CITY OF VINCENT FILM PROJECT
Pitch your story to us
In partnership with Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Vincent's Film Project provides early-career filmmakers with the opportunity, support and funding to make a short non-fiction work that demonstrates their filmmaking talents. The project aims to reflect the City of Vincent by showcasing local stories, characters and urban legends in Vincent. Proven to be a useful stepping stone into the screen industry, the City of Vincent is proud to have been running the project since 2005.
Now in the project's seventh year of partnership with Revelation Perth International Film Festival, grant recipients are provided with ongoing mentorship, $7000 funding and $1000 in-kind from Perth's premier camera equipment rental company Raz Rentals. The resulting films will premier in July 2024 at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival at Luna, Leederville.
Past Film Project short films can be viewed below. Please note we allow around 18 months for films to be entered into festivals and awards before we upload them to the website, longer in some cases where the pandemic has impacted festival circuits.
Congratulations to the 2024 Recipients!
Thank you to all applicants, the submissions were of a high standard making it very difficult to assess. The successful filmmakers will now go into production and the resulting short films will be premiered at Revelation Perth International Film Festival in July. The successful proposals are as follows.
AURELIO COSTARELLA (working title)
The film explores Aurelio Costarella's life, spotlighting the triumphs of his fashion label, his mental health journey, and the impact of art therapy against the backdrop of a lifetime rooted in the City of Vincent.
Director: Chantel Concei, Producer: Kate Downie
LUNA, STARRING
A behind the scenes exploration of the inner workings of Luna Palace Cinemas as we shadow staff during a pivotal week before a major event. Unveil the no-nonsense charm and commitment of the enigmatic publicist, Tony Bective, and witness the human faces behind this beloved institution; their commitment to storytelling, cinema and community. The film offers a poignant reflection on the resilience of third spaces in the face of rapidly changing entertainment and social landscape.
Producer: Ailish Beahan, Director: Caitlin Kirk (both share writing credits)
STEEL COPING
Caught in the chaos of a fractured family and troubled upbringing, aimless teenagers discover a lifeline in skateboarding. It's more than a pastime - it's a community that embraces them, offering both acceptance and a pathway to dreams in the face of adversity.
Producer: Zoe Davis, Director/Writer: Mason Smit
2023 Recipients
CARE TO DANCE
The film follows a group of City of Vincent seniors as they rediscover the joy of dancing in the golden years of their lives.
Producer: Matthew Adams, Director: Mason Fleming
WHAT WE DO FOR FAMILY
This performative and observational hybrid documentary will explore the process and lengths which queer people must go to create a nuclear family.
Producer: Leslie Hornung, Director: Jennifer 'JP' Piper
HOME NOT A HOUSE
This film delves into the housing crisis and its impact on young people trying to survive in the City of Vincent.
Director, Producer: Alicia Keenan, Carter Kirkland
THE PRIVATE LIFE OF A WAR MEMORIAL
Anne Chapple, granddaughter of Private Porter and the last living guardian of the memory of ANZAC Cottage reveals the secrets and stories of three generations of women, taking us on a journey through the joys, oddities, troubles and responsibilities of growing up inside a war memorial.
Filmmakers: Susie Conte, Jenny Crabb, Dawn Farnham
2022 Recipients
METTLE
Mettle explores the different experiences of women both running and participating in a charity for women experiencing homelessness due to domestic and family violence.
Filmmakers: Alexandra Nell, Cal MacLean
MOORDITJ FOOTPRINTS
Join Nyoongar Elder Lindsay Calyun, as he takes you on a journey into his childhood memories of growing up in East Perth. Going back to the early days, Nyoongars were everywhere in East Perth, everywhere you can see our Moordjit Footprints.
Filmmakers: Ivy Penny, Brenton Rossow
RE STORIES
Never a dull day at the local family-owned Re Store where unusual events happen on regular basis.
Filmmakers: Alzbeta Rekosh, Gemma Cutler
2021 Recipients
THE WORLD OF RILEY
A love letter to community radio.
What does it take to run a radio station? More than radio waves, satellites, transmitters, and switchboards, it’s people. For Perth’s not-for-profit community radio station RTRFM, it's 350 dedicated volunteers. So what would life look like without them? This short film tells the story of one of its much-loved presenters, Rok Riley, and highlights the things that we value most in the face of crisis - connection, community, and a sense of belonging...universal lessons we all share.
Writer, Director: Melle Branson, Producer: Maria Elena Amatulli, Director of Photography: Lewis Potts
PACING THE POOL
Richard Pace starts each morning swimming laps in the pool at Beatty Park, a routine he has stuck to for the last 30 years.
