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The Vicinity Film Project has seen the new year in with some more very special accolades with two of the short films from the 2006 Student DVD receiving recognition at the WA Screen Awards including “Best Documentary Production” for Meet the Eye. This 4min. film evolved from the video-diary that Iveca Lendich captured from his wheelchair during his time as a student of the Vicinity Filmmaking Course. Iveca’s haunting hallway images became a dream and then a poem before being woven together to create a powerful invitation for the viewer to ‘stop’ and deepen their connection with people with disabilities. Iveca received the award with Linda Rawlings – Vicinity Project Manager, at the red-carpet event at His Majesty’s Theatre in March.

Also present at the Awards event was Wendy Crothers, who wrote, directed and contributed artwork for the delightful animation Never Bin in Love Before. This love story, starring two GSI bins, was given a Special Mention at the Awards ceremony to encourage Wendy to continue her work with animation. As she is deaf, a slide was projected on the stage to enable Wendy to experience the accolade from the WA film industry. The WA Screen Award evening is the major film industry event of the year in Western Australia and to have two disability films honoured for their excellence was pretty exciting for Vicinity!

The 2007 Vicinity Filmmaking Course is currently taking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from potential students. The Course will be held on Mondays and is due to start on the 7th of May at DADAA’s Beach Street headquarters in Fremantle. If you have a disability and a passion for films or filmmaking – or know some-one who fits this bill - then Vicinity would love to hear from you. Information about the course and EOI forms are available from EDAC.

VICINITY RECEIVES AWARDS!

The Vicinity Film Project is proud to announce that all eight entries submitted into the Mandurah Short Film Festival have received awards and/or special commendation. The Festival judges were so impressed by the Vicinity entries that a special showcase of the project, and a screening of all the films, was held during the Awards event at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on 20 October. Although the films were all entered into the Festival's new `Special Challenge' section, the judges indicated that had the entries been submitted into the general sections they would have performed well there also. In the `Special Challenge' category, each of the following films received “Mandy” Awards;

Best Documentary - Meet the Eye
Best Drama - The Invitation - A Costume Drama
Best Animation - Never Bin In Love Before
Best Video Clip - Hiatus/Carcrash

In addition “The Birdie Dance”, “Roving With Shaun”, “Every-one Loves Fish” and “The Alison Fan Interview” each received certificates of Special Commendation. Five students and two staff members were in attendance at the Festival to receive the Awards on behalf of all Vicinity students.

All of the films entered by Vicinity into the Festival were produced during the 2005 or 2006 Vicinity introductory filmmaking course. The course is a 6-month workshop process which is held one day a week and is designed to enable film interested people-with-disabilities to use the video medium as a means of self-expression and reflection. By working in collaboration with experienced filmmakers, students are encouraged to maximise their participation in the filmmaking process according to their physical abilities and/or their creative aspirations.

Vicinity is currently running a 6-week editing/post-production course which will produce a further 3 short films. Since the Mandurah Short Film Festival, Vicinity has also been informed that “Never Bin In Love Before” has won the Mickey Mouse Award in the SPLIF (Screening Perth's Independent Films) Animation Festival as part of ARTRAGE 2006.

For more information or to register your interest, please contact Linda Rawlings on 9388 7455 or vicinity@edac.org.au.

The Vicinity Film Project is a Lotterywest funded, inclusive recreation initiative of the Ethnic Disability Advocacy Centre and Disabilities in the Arts, Disadvantages in the Arts, WA.