Indie film snags award
Doco picks up ‘Ozzie’ down south
A DOCUMENTARY created by two lecturers from USQ’s School of Arts and Communication has taken out an OzFlix Independent Film Award (the Ozzies) for Best Sound Design in Melbourne over the weekend.
Written and directed by Leonie Jones and produced by Dr Daryl Sparkes, the documentary titled The Battle of Fire Support Base Coral tells the largely untold and unknown story of the longest and hardest battle fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War.
The documentary took seven years to make, in which time, as part of her PhD research, Ms Jones travelled across Australia and Vietnam to interview more than 150 veterans who were involved in the battle at fire support bases in Coral and Balmoral.
Accepting the award on stage with Mrs Jones on Saturday night, Dr Sparkes was stunned.
“Wow,” he said.
“All those eight months of when you’re making a documentary about the Vietnam War and every single gunshot needs a sound effect and you end up with 64 tracks of sound, it takes a long time. “Well, it’s such an honour.” Dr Sparkes said the film “was made with a lot of love” and that it was a huge group effort.
The film was first broadcast in November, 2016 on Foxtel’s The History Channel and will screen again on Anzac Day 2018 in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of the battle in May.
The Ozzies celebrate the achievements of independent Australian films made for less than $5 million and recognise the outstanding efforts of talented practitioners who work within the film industry.
More than 100 films were up for nomination.
The film was nominated for the categories of Best Production Design, Best Sound Design and Best Special Visual Effects.
The documentary was created with production support from special effects technician James Miller, camera operators Stuart Thorp and Daniel Maddock, and animations from Matt Nielsen.