Two AFTRS student films have taken top honours at this year’s CILECT CAPA Awards. CAPA is the Asia-Pacific Association of CILECT, the International Association of Film and Television Schools.
Where is My Darling?, a 2020 capstone project of the Australian Film Television and Radio School’s Master of Arts Screen, won the Best Film – Documentary prize in the CAPA regional section and was placed fifth worldwide. Sunnies, also from the 2020 Master of Arts Screen, was jointly awarded the CAPA Best Film – Fiction prize.
The winners of the CILECT Awards are chosen by the community of CILECT schools, which includes 180 institutions from 65 countries. Voting panels include students, professors and staff, amounting to hundreds of members on each panel.
Adam Finney wrote, directed and produced Where is My Darling?, which follows a charismatic homeless man who raises the money to personally deliver drinking water to the drought-stricken outback. Adam’s crew included fellow Master of Arts Screen students Cameron Dunlop (cinematographer), Nathan Turnbull (sound recordist and sound designer), James Taylor (editor) and Daniel O’Brien (music score), with Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production graduate Alfred Faber also credited as sound recordist.
Ismail Khan wrote and directed Sunnies, which centres on a troubled teen who decides to steal a pair of sunglasses from the local shops – an act that is later revealed to be part of a much bigger plan. The film was produced by Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production student Skye Leon. Additional Master of Arts Screen students in key crew roles include James Ward-Miller (cinematographer), Sean Doyle (sound recordist), Alexander Cox (sound recordist) and James Mountain (music score).
“The CILECT Awards are highly competitive and recognise the very best in student filmmaking from film schools around the world. It’s an incredible achievement for AFTRS and its students to be awarded first prize in both the fiction and documentary categories. Our congratulations to the brilliant creative teams for receiving this significant honour and to all the AFTRS staff who’ve supported the students to this fantastic outcome,” said AFTRS CEO Nell Greenwood.
