Big Mountain Short Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Big Mountain Short Film Festival is a short film festival
based in Ohakune
, New Zealand
designed to encourage and celebrate creative short film making and storytelling. Entry is free and open to filmmakers internationally, who are encouraged to use maximum creativity on minimum budget. In addition to screening short films, the festival also features professional guest speakers offering tips and techniques on an assortment of topics of particular interest to low and no-budget filmmakers.
The festival was run as a three-day event in 2006 and 2007, before being reformatted as a single-day event, beginning in 2008.
and Bret Gibson as a way to encourage and inspire filmmaking in New Zealand.
From the beginning, the Big Mountain Short Film Festival was conceived as an entirely free event, both for filmmakers submitting their films, and for audiences attending the festival.
Short films were screened in two distinct categories. Program A included short films made with budgets of over $1,000 or which are made with professional equipment and crews. Program B included short films made with budgets of less than $1,000 which are made with home video cameras and personal computer editing systems
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
based in Ohakune
Ohakune
Ohakune is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Tongariro National Park, close to the southwestern slopes of the active volcano Mount Ruapehu. Part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region, the town is 70 kilometres northeast of Wanganui, and 25 kilometres west...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
designed to encourage and celebrate creative short film making and storytelling. Entry is free and open to filmmakers internationally, who are encouraged to use maximum creativity on minimum budget. In addition to screening short films, the festival also features professional guest speakers offering tips and techniques on an assortment of topics of particular interest to low and no-budget filmmakers.
The festival was run as a three-day event in 2006 and 2007, before being reformatted as a single-day event, beginning in 2008.
History
The first annual Big Mountain Short Film Festival was held on October 20–22, 2006 at the Ohakune Cinema on Goldfinch Street in Ohakune. It was co-founded by filmmakers Jeff BollowJeff Bollow
Jeff Bollow is an actor, writer, director, producer, author, public speaker, and film festival organizer...
and Bret Gibson as a way to encourage and inspire filmmaking in New Zealand.
From the beginning, the Big Mountain Short Film Festival was conceived as an entirely free event, both for filmmakers submitting their films, and for audiences attending the festival.
Overview
The festival screened 34 short films from 14 countries, 6 educational interviews with industry professionals, the full presentation of the ATOM Award-winning Making Fantastic Short Films, and two live presentations.Short films were screened in two distinct categories. Program A included short films made with budgets of over $1,000 or which are made with professional equipment and crews. Program B included short films made with budgets of less than $1,000 which are made with home video cameras and personal computer editing systems
Winning Films
| Award | Title | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE BIG MOUNTAIN (Best Short Film Overall) | Domestic | Katie Hides | Australia |
| THE FLURRY (Audience Favourite) | Elemenopee | Natalia Amoore | Australia |
| BEST DIRECTOR (Program A) | Big Bad Wolves | Rajneel Singh | New Zealand |
| BEST STORY | Crossing | Riad Galayini | USA |
| THE RUMBLE (Best short film made for under $100) | Coucou Clock | Francois Cailleau | France |
| BEST EMERGING DIRECTOR (Program B) | The Hit | Campbell Cooley | New Zealand |
| BEST ANIMATION | Coucou Clock | Francois Cailleau | France |
Overview
The festival returned to the Ohakune Cinema on October 19 - 21, 2007. It featured 28 short films from 15 countries, educational content from New Zealand and international filmmakers, and live Q&A with Paul Davis, producer of New Zealand feature films "Sione's Wedding" and "We're Here to Help".Winning Films
| Award | Title | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE BIG MOUNTAIN (Best Short Film Overall) | Boletos Por Favor | Lucas Figueroa | Spain |
| THE FLURRY (Audience Favourite) | Night of the Hell Hamsters | Paul Campion | UK/New Zealand |
| BEST DIRECTOR (Program A) | Before and After Kissing Maria | Ramon Alos | Spain |
| BEST STORY | Before and After Kissing Maria | Ramon Alos | Spain |
| THE RUMBLE (Best short film made for under $100) | 7 of Diamonds | Ollie Neas & Sam Bigwood | New Zealand |
| BEST EMERGING DIRECTOR (Program B) | Schaffenskrise | Felix Krisai | Austria |
| BEST ANIMATION | Coffeeee | Nolan | Canada |
Overview
In 2008, the festival shifted gears, and returned to Ohakune as a single-day event on October 25, 2008. It featured 25 short films from 14 countries.Winning Films
| Award | Title | Director | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE BIG MOUNTAIN (Best Short Film Overall) | Against the Wind | Dan Masucci | USA |
| THE FLURRY (Audience Favourite), tie | Half a Horse | Hewison Dickson Faulkner | New Zealand |
| Dictaphone Lament | unknown | unknown | |
| BEST STORY | Half a Horse | Hewison Dickson Faulkner | New Zealand |
| BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY | Against the Wind | Joe Masucci | USA |
| BEST ANIMATION | It Was a Dark and Scary Night | L Dickenson & S C Jaffe | New Zealand |
Overview
In 2009, the festival returned to Ohakune as a single-day event on October 24, 2009.Winning Films
| Award | Title | Country |
|---|---|---|
| BEST DIRECTOR | E Finita La Commedia | France |
| BEST STORY | Coffin Call | England |
| AUDIENCE FAVOURITE | AIE | Belgium |
| BEST ANIMATION | Glonk! Klank! | France |
| BEST SHORT UNDER $100 | Space Junk | New Zealand |
The 2010 Festival
The 5th Annual festival is scheduled to return to Ohakune Cinema as a single-day event on October 23, 2010.Notable Participants
In addition to the international films featuring emerging and famous filmmakers from around the world, the following people have participated in the festival, either as speakers, live presenters, featured filmmakers or interview subjects:- Alun BollingerAlun BollingerAlun Bollinger, MNZM is a New Zealand cinematographer, who has worked on several Peter Jackson films, and many other films in New Zealand. He has also been a Director of Photography, including the second unit for Peter Jackson's trilogy The Lord of the Rings...
, Cinematographer of Heavenly CreaturesHeavenly CreaturesHeavenly Creatures is a 1994 film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his wife Fran Walsh, about the notorious 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case in Christchurch, New Zealand. Filmed on location in Christchurch, it features Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in their screen debuts... - David Coulson, Editor of Whale Rider
- Dale G BradleyDaybreak PacificDaybreak Pacific Ltd is a New Zealand film and television company. It produces low-budget films and programmes for the local and international market, often in association with other production or financing companies...
, Director/Producer of over 20 films in New Zealand - Paul Davis, Producer of Sione's WeddingSione's WeddingSione's Wedding , is a 2006 comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures.- Plot :...
and We're Here to Help - Susan Parker, Production Manager of The Last SamuraiThe Last SamuraiThe Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan. The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward, who had previously filmed the movie in 1990, starring...
and In My Father's DenIn My Father's Den (film)In My Father's Den is a 2004 New Zealand film written and directed by Brad McGann and starring Matthew Macfadyen and Emily Barclay. It is based on the novel of the same title by Maurice Gee... - Jackie Dennis, Music Licensing, Mushroom Music NZ