The successful 2019 NSW Regional Arts Fund projects were announced today, thanks to Regional Arts NSW, seeing a major expansion to Screenwave’s youth workshop program. The program, previously called [REC] Ya Shorts Youth Film Festival, has merged into the Screenwave International Film Festival as its official youth program this year, and is now taking on a new name – “Nextwave”.
With $27,000 per year for two years from the Regional Arts Fund being focused on developing mid-career filmmakers in the Upper Hunter and Eastern Riverina areas of NSW as workshop facilitators, new youth filmmaking and mental health workshops will start rolling out in new regions of New South Wales next May, helping to activate the next wave of regional filmmakers.
Now 4 years old, the 2018 youth program saw 50 workshops take place in schools across Northern NSW, leading into a short film competition open to 12 to 25-year old’s living regionally in Australia, encouraging young people to think creatively about how to tell their stories through film. In 2018 the competition saw original 72 short films produced by young regional Australians for the competition.
104 · d. Benjamin Bowles
It’s Time To Dance · d. Willow Driver
The new Nextwave program kicks off with the launch of the inaugural Nextwave Youth Film Awards at SWIFF 2019.
Tickets are now available for the Nextwave Youth Film Awards at C.ex Coffs, January 18th 2019 from 6.00pm, where the best of the 2018 competition will be showcased, and over $40,000 in prizes awarded to regional schools and young filmmakers.
Regional communities around Australia will then have the opportunity to screen Nextwave’s short film program for Youth Week in April next year, giving these incredible young filmmakers exposure to a national audience for their short films.