Wet West Film Festival, Hokitika, New Zealand

20 July 2006

New Event for Hokitika

Hokitika, renowned for giving New Zealanders the excuse they need to come on over the hills to enjoy some West Coast hospitality, is doing it again. From 2004 the Wet West Film Festival has shown in the grand old Regent Theatre for four days in early January, this year it’s getting bigger. “The Wet West Film Festival is in its third year and that means it’s time for a growth spurt,” said Festival Director Jo Kearns, “we are really loving the stories that are being told through film, so now we’re sending out the challenge to photographers to do as good a job in their medium. It’s called the Wet West Photo Fest.”

The films arrive in digital format, and now with digital cameras used extensively by professional photographers as well as common place in the home, there’s plenty of scope for The Wet West Photo Fest to become a favourite of photographers the world over. Photos are being called for now on CD in the first instance to go through the preselection process. The categories of competition will be the same as in the Wet West Film Festival, being Adventure and Expedition, Culture and Environment, Amateur, People’s Choice and the supreme award the Judge’s Choice.

All finalists will be exhibited in Hokitika’s Carnegie Gallery for three weeks ending 12 January, and prizes will be announced in conjunction with the Film Festival prizegiving, Oscar-style on Sunday 7 January. Co-director, Dave Kwant emphasises, “we’ll receive entries until 31 October, importantly photographers must use the theme of the Festival within the photographic content, so it’s expected there will be more water than usual in Hokitika in January! The finer details are all on the website.”

Given the influx of film entries for the the Wet West Film Festival, organisers are expecting the Wet West Photo Fest will make for a heavy mail bag in the next couple of months. Time to head out to your favourite watery spot and start snapping.

ENDS

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