Artworks Theatre is calling for young people keen to express their Covid-19 lockdown experiences to take part in a film festival.
Theatre co-director Kashmir Postel says the idea around the festival is to give young people a project they can do during lockdown that is a way of expressing their experience.
“I know teenagers especially find it quite hard because they can’t meet up with their friends. I’m really interested in Greek theatre and how it is used as a way of getting people to understand each other. Through the medium of film, they can express their experience, and show their peers. Often it brings out conversation afterwards about what people went through.”
Funded by the Waiheke Local Board, the festival begins with mentoring workshops run by filmmaker Rowena Baines.
“The main thing is storytelling. I’ll help them develop the story side of it as much as possible, and set them up with some basic techniques and understanding of the way film works – which is very different to photography: like creating a sequence and editing,” says Rowena.
Online workshops start this week and Rowena says there might be a chance to do some hands-on workshops after Covid-19 Level 3 finishes.
“You don’t need to have a film camera. I’ll also talk about filmmaking with a stills camera,” Rowena says.
The subject of the film doesn’t have to be the filmmaker’s own experience, but it could be about something that happened to someone else they know, says Kashmir.
Young people interested in taking part in the workshops and making a film should contact Kashmir at info@artworkstheatre.org.nz and she will respond with the link to the workshops.
The closing date for film entries has been put back by three weeks to 28 September with a screening and prizegiving planned to take place at Artworks Theatre on Saturday 3 October. • Erin Johnson
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