Young Film-Makers On The Global Future

Click to enlarge
Special Award Winner Calvin Sang with Keisha Castle Hughes at The Outlook for Someday Award

MEDIA RELEASE
5 December 2008

The Outlook for Someday

The Sustainability Film Challenge for Young New Zealanders

YOUNG FILM-MAKERS TELL US WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT THE GLOBAL FUTURE

Young film-makers from throughout New Zealand have spoken loudly and clearly about the global future in the second THE OUTLOOK FOR SOMEDAY sustainability film challenge for young New Zealanders.

Keisha Castle Hughes and the Hon Paula Bennett, Minister of Youth Affairs, presented awards for the winning films at The Outlook for Someday Awards at TVNZ last night.

The 20 winning films are by film-makers aged 6 to 20. They range from an animated fable and a big picture post-apocalyptic drama to stories of young people looking after their own backyards – protecting blue ducks, shopping consciously and bike pooling.

Four of the winning films also received Special Awards:

The Film-making Achievement Award – for a film with outstanding creative / technical quality – went to 14-year-old Calvin Sang of Auckland for Mr Box, his simple and effective animated fable showing the impact of cities on our mental health.

The Sustainable Future Award – for a film which advances the conversation on sustainability through a new perspective and/or critical thinking – went to Team Waiheke of Waiheke High School for their film documenting a school hangi, Matariki 2008.

The Youth Participation Award – in recognition of participation by young people among themselves and/or at a community level – went to the Green Dream team of Raphael House School in Wellington for Sustainability, in which the young film-makers take to the streets for their cause and sing a song they created for their film on a crowded train.

The Te Reo and Tikanga Maori Award – for a film making use of Te Reo and Tikanga Maori – went to a team from Te Wharekura o Wairarapa for their comedy exploring an alternative way of travelling to school, Te Kume Pahikara (Bike Pooling).

THE OUTLOOK FOR SOMEDAY is a partnership between Connected Media, The Enviroschools Foundation and the Global Education Centre (Project Partners) and TVNZ6 Family (Screen Partner).

“Our objective is to help grow a generation of enterprising, digital-savvy young people who are focussing their creative energy and self-expression on the big issue of their time – sustainability,” said David Jacobs, Director of Connected Media.

“We are delighted to be airing short films created by the young talent of
New Zealand. TVNZ6 and TVNZ7 are all about how New Zealanders view
ourselves and our future, so the opportunity to showcase how young people tackle sustainability and their future is perfect material for us and a
project we are very happy to support,” said Eric Kearley, TVNZ's General Manager of Digital Services.

Winning films will be broadcast from 5 December on TVNZ 6 Family on Freeview. They can also be viewed from 5 December at TVNZ ondemand.

Connected Media is also making a documentary for TV2 about The Outlook for Someday, featuring some of the winning films and film-makers. It will be an I AM TV documentary special, planned for World Environment Day in 2009.

On the project website at www.theoutlookforsomeday.net New Zealanders up to 20 years of age were asked “What does sustainability mean for the world and for you? What does it mean for your community or neighbourhood? What do you want to say about it?” Their films could be any genre at all and any length up to 5 minutes.

The 20 winning films range from dramas and documentaries to animations and a video diary. They have been selected by judges who work in television, education and youth development.

THE OUTLOOK FOR SOMEDAY website is now a web channel for people to view the winning films and to vote for the Audience Favourite.

The funding partners of THE OUTLOOK FOR SOMEDAY in 2008 are the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Youth Development, Te Puni Kokiri and NZ On Air.

The project sponsors are The Church Design, The Body Shop New Zealand, The British Council and the Sustainable Business Network.

Project supporters are New Zealand Post, Untouched World, Trade Aid, South Seas Film & Television School, Tearaway, iServe, 72dpi, Waxeye, tv/e
New Zealand International Film Festivals, Imaging Technology, Arts Engine and the Screen Directors Guild of New Zealand.

Prizes include:

• Video cameras for the winners of the Film-making Achievement Award, the Sustainable Future Award and the Youth Participation Award;

• A laptop computer with video editing software for the winners of the Te Reo & Tikanga Maori Award;

• A 5-day ‘Introduction to Television Production’ course at South Seas Film & Television School for the film-maker or up to 4 members of the film-making team whose film is voted to be the Audience Favourite;

• Vouchers for The Body Shop, Untouched Word, Trade Aid and the New Zealand International Film Festivals, subscriptions to Tearaway and Take magazines, and a Media That Matters DVD to the makers of each Winning Film.

ENDS

© Scoop Media