Film awards recognise rising creative stars

The annual awards give students a chance to engage with industry professionals in a supportive environment, gain exposure and feedback, and win great prizes.

Students and recent graduates were invited to submit films of up to 10 minutes in any genre, which were screened in a two-week season across the Brunswick and City campuses.

This year, 13 films were shortlisted, with seven winners taking home prizes including an eOne DVD pack and double movie pass, Melbourne International Film Festival double pass and a mentoring session with Kess Broekman-Dattner from production company Oh Yeah Wow.

The awards were judged by writer, producer and academic Daniel Binns (RMIT), writer and director Kess Broekman-Dattner (Oh Yeah Wow), editor, broadcaster and academic Josh Nelson (Philmology), and Marketing Manager Katrina Wilkinson (eOne).

The winner of both the “Best Film” and “Best Documentary”’ categories, Anna Jones’ Gasp, took the judges’ breath away.

Josh Nelson’s verdict: “Honest and moving, Gasp is an extraordinarily powerful film.”

Winners of the 2015 RMIT Film Awards:

Best Film and Best Documentary
GASP - Anna Jones, Graduate Diploma in Media

Best Animation 
Out of My Mind - William Anugerah, Master of Creative Media (Animation and Interactive Media)

Best Drama
The Rule Course - Tazkia Welong, Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (Honours)

Best Experimental/Music Video
Arrogant Grace - Alexandra Kirwood, Bachelor of Fashion (Design) (Honours)

Best Comedy
Tomorrow - Jonathon Gittus, Bachelor of Media and Communication

People’s Choice Award
Tol - Stevie-Lee Ginger, Bachelor of Communication (Media)

The RMIT Film Awards have proven to be a more than just a competition for previous winners.

Emma Haarburger, 2010 awardee, described the experience as a great step towards achieving her goal of becoming a feature film producer.

“It really opened my eyes to the whole industry and process,” she said.

“I learnt so much from all the forums and got to network with many people. For me, it inspired and solidified in my mind that I wanted to be a producer.”

The RMIT Film Awards will be open for submissions again in 2016. See the winners’ acceptance speeches.