A three-month student film competition unspooled last Saturday with an invitation-only screening at the Raven’s Cry Theatre that attracted scores of participating filmmakers, supporters and admirers.
The Raven’s Cry Theatre Student Film Festival was launched in mid-February by theatre staffer and career movie production professional Jason “Rowdy” Rody, with support from venue owners Kevin and Jen McGarry.
“I really love the engagement I have with the community here, in this theatre on the shíshálh Nation,” said Rody. “I felt very lucky to come up with an idea last year, when I started talking with the [Raven’s Cry] owners. We’re not just here to watch films; we’re here to experience stories and visions from these young filmmakers. The Sunshine Coast may seem like a small community, but today we’re introducing some big voices captured through the lens of teen directors, writers and creators.”
The competition began in mid-February with a daylong editing workshop hosted by Rody at the theatre complex. 11 short film submissions ultimately stemmed from pupils in School District 46’s ProjectSPIDER learning community, secondary students from Chatelech and Elphinstone high schools, and performers at the Driftwood Theatre School.
The films spanned (and occasionally defied) genres. Mervy Mingo’s Santa offered nostalgic perspective on familial ties and wish-making by a protagonist poised on the cusp of post-secondary life. Taho Shinagawa’s meditative Where We Live documented dazzling natural landscapes across the Coast’s geographic expanse. Six students from Elphinstone Secondary’s TV program produced a side-splitting sendup of mercenary tactics in the fashion world’s corporate grind (Benjamin’s Buttons): Nathan Perrins, Mervy Mingo, Atala Herrera, Hana Fraser, Garnet Janyk and Morris Emmerson.
Animator Talia Harding, who first released the latest instalment in her The Ants Go Marching franchise during last June’s ProjectSPIDER film festival, earned audience cheers for her tale of reconciliation between warring factions of ants and bees.
An unnerving study in suspense (suitably titled Horror) elicited shrieks and laughter in scenes constructed by Connor Murawsky, Mason Ferguson, Bella Bothwell and Autumn Heusdon.
Awards were allotted by audience votes. Nuclear Princess — which offered tongue-in-cheek commentary on the superficiality of fashion and lifestyle vloggers — took third prize. Its director, textile artist Willow Rody, is one of the producers of the upcoming Ripped Open Fashion Cabaret. The show of upcycled and repurposed fashion is scheduled for May 4 in Gibsons and will highlight the work of young designers and models.
Second-place finisher Jet Ventro is a sequel to the secret agent epic introduced during last year’s ProjectSPIDER festival. The adrenaline-packed plot revolves around a race to deactivate a nefarious anti-aging device. Team members collaborated over nearly two months to film and edit the thriller, which includes a dramatic skydiving leap from a light aircraft — and the hero’s ignominious landing in a scraggly evergreen.
“It was a bit rushed, but now I know so much more about filmmaking now because of it,” said producer Rowan Rody. His collaborator (and fellow star) who in 2019 launched a YouTube platform under the moniker Liam Moon, agreed: “This movie got me back into filmmaking,” he said, “and now I want to make short films.”
Top honours went to a revisionist fairy tale by students of the Driftwood Theatre School: To Evil or Not To Evil. “I learned a lot more about technology and how to use it,” said actor Julian Falkin, who portrays the doddery King Eldric. “And I really enjoyed acting in it.”
“Movies are so much more than they look,” said Doris Garner, who stars as a sinister, calculating queen coveting an effective skin-care regimen. “It looks so simple when you’re watching it.”
“It’s a massive community,” added co-star Haelyn Treliving, “and the fact that our community is so willing to bring this group of teens toward the world of filmmaking is very generous.”
Organizers of the film festival plan for it to continue on an annual basis.
