St Kilda Writers' Festival 2006

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Screenwrite 3182 -

looking at Courage and Conviction

This year's Screenwrite 3182 takes stock of the (almost) oxymoronic art of writing for pictures, but with a twist. For the 2006 St Kilda Writers Festival we're focussing on the things you can't always put into words and on some of the things you can't always put on the screen. This year we're looking at courage and conviction.

We invite you to share the experiences of working screenwriters and film-makers who are passionate about their ideas and unflinching in their desire to communicate those ideas through film.

Fiona Tuomy's short film Teenage Lust explores one man's fantasies and feelings about the past and was shot using a mix of formats including super 8.

Kathleen Mary Fallon's Call Me 'Mum' is a risky but moving feature film about motherhood and inter-racial relations. It takes on conventional, contemporary film narrative and wins.

Anthem by Tahir Cambis (Exile in Sarajevo) and Helen Newman is a documentary that holds up Australia's 'core values' to a very hard light and asks the question: if we as a country refuse to look at that light, then who will?

The 'Screenwrite 3182 looking at courage and conviction' forum will be introduced by Dr Lisa Dethridge, a formidable writer, script editor, author and teacher with over twenty years' experience in the film industry, and an advocate of the passionate, committed screenwriter.

Each writer will talk about their work and there will be a screening of Teenage Lust, extracts from Call Me 'Mum' plus a full screening of Anthem (93 minutes).

There are dozens of books out there than can teach you useful aspects of the screenwriters art: story telling; form; structure; formatting; film grammar and syntax, and so on. Likewise, film and television schools, universities, creative writing schools will give you a great start. But this is your chance to meet some unconventional writers who are constantly working at the sharp end of the film industry.

Other parts of the SKWF06 screenwriting program:

Literary Breakfast with Dr Lisa Dethridge. Thursday 27th April 7.30am-8.30am (Dogs Bar)
Getting your Feature Film Made with Paul Kooperman, Sunday 30th April, 12-2pm (Linden Gallery)
plus the New Media panel discussion Sunday 30th April, 11.30-12.30pm (Theatreworks)

(still from Teenage Lust)

'There has been a focus on my awards but my big gripe is that the strength of a good film is its writing. After winning the Oscar For Harvey Krumpet I made a point of emphasising the film's writing strength.'
Adam Elliot, 2006 St Kilda Writers' Festival Patron