We loved catching up with everyone at our latest #WesternSydneyFilm Online Networking Event!!
Big thanks to the 40 local filmmakers from the Western Sydney Film community who joined us for our most recent catch up on Zoom! We certainly came away from the call with a renewed feeling of inspiration and motivation (definitely what we need right now!) to tackle our next big projects.
Once again, we partnered with Western Sydney Filmmakers Hangout for this event and founder Matt Vella joined us on the call to talk about his work with WSFH and what he’s been up to lately. Of course, the last round of 2021 lockdowns put a stop to the in-person filmmaker hangouts pretty quick (although he did manage to squeeze in one session in March!), so we were very happy to join with WSFH for the fourth time last night to connect Western Sydney filmmakers online.
Our online networking events are a unique blend of three elements: a live TV show with guest interviews, a Zoom party with random breakout rooms for smaller group chats, and a Choose-Your-own-Adventure-style interactive game, complete with alternate endings!
This time we spotlighted special guest filmmakers with great advice for all the filmmakers on the call -- writer/producer Joanna Beveridge, writer/director/editor Ryan Cauchi and writer/director/actor Steven Saros-Glinatsis.
Jo’s film The Takedown of Melanie Sprottle was runner-up Best in the West 2020 and also took home the Best Actress award. Ryan won the Best Editor award last year with his short film Golem. Steven is a Media Arts Production student at Western Sydney University in their Creative Industries program and his film Collapse was a finalist at Made in the West 2020.
Just like our special guests, nearly two thirds of the filmmakers who joined us this week identified as directors, with half also identifying as a producer or scriptwriter. We think this speaks volumes about the slashie culture of Western Sydney Film community!! One third of those who came along said they are also editors or DOPs, and we even had a handful of composers, sound designers and actors on the call too. It was great to see such a range of creatives!
We also did a big REVEAL of our lastest projects!
Jay & Ross unveiled this year's 2021 poster artwork, designed by student designer Tia McGillivray, which we absolutely adore!
They also announced that WE'VE SET UP SHOP!!
That's right - we've got MERCH, baby! Get your festival merchandise at our online shop where you can order from a huge range of products made to order with our gorgeous festival designs, through carbon neutral company RedBubble.
We've got t-shirts, backpacks, notebooks, hats, duffle bags, mugs, coasters, stickers, badges, tech accessories and so much more!
All proceeds go to supporting Made in the West and its mission to shine a spotlight on Western Sydney filmmakers. We appreciate your support!
Thank you again to everyone who joined us at the online networking event. It was great to hear about your work and share a few laughs about the challenges we all face staying creative during lockdown. We hope you feel inspired to get your 2021 projects completed as we open up from lockdowns this month!
Speaking of which, SUBMISSIONS for Made in the West 2021 close at the end of this month too!
If you have made a short film (under 15 minutes) that features cast, crew or locations from Western Sydney, you are eligible to submit your film.
All genres and types of content are welcome, from documentaries and music videos, to animation, drama series, web series episodes, sci-fi and horror.
SUBMIT YOUR FILM NOW! Submissions close on Friday 29 October.
Made in the West is a celebration of Western Sydney on the big screen. This year we are celebrating our 10th festival year and we’re proud to showcase hundreds of filmmakers from across Western Sydney and the original and authentic stories being told in our local region.
If you know anyone who would like to sponsor the festival this year as a prize donor or financial contributor, let us know! Our sponsors are vital in helping us celebrate the contributions that filmmakers make to Western Sydney’s arts scene and this year will be bigger than ever before!
Cheers to you, Western Sydney Film community, and we’ll see you next time!