix will be a partnership between Screen My Shorts (SMS), Bathurst Regional Council and TAFE Western’s Bathurst campus to be screened at Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre next October.
Council will provide $5000 towards prize money for the event and waive up to $3000 in BMEC hiring fees for the two days of screening.
A report to Wednesday night’s council meeting said the MountFlix festival would invite filmmakers, animators, machinima [video game animation] and documentary makers of all ages to showcase their talents while competing for cash prizes in both international and local categories.
SMS is proposing that one international category be open to any short film while a second category would be a timed competition.
The open category would accept short films up to 20 minutes long from anywhere in the world and they would not have to be specifically produced for MountFlix. The films can be rated G, PG or M, and foreign language films would be accepted with English subtitles.
In the timed competition, participants would have just 30 days to produce a film on any topic council wished to promote.
“Jurors will be chosen from a varied range of industries and disciplines for their experience and professionalism,” the SMS submission to council states.
“MountFlix Festival Awards will screen and acknowledge the finalists, award prizes and reveal the World’s Best MountFlix on October 24, 2015.”
There would be three local categories – an open category; a category for Charles Sturt University and TAFE Western students; and a MountFlix junior competition for school students.
SMS says the festival would generate focus on the film and media culture in Bathurst, and also reap tourism benefits through a boost for accommodation and hospitality services.
“The MFF will become a signature event for the Bathurst region, engaging communities and today’s filmmakers in cultural development and short form new media,” the submission states.
