CinefestOZ Albany launches 2023 program
CinefestOZ Albany 2023 is set to kick off at the end of this month, with the festival set to deliver a lineup of 15 features and 12 short films from Australia, France and New Zealand, along with a range of film, community and industry events.
Returning for its third year, the four-day festival will once again shine a spotlight on the beautiful port city of Albany, showcasing local stories and talent against the backdrop of WA’s Great Southern region.
CinefestOZ Albany begins on Thursday 27 April with Western Australian coming-of-age drama Sweet As serving as the opening night film ahead of its Australia-wide cinema release in June. The debut feature from writer/director Jub Clerc (The Turning, The Heights), the Pilbara-filmed road movie stars Shantae Barnes-Cowan (Total Control, Firebite) as Murra, a First Nations teen who finds escape and inspiration through photography. Audiences are invited to join the award-winning filmmaking team for an In-Conversation Breakfast the following morning.
Throughout the festival, viewers will have the opportunity to watch a selection of Australian documentaries including Corners of The Earth: Kamchatka, Everybody’s Oma and Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival; and First Nations documentaries The Last Daughter and You Can Go Now. Unmissable dramas include WA family feature Blueback, filmed in the Great Southern coastal town of Bremer Bay, and biopic Emily, written and directed by WA-raised actor/filmmaker Frances O’Connor.
Local short form content is also set to be a hit with audiences; with the festival’s Fantastic Friday Shorts and Spectacular Shorts programs highlighting a number of Western Australian-made shorts including Karla Hart’s Wirnitj, supported through Screenwest’s Elevate initative.
CinefestOZ Albany’s Industry Program returns on Friday April 28, featuring inspiring talks, Q&A sessions, and networking opportunities with local and visiting filmmakers to the region. Also returning is the festival’s two-day free community event, Kinjarling Koort, which is set to celebrate the Menang community and Great Southern creatives.
CinefestOZ Albany is supported by Screenwest and Lotterywest through the Audience and Community Engagement Fund.
Further information and tickets are available at cinefestoz.com.
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E: info@screenwest.com.au
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