Oxley College Film Festival

The Empire Cinema once again played host to the event, which was resplendent with red carpet, Oscar statues, ‘live TV’ reporters and ‘paparazzi’.

Eight films were shown in front of a packed house, including judges Anita Sheehan (producer, Porchlight Films), Nigel Christensen (Academy Award winning sound designer on ‘Mad Max, Fury Road’) and renowned Australian artist, Tony Albert.

The emcee of the event was John Waters.

The films were made by Year 10 students, who wrote, shot and edited their films, guided by a range of industry mentors and Oxley College English staff.

Students were also required to learn about the business and legal aspects of film production, including release forms and production bibles.

As part of their studies, students enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of Fox Studios in Sydney, to see where big budget films such as ‘Wolverine’ and ‘The Matrix’ were filmed.

Films dealt with subjects as diverse as finding love online, the perils of pitching a film script and adapting to life in a new foster family.

Prizes were awarded in a range of categories including Best Cinematography and Best Acting.

The winner of the Oakley Award for Best Film was ‘Bound by Me’, directed by Layla Ross. 

“I was very impressed by the great story-telling skills that were demonstrated by all of the teams and it was difficult for us judges to pick clear winners in all the categories,” judge Anita Sheehan said.

“The students should all be immensely proud of their work.”