Monday 30 August 2010

LOCALS HAVE A CHANCE TO BE STARS OF THE SILVER SCREEN!

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is heading to the Indigo Shire from 30 August to 3 September to capture the unique spirit and stories of regional communities in a series of documentary films for the ACMI in the Regions program.

The three communities in Indigo Shire chosen to participate in ACMI in the Regions are Beechworth, Yackandandah and Rutherglen.

Supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria's Major Touring Initiative, ACMI in the Regions, produces short documentaries which are shot on location to celebrate and document the people, character and heritage of regional Victorian townships such as those in the Indigo Shire.

In partnership with the Indigo Shire, ACMI works with community groups developing the concepts for the films. These ideas are distilled into three stories for each town that capture the essence of regional Victoria and the people and places that make up part of the fabric of the modern Australian identity.

ACMI staff are about to travel to Indigo Shire to film the 9 stories on location with the locals. These include one story about the iconic ‘wine bottle’ structure in Rutherglen and its significance to the community, another film about the wealth of craft practitioners in Yackandandah and we will get a chance to see the rarely seen underground tunnels of Beechworth with local expert Dan Goonan.

ACMI will later return for premiere screenings in each town from Indigo Shire. The films also become part of the ACMI Collection, as a state resource, and will be available for all to see through the ACMI website and the Australian Mediatheque. These films are not only an important legacy for the towns, they contribute to our social heritage. Everyone who participates in the films will receive a copy on DVD to keep and share.

ACMI Content Development Manager Kim Montgomery says that ACMI values its engagement with regional Victoria.

“ACMI is proud to be making these films in the regions. The uniqueness of our approach is that it involves the local residents and community groups in regional towns, helping them to document their histories and capture their own stories about why people live, work and play in their towns. The resulting mini-documentaries are moving and fascinating records for the region, all Australians and the world,” she said.

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