DigiSPAA film competition heats up

The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) has announced the finalists for the 2010 DigiSPAA Feature Film Competition, with a record number of 28 entries.

The 2010 DigiSPAA Feature Film Competition finalists are: Little Sparrows, directed, written and produced by Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen (Subiaco, WA); The Fall Guys, produced by Rhys Cain (Howick, Aukland, NZ); Roadman, produced, written and directed by Peter Leovic (Skye, SA) and produced by Stephen Prime (Cumberland Park, SA); and, I Wish I Were Stephanie V, produced by Laura Sivis (Westleigh, NSW).

SPAA president and DigiSPAA co-curator Antony I. Ginnane says: "Six years old, DigiSPAA has now firmly established itself on the Australasian calendar as the premiere competitive event for up-coming, under-the-radar feature film makers to spotlight their talent and move up (if they choose) into the commercial mainstream.”

"The range, diversity, quality and originality of this year’s four finalists for the DigiSPAA 2010 SPAARTAN Award speaks as to the vibrant intensity of the low budget/no budget Australasian feature film sector," Ginnane adds.

The finalist films will be screened at this year’s SPAA Fringe conference held on October 22 and 23 at the Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo. Two grand finalists will be selected by an industry panel of judges.

The Grand Prize winner will be announced at the annual SPAA Conference held on November 17.

The winner receives the 2010 SPAARTAN Award and will walk away with over $50,000 worth of prizes, including $10,000 in equipment hire to turn their filmic dreams into a reality.

The winner will also get $15,000 in cash and $20,000 worth of post-production courtesy of Movie Network, a guaranteed screening of their film on the Movie Extra channel, plus a return airfare and free registration to the prestigious CineMart International Film Festival Rotterdam.

www.spaa.org.au