BOFA is the first major Australian festival to recognize and celebrate story-telling on all screens from cinema and TV to gaming, internet and beyond. In support of this BOFA conducts a focussed series of events, speakers and workshops dedicated to developing Tasmania’s Screen Industry. This provides an opportunity to connect with screen practitioners, industry professionals, and the marketplace from across the state and across the strait.

Wherever possible film makers and their cast are invited to the festival so that they can tell us about their vision, practice, challenges and triumphs in Q&As after the screenings.

This is also a valuable chance for other film-makers, critics and film-lovers to mingle and chat at the Festival Hub and elsewhere with these leading practitioners.

 BOFA 2013 will continue and expand on this aspect of the festival.

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Highlights from BOFA 2012

 

Options organised especially  for film makers at BOFA 2012 in Launceston were:

• The Tasmanian Premiere of The First Fagin, followed by an industry party, featuring local funk band The Embers  (Friday 9th November, film 7.30 pm Tramshed Theatre. Cost one BOFA session ticket;  The Embers 10 pm, Festival Hub. Cost $5,  pay at door)
• Screen Tasmania  presents a low budget feature film making workshop specialising in horror and sci-fi genre  (with Shayne Armstrong and S.P. Krause, the film makers of  Bait 3D) followed by a series of interactive round tables sessions offering the chance to meet, talk and pitch to industry reps about your project or idea.  (Saturday 10th November 2.30 – 5.30pm. Cost: two BOFA session tickets)
• Wide Angle Tasmania presents a one day “Shoot Video with your DSLR”, an introductory workshop designed for those wanting to gain the necessary skills to capture broadcast quality footage with their  DSLR camera. Course tutor is cinematographer Tom Waugh. (Saturday 10th November 10:00am to 5:00pm, QVMAG. $150 or $120 WAT financial members. Book at https://www.wideangle.org.au/shoot-video-your-dslr-intro-course)
• A not-to-be-missed screening of the feature documentary  Side by Side.  Keanu Reeves narrates the fascinating history of the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking – including in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters: James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh. (Saturday 10th November 12.30, QVMAG. Cost: one BOFA session ticket)
• FREE Tag Town workshop, showcasing a  social mobile platform game based on the Inveresk Precinct. Played via mobile app, it works like a scavenger hunt where picture-clues lead players, assisted by GPS, to find real locations.  (Saturday  10th November 11 am, Sunday 11th November 2.30 pm, QVMAG, Inveresk)
• FREE curated screening program showcasing the best Tassie shorts, TVCs, docs, animations, apps, drama, games, and corporates from the past two years. (Saturday 10th November,  Festival Hub)
• FREE national launch of Tasmania’s Roar Film’s Founders and Survivors Storylines project,  a web-portal database following our convict founders/descendants over five generations. Songwriters and digital artists have created downloadable stories/music  plus “Mugshots” lets users create convict faces and ‘friend’ convict ancestors. (2.00pm  Friday  9th November)
• FREE New Screen Symposium presented by Simon Nasht  (The Hive collaborate or compete options game ) and Robert Connolly (WarCo training game for war correspondents). (Saturday 10th November, 12.30 pm,  Festival Hub)
• FREE Actors Studio interview with leading actor  Jimi Bani (RAN, Mabo, The Straits, Redfern Now)  by Sara Cooper of Cooper Screen Academy  (Saturday 10th November, 2.30 pm,  Festival Hub)
• FREE Closing Night Film Girl Walk All Day  and  dance party (Sunday 11th November, 5.30 pm, Festival Hub)