Bioflix 2013 - Inspiring, local biodiversity tales on film
/Last night at a special, sold-out-by-popular-demand screening at Albury cinema the finalists and prize winners were announced for the Slopes to Summit (S2S) Bioflix competition. As you may recall, the competition called for amateur films about biodiversity in our area, of less than eight minutes duration (see my previous post here). I was absolutely thrilled by this idea. There are so many fantastic stories locally that don't always get the attention they deserve. I encouraged everyone I could think of to enter. And, mainly to avoid appearing to be a hypocrite, I even followed through with an entry of my own. For those who follow these posts, I probably don't need to add that my effort included native bees ... but also some of the other wonders I've been witness to in our backyard.
Now back to the exciting stuff ... the eight finalists' videos are all available for viewing online AND you can vote for your favorite in a 'people's choice' award any time between now and 5pm next Monday (1st July 2013). See below for details.
It was wonderful to watch all the films on the 'big screen' last night and to delight in the images and the tales they told. I've got an especially soft spot for those made by and featuring people I know ... the Permi8 and Seed Savers group members (and their amazing children) were very well represented across several films. Nikita Tabuteau is an inspiring amateur photographer and friend of mine. And the winner of the open category, Lizette Salmon, whose film features her parents' absolutely awe-inspiring revegetation project of more than 30 years, was a most deserving winner of the top award.
Honestly, well done to everyone - a wonderful, local celebration by all.
I hope you're keen to view all the films for yourself, and indeed, to cast your vote for the 'people's choice'.
Here's the official run down, from Sam Niedra of S2S, today:
"Please view the winning films by clicking the following link - https://vimeo.com/album/2435782. Please help spread these fabulous local films via Facebook, Twitter, email, or whatever means available. They deserve to be seen and heard!
OPEN CATEGORY
1st – Galateah LIZETTE SALMON
2nd - Get a buzz from backyard biodiversity KAREN RETRA [yikes, really?!]
3rd - Wonga Wetlands NICHOLAS WILKE
SCHOOLS CATEGORY
1st - Biodiversity in Albury CASPER LINSSEN, Albury High School
2nd - Biodiversity in the S2S region JOSEPH BURTON, St Patrick's Parish School Albury
3rd - Biodiversity NIKITA TABUTEAU, Charles Sturt University (Albury Wodonga Campus)
Honorable mentions also go to Neil Druce’s ‘The Forgotten Ones’(https://vimeo.com/65771183) and the Friends of Woomargama National Park’s film about the reserve and the great work they do ( https://vimeo.com/66631860 ). Both films were finalists in the Open Category but missed out on a prize.
People’s Choice Award:
As mentioned last night, there is a People’s Choice Award which requires you the audience to decide which of the 8 films screened is your top pick. Please email sam@nct.org.au by 5pm next Monday (1st July) with your vote (1 vote per person). The votes will be tallied and the winner announced next week.
Finally, the Slopes to Summit (S2S) partnership would like to thank again all the film makers for their amazing passion, effort, and talent! We’d also like to thank to the competition sponsors – NSW Government’s Environmental Trust, CSU Green, Foto Supplies Camera House, and Sony - and the Regent Cinemas for hosting the screening. Special mention should also go to Justin Dallinger (Foto Supplies) for presenting the awards, and CSU student Jack Fry who helped out with the evening on his first day’s work experience with Nature Conservation Trust. "
And just in case you're keen to size up my effort, you'll find it via the above link, as well as below - it runs for just over four minutes.
Video: https://vimeo.com/album/2435782/video/67534827
Be sure to have your thinking cap on for future S2S bioflix competitions ... the results above go to show that even first-time 'film makers' can play a role in sharing local stories and celebrating biodiversity!
