Youth and seniors collaborate at inaugural Emerald Film Festival
Look out Cannes - Emerald’s Cinema Complex is set to turn into a red carpet extravaganza on Saturday with the gala launch of the inaugural Emerald Film Festival.
Supported by the Queensland Government’s Communities Innovation Fund and coordinated locally by the Outback Exploratorium (OXP), the sold-out red carpet event will feature 10 short films.
Young filmmakers and creators have been working with seniors to preserve local stories on ‘film’ - or at least the digital equivalent thereof.
Headed by a CQUniversity team of social psychologists, Professor Olav Muurlink, theatre academic Dr Linda Lorenza, and local agriculture lecturer, Saba Sinai-Mameghany, the project is both an ‘event’ and a research deliverable.
“A lot of research is out there looking at ‘social capital’ as a construct that we think is ‘good’ for communities, but this project has really been about creating social capital out of a community’s existing strengths and observing how that happens and what results,” Professor Muurlink said.
In the year-long lead up to the event, OXP have hosted activities such as 'Getting to know you' afternoon teas, skills and development workshops for youth, 'Generations unite' fun interactive challenges and on-location filming opportunities for the young people and seniors.
"It's been a fantastic opportunity to watch the different generations really connecting and getting to know each other in a supportive and collaborative environment," Outback Exploratium Project Coordinator Gerry Huston said.
Dr Linda Lorenza said that through the collaborative journey, the CQU team had been sharing tools for exploring stories, interviewing and filming with members of the Central Highlands community, both young and “young at heart.”
Dr Lorenza said CQUniversity multimedia producer Mick Finn, who has a passion for community-film collaborations, had assisted the young film makers with their creative efforts, teaching them skills from shooting b-roll, interviewing techniques and editing their documentary.
“He’s also been capturing the action behind the scenes and around the Emerald region,” she said.
“Stories about people, who they are, where they are and what they’ve experienced are how we get to know a community. Everyone has a story. This weekend’s festival celebrates some of the storytellers and a new generation of filmmakers in the Emerald region.”
While the screening is sold out, films will continue to be shared on the Tell Me Your Story website.
