2012 BOFA Script Competition

Download the entry form here

Tasmanian Breath Of Fresh Air Film Festival, Screen Tasmania, Final Draft and the Australian Writers’ Guild are proud to present a joint initiative for Tasmanian performance writers.

If you have written a script for a feature film, short film, TV series, tele-movie or documentary, don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to win 12-months free membership of the Australian Writers’ Guild, a copy of Final Draft 8 professional script writing software AND get your work read by industry experts.

In an effort to give promising Tasmanian projects the best possible chance of production, the short-listed and winning scripts of the BOFA Competition will be added to the AWG’s Pathways Program, an initiative designed to fast-track potential projects by matching the writer with targeted producers, production executives and/or directors.

This is an invaluable prize as the hardest aspect of being a writer is getting your work read and produced. Here’s an opportunity to get your foot in the door.

Criteria

To be eligible you must:

• Be a Tasmanian resident
• Have a completed script for feature film, short film, TV series, tele-movie or documentary
• Have paid the entry fee at the time of submission
• Own all the rights to the project

Application Information

To apply you will need to submit the following via admin@awg.com.au in PDF format:

• Log line (one sentence synopsis of the story)
• One paragraph synopsis of the story
• First 15-pages of your script
• Payment details (see below)

Originals are not to be supplied, as applications and supporting material will not be returned.

Judging

An industry panel will judge the competition. In the first round judges will
assess the applications for:

• Excellence in craft and skill
• The ability to engage the reader in the writer’s vision
• The potential for the project to be produced

A short list will be determined according to the above criteria. Shortlisted
applicants will be contacted by telephone at the end of the first round. In the second round, the short-listed applicant’s full script will be assessed. The shortlist will be publicly announced and the winner(s) announced at the BOFA Film Festival.

ENTRIES NOW CLOSED

“Make A Difference” Short Film Competition

BOFA showcases shorts, features and documentaries which provide a fresh perspective on and/or an innovative approach to screen-based story telling that inspires positive change.

But, the heart and soul of the festival lies in inspiring people to make changes at a personal, local and global level. The stories we choose, the film makers we recognise, the community events we run, the ideas we debate, the competitions we run, the money we raise and the hopes we nurture, are all about leaving the world better than we found it.

In conjunction with Bendigo Bank, Volunteering Tasmania and Rotary Club of Tamar Sunrise, plus prize givers Jackson Volkswagen, UTAS, Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning and Launceston City Council, BOFA is offering short film-makers of all ages the chance to show us in three (3) minutes a story (real or imaginary) about making a positive difference.

Tell us a well constructed story, with a beginning, middle and end. It may be inspiring; sad; amazing; imaginative; challenging; instructive; exciting; or simply a wonderful story. It must be in English or subtitled, shot in high definition and under 3 minutes in any of the following genres: drama; documentary; humour (comedy); romance; grand adventure; or even sci-fi.

Films will be judged in terms of their: excellence in story telling; excellence in film making; excellence in capturing the Make a Difference theme.
Your idea for this short film is limited only by your own creativity. Perhaps you already know a volunteer in the community or know someone who volunteers and want to tell their story? Or you may be passionate about preserving the environment, protecting animals or promoting human rights? Do you have an inspiring personal story of overcoming adversity? Is there a story about a technology or programme which is making a difference?
There are prizes for:

1. BOFA Make A Difference Open Award $5,000 donated by Jackson Volkswagen - Short film-makers or organisations from anywhere in the world engaged in making a difference are invited to tell us your story or create a film that powerfully tells a story of making a difference.

2. BOFA Make A Difference Australian Youth under twenty five Award, $2,000 donated by UTAS and Launceston City Council – If you are an Australian film maker under the age of thirty we want your perspective on making a difference. Using your own experience, a news story or from your imagination you would need to capture dramatically a story of making a difference

3. BOFA Make A Difference Tasmanian Grade 9-12 Students Award, $1,000 donated by Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning – Are you a Tasmanian school student in grade 9-12 who is interested in filmmaking? Do you dream of one day becoming a famous film maker? Or do you have a creative flair and want to see what you can achieve with a video camera and a big idea?

The best of the films from each category will be shown for free at the Tasmanian Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival in the QVMAG Exhibition Gallery during the festival (8-11 November 2012) and ideally for weeks afterwards.

As well, the Make a Difference message will be distributed further by uploading the best films onto YouTube and ideally running a People’s Choice competition via Facebook to find the best short film in the eyes of the viewers.

ENTRIES NOW CLOSED

People Choose the Essence of Tasmania -
and win free tickets

The Tasmanian Breath of Fresh Air (BOFA) Film Festival has launched a new twist on a short film competition – a crowd-sourcing competition for YouTube viewers to choose their favourite.

In early 2012 film-makers were invited by Tourism Tasmania and BOFA Film Festival to attempt to capture the “Essence of Tasmania” in a short film in English or subtitled, shot in high definition and no longer than 3 minutes in any of the following genres: drama; documentary; humour (comedy); romance; grand adventure; sci-fi.

Their task was to tell us a story, with a beginning, middle and end. It could be quirky; unique; distinctive; imaginative; unforgettable; breathtaking; funny; sad; evocative; exciting; or simply beautiful. The context was Tasmania; but the context did not necessitate footage shot in Tasmania.

Announcing the judges decisions of the best seven 3 minute short films BOFA Festival Director , Owen Tilbury, praised the story-telling skills of the winning entries and of those commended.

These were films that made us laugh, films that made us pause and think, and most of all films that captured the essence of Tasmania in its many facets.

Tony Mayell, CEO of Tourism Tasmania, said

We are delighted by the way the entries presented such different views of Tasmania. Each captured an essence of Tasmania that went beyond the predictable.

The winning seven shorts have all been loaded onto YouTube at:

Essence of Tasmania Short Film Competition 2012 WInners

• Nick Stranger: A Portrait of Tasmanian Surfing – Simon Treweek
• Mr Thomkins’ Pies – by David Broadfield
• My Tasmania – by Saige Dingemanse
• The Grim Experience – Andrew Quaile
• The Tigers – by Tristan Klein
• Best Kept Secret – David Pyefinch
• Heaven of Spirituality, Home of Peace – by Shung Yiu Wong

BOFA is now offering all people the opportunity to vote for their favourite. The short which gets the most votes as favourite will be voted People’s Choice. All voters will be given a half price ticket to the BOFA film festival in November (www.bofa.com.au) and five lucky voters will get a free full festival pass to attend the whole festival for free.

Voters should go to our Facebook voting page

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED