Industry exposure

By Tania Martin
EMERALD’S rising star Sarah Barnard is set to be the toast of the youth film industry.
She is one of 21 finalists in the 2007 Blue Dandenongs Youth Film Festival (BDYFF) which will be screened in Belgrave on the weekend.
Ms Barnard said being chosen as a finalist in the film festival is an opportunity of a lifetime.
“This is a stepping stone for me and I can’t wait to rub shoulders with other film directors,” she said.
“I will suck as much knowledge out of them (film executives) about the industry as I can.”
Now in its second year the festival has attracted up-and-coming directors from across the globe.
Festival creative director Trevor Matthews said the BDYFF is fast becoming one of the few truly international youth film festivals in the world.
He said after advertising the festival on the internet worldwide there was an influx of overseas entries.
Ms Barnard’s short film Empty Addictions will go head-to-head with films from America, South Korea and Croatia.
The film is based on the human behavioural reaction to emotional turmoil or chaos.
It is a story of a young girl struggling to deal with her issues and emotions and how she uses an addiction to avoid confronting such issues.
The film has been made as a music film clip to The Skemos’s song Empty.
Ms Barnard said the inspiration for the film came from her brother’s song, which is about drug addictions.
“I had this in-depth conversation with my brother about drug addictions because we have known people, both family and friends, who have gone through addictions,” she said.
“My brother decided to write a song about it and I also needed to express my feelings about it, so I made the film clip.”
Ms Barnard is very excited about seeing her film on the big screen at Cameo’s outdoor cinemas on the weekend.
The screening program will be held over two sessions on Friday, 16, and Saturday, 17 February from 8.30pm.
“I feel very privileged to be given such a great opportunity and it will give me great exposure into the film industry,” Ms Barnard said.