News

North West Film Festival

In August 2019 the VFFF Grants Committee approved an application from the North West Film Festival in Inverell NSW.

The festival provides a unique opportunity for young people from the New England North West region of NSW who are interested in creative screen media to showcase and celebrate their work. While their region battles unprecedented drought and fires, the Festival provides an outlet that gives young people a voice, and an event in which they are able to raise awareness of the critical issues that are important to them. This year, many of the films entered featured drought as the central topic.

Watch one young film maker’s entry, inspired by the drought and with a quirky perspective of hope.

"The North West Film Festival has been serving the filmmaking community of the north west for 15 years. Over that time, at least 25 entrants have gone on to full-time employment in the film and television industry.

There are a couple of notable entrants both from Inverell; one who went on to graduate from the New York Film Academy and the other who has just returned from pitching a feature film in L.A. Both credit their experience with the North West Film Festival as the catalyst for their careers.”

Festival Director Sandy McNaughton

This year’s Festival was a roaring success, and featured special guest appearances by renowned Australian actor, director and writer Rachel Ward, who gave individual feedback to every film entered in the Festival.

A truly valuable opportunity for the budding rural film makers involved.