Lights, camera, action stations for Nelson f ilm-makers
Both professional and aspiring film-makers will see their short films on the big screen at the Top Of The South Film Festival this year.
Festival co-organiser Justin Eade said that for the first time this year, there would be Gold Reel and Silver Reel showings. Previous editions had only one two-hour slot in which the best submissions were shown.
Eade said 19 short films were in competition for this year’s festival prizes. Submissions ranged from comedy to drama, horror, documentary and music video.
This time around, there will be two selections – one of the 13 best short films shot in the region over the past year, the ‘‘Gold Reel’’.
The ‘‘Silver Reel’’ will include the six films that didn’t make the first cut. The selections will be made by a panel of eight independent experts.
‘‘So everyone gets their work up on the screen. It’s really encouraging for people even if they don’t make the official selection,’’ Eade said.
‘‘There are some serious filmmakers and some people that are just starting out, so the quality ranges.
‘‘This is a way for people to see their film up on the big screen and get their family and friends along to it.’’
The fourth edition of the festival is taking place at Nelson’s Suter Theatre, with four screenings over two days.
The festival will kick off with the Dragoon Anthology, a collection of seven futuristic sci-fi short films conceived by American film-maker Mike Ortiz, which were shot in Nelson and Blenheim using local actors, writers, directors and crew.
Many of the films this year were shot in the Nelson area, with other submissions from Marlborough and Golden Bay.
The Nelson region submissions are The Catch Up (Torrey Gilchrist, drama); Sofa So Good (Anna Hickman, documentary); Monster Sale (Troy Warring, fantasy); Ink (Bailey Dixon, documentary); Sanctuary (Doug Brooks, science fiction); Delightful Eyes (Barry Payne, drama); East Wind (Peter Blasdale, music video); Opal Valley (Justin Eade, drama); Cold Hearted (Cameron Ross, film noir); First Encounter 375 (Peter Blasdale, documentary); and Father Between (Doug Brooks and Aaron Falvey, drama).
The Top Of The South Film Festival is on at the Suter Theatre in Nelson on September 14 and 15, before moving on to Blenheim in October and Kaikoura in November.