KEY ARTISTS • Director (Geelong Season) Claudia Chidiac • Writer Khoa Do • Production and Tour Manager Eleanor Winkler • Cast Hieu Phan, Kathy Nguyen, Sheena Pham, Vico Thai DATE March 16 – 21 VENUE Courthouse Arts Centre, Geelong
After a successful season in 2008, Mother Fish will tour to Courthouse Arts Centre, Geelong in March 2009. Mother Fish tells the story of two sisters fleeing Vietnam by boat.
This tour is made possible by support from the Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Victoria and Courthouse Arts.
DATE Saturday April 4, 7pm LOCATION PYT 19 Harris St Fairfield
PYT would like to congratulate the 2009 ShortCuts winners!
SHORTCUTS 09 – BEST FILM
Sally Struthers – “After You”
SHORTCUTS 09 – PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Dulce De Guzman – “Whispers”
ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Sally Struthers – “After You”
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND DESIGN
Saber Baluch – “24/7”
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Whispers” – Justine Kerrigan
ACHIEVEMENT IN ACTING
Jan Langford-Penny – “My Nan, The next Cate Blanchett”
The Fairfield School of Arts played host to Powerhouse Youth Theatre’s 6th Annual Shortcuts Film Festival for young people, staring 10 new films made entirely by young film makers from the West.
Vying for the prestigious prize of Shortcuts 2009 Best Film, the finalists competed against each other to win a share of an unprecedented $6000 worth of prizes and to hear feedback from established filmmakers such as George Basha ( Writer/Actor of The Combination), Belinda King ( 2 time Tropfest Winner) and Serhat Caradee ( Director of the upcoming drama “Cedar Boys”).
With the venue jam packed with an enthusiastic crowd of friends and family this was a rare opportunity to Sydney’s west to uncover its young emerging Spielbergs.
Featured Judge, George Basha emphasised the support for the film explosion of in the West.
“These kids have a lot of talent and its great to see them showcased on screen.”
Journalist turned Liberal representative, Ms Dai Le attended ShortCuts 09 and believes the festival is vitally important for the cultivation of filmmakers in Western Sydney.
“I worked 18 years as a filmmaker and journalist at ABC and to tell a story from a different point of view is very rare because many of the people involved in film today have no experience about what many have experienced in Western Sydney.”
Sally Struthers, 24, of Kingswood radiated on screen, winning Best Film and Best Editing for her visionary and personal film After You. Her film innovatively chronicled her personal emotional struggles of losing a friend to suicide while her father was diagnosed with cancer for the 2nd time.
No stranger to film festivals herself, Sally was overwhelmed by the response at Shortcuts 2009.
“I didn’t really realize how big it would be. It was great, it went really well”
PYT Artistic Director Claudia Chidiac, is delighted at the success of ShortCuts 09 and is excited by continuing to work along side young film makers and our project supports to keep growing the film culture in Western Sydney.
PYT also sends a BIG THANKS to our project partners and sponsors – we couldn’t do it without you!
PYT is the leading youth theatre company in Western Sydney. By engaging with young people from across the region, PYT creates new, innovative and inclusive performing arts opportunities led by collaborative processes and participation.
