Wollongong City Council’s (WCC) inaugural Wollongong Creative Short Film Festival has been held outdoors at Kanahooka’s Lakeside Reserve.
Home to many species of protected plants, the lake was brought to life by a lineup of some of the Illawarra’s best armateur film makers early this month.
WCC’s cultural development coordinator, Shannon Kennedy organised the event and said she was proud to be a part of the festival that put Lake Illawarra on centre stage.
“This time round we made the theme water, and we’ve commissioned some films specifically about the lake,” Mr Kennedy said.
“So we wanted to highlight what an amazing natural resource we have here in the Illawarra and give people a nice prompt for their films.”
As the lake is is also shared with Shellharbour City Council, the theme was more special bringing the two communities together and inspiring local film makers to capture its beauty.
Mr Kennedy said it was important to acknowledge the lake’s beauty and to understand the importance of its care, which is part of the Coastal Management Program.
“Lake Illawarra’s values and uses were identified through surveys and discussions with the community, as well as using existing scientific information for the Lake,” the Coastal Management Program indicated in a statement.
Writer and director of the short film ‘Walking Alone’ Christopher Daw said the main character of his film is grieving the loss of his wife and he uses the Lake Illawarra as a processing tool.
“He walks their dog, Banjo around the lake every day,” Mr Daw said.
Video: The Wollongong Creative Short Film Festival showcases some of the Illawarra emerging film makers, with this year’s theme being the hero element of water. The festival is run in partnership with Screen Illawarra, Shellharbour City Council and the NSW Government.
Film maker Beau Ritchie, a winner of the festival in his category for this film Bait, and Christopher Daw a tied third place have explained that the process of making a short film surrounding a hero element.
The winners split a prize of $6000, as well as a combination of equipment hire and short courses to help further their passion.
