Presented by Southern Cross University, the Nextwave Youth Film Awards, hosted during SWIFF'22, awarded and lauded young filmmakers who entered the Nextwave short film comp for '21. With filmmakers travelling in from across Australia, it was an evening to remember. Find the winners, highlights and photo gallery below.
Awarding trophies and prizes, courtesy of SWIFF, Black Magic Design, Skullcandy Headphones and RODE Microphones – the event saw the big screen premiere of 26 incredible short films and hosted filmmakers from across Australia.. With live music performance by the exceptional Austyn Bremner, and hosted by MC and Nextwave Program Manager Saige Browne, NYFA was the result of over a year of hard work, creativity and storytelling from emerging filmmakers, with over 60 incredible entries made into the 2021 competition.
Finalists were also invited to an Accelerator Workshop, presented by Southern Cross University – the focus of which was on the art of Montage, presented by filmmaker and lecturer Uwe Terton. Filmmakers met, collaborated, created and presented montages of their very own on the day.
Nextwave Online Workshops – built from an in person template crafted over 5 years – grew over the course of 2020, adapting from a planned micro course in beginner filmmaking, into an over 3-hour, ten part online program delving into the fundamentals of short film. From finding inspiration to finalising the edit and everything in between – including masterclasses from industry professionals on sound, camera operation and shot composition.
After understanding the basics, filmmakers aged 10-25 were tasked to create a short film under 5 minutes – the only catch was to include a pineapple!
Filmmaking teams, and solo crews from around the country invented new worlds, designed narratives, animated across artforms, made meta-fantasy commentaries, shocking thrillers, killer comedies, thoughtful video essays and many more exceptional and unique stories. And audiences at CHEC Theatre got to witness it all – including the presentation of the following awards:
Nextwave 2021 Competition Winners
Best Sound – Luke Meakins, The Hollow
Best Actor – Rylee Parry, Unknown Number
Best Script – Rosa Rowlands, Tea Time
Best Editing – Noah Bailey, Pineapple Punch
Best Cinematography – Kaelyn Ward, Fear Forest
Best Director – Ben Rosenberg, Time Masheen
Young Regional Filmmaker – Brayden Cureton, Footsteps
Young Regional Filmmaker Runner Up – Frank Dik, Welcome to the Night
SWIFF Commendation Award – Kokoda & Max Cadzow-Smith, Colour Theory
Best Film 10-14 – Mila & Lula Kazantzidis, Masters of Persuasion
Best Film 15-17 – Ben Rosenberg, Time Masheen
Best Film 18-25 – Sam Davison, Guided
School Spirit Award – Mansfield Secondary College, Trinity College Gladstone, Toowoomba Grammar School
Peoples Choice Award – Luke Meakins, The Hollow
Nextwave in 2022
Filmmakers aged 10-25 are now invited to produce a short film, under 5 minutes – interpreting the theme ‘transformation’ in whichever way they wish – whilst somewhere including the colour ‘green’.
The Nextwave Online program also returns in 2021, with online workshops that detail the full filmmaking process, from idea to edit, and everything in between.
Nextwave is also available as a screening package for regional communities to amplify youth voices with celebration screening events – find more information about screening the Nextwave Youth Film program via Film Outreach Australia here.
Once again, congratulations to each and every filmmaker that got creative in 2021, and we can’t wait to see what you make in 2022!