Adelaide Film Festival Showcases Ignatian Talent

Five students, including myself, were given the opportunity to attend the screening of the Adelaide Film Festival Youth competition on Wednesday the 25^th of October. The competition was aimed at young filmmakers who were given the opportunity to have their short films screened at Palace Nova cinema. Two silent films from my Film and Media Studies class were lucky enough to pass the initial round of screenings among competition organisers to be screened on the day, these films being entitled ‘Séance’ and ‘The Tumbith’.

‘Séance’, by Matilda Kimber and myself follows two young people embarking in a magical ritual to bring to life a figure drawn on a Post-it note. Unfortunately, the ritual is unsuccessful in the end leading to an unexpected guest arriving, frightening the two main characters. ‘The Tumbith’, by Edward Colegate, Marcus Vernillo, and Tumbi Kalua, follows the home invasion of an unassuming victim by a creature known as the Tumbith. When law enforcement is called, the creature hides, leading to a cliffhanger ending of whether the perpetrator is brought to justice.

Overall, both films were received well by the attendants of the festival. Matilda and I were very proud that we were given a ‘whoop’ along with our applause from the crowd which, at this level, is basically an Oscar. The films were all to a very high quality and ranged in story from encouragement to get away from devices and explore the world, to a psychological horror where we were unsure if it was intentionally mute or just technical difficulties. There was one film which stood out to me most (aside from the two entrants from my class) detailing the creation of the Oscar awards through a story containing old Hollywood glamour, time travel, and Tom Cruise. It was funny, witty, and very self-aware, which made it unforgettable in my mind.

I will most certainly never forget the experience of attending the Adelaide Film Festival Youth competition screening and am extremely grateful, through our excellent film program, to have been given the opportunity to experience it.

Yianni Datsopoulos
Year 10 Student

Watch ‘Séance’ and ‘The Tumbith’ below