We had a great time last night at the launch of the Made in the West Film Festival 10-year Anniversary Magazine!
BIG THANKS to our amazing VIP student designers from Burrow studio at WSU and all the special guests and filmmakers who attended to support and help us celebrate the launch of this amazing limited edition Magazine.
What a glorious work of art we have on our hands!
ORDER YOUR COPY of this history-making collectors edition magazine, with 28 pages packed full of content celebrating filmmakers from the creative heartland of Sydney’s west.
“Made in the West Magazine is a piece of memorabilia from ten years of festivals and an opportunity for people to show their support,” says festival founder Ross Page.
“We were inspired to create the magazine just for laughs at first, and then we started looking at it seriously and realised it was a fantastic opportunity to document our history and celebrate this amazing community of filmmakers.”
SPECIAL THANKS to the team from Burrow design studio at Western Sydney University for making it happen!
Shout out to the student designers Brenden Schmitz, Thomas Baldwin, Erin Barnes, Annabel Crawford, Alex Foy, Kai Huang, Angela Tao and Ethan White for your incredible work, led by convenor Katrina Sandbach.
Made in the West Magazine is a unique blend of graphic design, wordsmithery, augmented reality, animation and video content -- a true clash of styles!
“We saw an opportunity to explore the intersections of artistry within Western Sydney and we decided to involve a few more people in our artistic bar fight, if you will,” says Ross.
The result is some truly eye-popping illustrations, rousing words, sleek layouts and alive-on-the-page AR that complement our style, mash up ten years of iconic design content, and make clear the impact we’ve had on the Western Sydney Film community.
The launch event featured the SSP team hosting a live Q&A with a few members of the design team, including students Alex Foy, Brenden Schmitz and Erin Barnes.
We asked them about their experience working on the project to put together the layouts, create the mad illustrations, and design the AR features in the mag.
It was inspiring to hear about their work with the team and the process they went through behind the scenes as they brought the magazine to life.
The magazine features all the contributors from a decade of festivals, snapshots of the red carpet, interviews with filmmakers, ten years of posters, a winners’ almanac, spin-offs and side projects, and of course, we look back on ten years of festival history.
There’s so much to tell about the rise of Western Sydney film and the festival that sparked a creative movement here in our region. Made in the West has championed the creative community in Western Sydney and is well on its way to positioning us as the outspoken and authentic creative heartland of the greater Sydney region.
Made in the West Magazine is a testament to ten years of passionate advocacy for Western Sydney filmmakers and a unique representation of the amazing community that lives, works and creates out west.
Kudos to the entire design team for their brilliant work bringing it all together!
“We loved the collaborative process with Burrow, seeing everyone working together and riffing off one another, in the same way that our team does, was great” says festival manager Misty McPhail.
Misty was the senior editor on the magazine, working with SSP team members Jay Knapp and Emily Mumford to write the content, while Ross brought together all the visual content and drove the main vision. It was certainly a huge task, but so worth it!
“The writing process made us think about where we came from, what we stand for, what we’re here for now and where we are going,” says Misty.
What an amazing way to encapsulate ten years of rebellion, celebration, community and inclusivity at Made in the West!
We’ve done so much, but there is so much more still to do!
“Made in the West Magazine is not just about looking back; it’s a way of looking forwards as well. It is a vibrant magazine because we are a vibrant community. I’ve really seen a massive growth in the community over the past decade and I’m so proud of what we’re achieving together,” says event coordinator Jay.
ORDER YOUR COPY NOW to get your hands on our once-in-a-decade collector’s item. You can opt to pick it up at the festival in December or receive it via post.
Hidden inside one copy is a GOLDEN TICKET - find it and you will win a prize pack featuring a stack of new Made in the West merchandise!
Western Sydney University staff were impressed by the students’ professionalism and the passion we have among our team for promoting young creatives from the western suburbs.
They’re pretty stoked with the opportunities we are creating for students from WSU. Have you heard? Western Sydney University is our 2021 Gold+ Screen Sponsor and we’ve been working with students across a range of Creative Industries courses, offering valuable placement opportunities and production experience.
Want to read more about the designers at Burrow? Meet the designers Ethan, Annabel and Erin in our latest interview.
Meanwhile, SAVE THE DATE for Made in the West Film Festival!
Join us on the red carpet Saturday 4 December 2021 from 6pm at Event Cinemas, Liverpool. As always, we will be showcasing an awesome marathon line-up of Western Sydney’s best short films!
Have you made a film featuring cast, crew or locations from Western Sydney? Entries close in two days!! What are you waiting for??
ENTER YOUR FILM NOW and we could be watching your latest masterpiece on the big screen!!
Follow our adventures online to stay up to date with festival announcements as we continue to celebrate ONE DECADE of #WesternSydneyFilm and the creative community behind Made in the West Film Festival!
Thank you for your support.