Producer, Writer: Jay Jay Jegathesan, Director, Writer: Radheya Jegatheva
WE HAD MAIL
A celebration of the letterbox, a somewhat redundant feature of our homes. 'We Had Mail' is an ode to the humble and not so humble letterboxes found in the suburbs of the City of Vincent.
Writer, Producer, Director: Jen Jamieson, Director of Photography: Mahmudul Raz, Sound: Rebecca Riggs-Bennett
2020 Recipients
SPIRIT OF THE STREETS
Since 2011, The Spirit of the Streets Choir has provided an environment where people from all walks of life and social backgrounds can come together in song and friendship. based at the St Alban's Church Hall in Highgate, the choir provides an opportunity for people who experience social exclusion or disadvantage to participate as active members of a performing choir in a safe, welcoming and non-judgmental environment. This documentary will tell the story of the choir as they regroup after their Christmas break and prepare for their first big gig of the year.
Producer, Director: David Downey, Editor: Cat Albright-Peakall, Sound: Erin Devinish
RAISING JOEY
The fires that have devastated Australia have left behind countless injured and orphaned animals. This story is about rescued kangaroo joeys and their adoption by human carers. Presenting this documentary is City of Vincent resident, Alex Cearns OAM, a world-renowned animal photographer and advocate for rescued Australian animals. We follow Alex as she leads us into the quirky world of kangaroo care and discover the astonishing and heartwarming stories behind Raising Joey.
Producer: Jennifer Friend, Writer, Director: Stephen Bartley, Director, Cinematographer: Stephanie Senior, Editor, Sound: Kaela Halatau, Talent: Alex Cearns OAM
THESE WALLS
Giving the provocation 'if these walls could talk...' to various owners and inhabitants of unique, architecturally interesting or palpably intimate buildings, These Walls is a short poetic documentary that will bring these stories and their essence to life through dance and sound design. Dancers of different forms and ages respond to the stories and architecture inside the homes within the City of Vincent. These Walls uses performers from different dance backgrounds (a contemporary dancer, Indian Classical Bharatanatyam dancer and a young ballet dancer) who will respond to both the stories from the owners and the architectural space and unique objects that exist in the space. The work will feel nostalgic and familiar, and bring a new perspective onto the buildings that may go unnoticed in our everyday experience in the City of Vincent. We hope these stories will get audiences to think about their own relationship to home.
Producer: Sophia Vertannes, Writer, Director: Brodie Rowlands, Cinematographer: Alice Stephans, Sound: Zain Awan
2019 Recipients
THE THROWBACK
If video killed the radio star, then surely Netflix has killed the DVD store. So how can one tenacious woman keep her doors open long enough to be the last DVD store in the city?
Producer: Jenny Crabb (Parkerville Amphitheatre: Sets, Bugs and Rock n Roll), Director: Louise Bertoncini (Chatterbox with Pete Gleeson - on finding the story).
WINNER Best Short, Grand Prize Winner, Best International Short, Best Director and Best Documentary in the Canada Short Film Festival
REVIEW http://cinematicrandomness.com/short-film-review-the-throwback-2019/
ONE GIRL'S FIRE
AFL is our national sport, it has brought communities together for over 100 years. Today, AFL Women's (AFLW) is growing at a rapid rate and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. One teenage girl is right in the centre of that growth and she has her eyes on the prize. This film will follow Jasmin Stewart as she chases her dream of making it into the AFLW to play at the top level.
Producer: Gabby Ho, Director: Jake Blackburn (The Man & His Island).
One Girl's Fire from Jake Blackburn on Vimeo.
WINNER Director of Photography Mahmudul Raz won the 2019 Australian Cinematographer Society Gold Award for Dramatised Documentary
PERSIA'S PANTRY
Persia’s Pantry follows the incredible life journey of Arad Niksefat, a man forced to flee from his own country, only to face a much harsher and demoralising life as an asylum seeker in Australia.
Producer: Daniel Njegich (Men of the Shipyard), Director: Daniel Pitcher (Broken Wings).
Persia's Pantry from Daniel Njegich on Vimeo.
NOMINATED Best Documentary Short and Groundbreaking Documentary at the Changing Face International Film Festival
The finished films premiered on Thursday 11th July 2019 at Revelation Perth International Film Festival events 'Get Your Shorts On'. The filmmakers are currently entering their films into various festivals.
2018 Recipients
THE BEEMAN
Directed by Frances Elliott and Samantha Marlowe, it went on to screen at CinefestOz and producer Cody Greenwood was awarded a spot in the SPA’s Ones To Watch program.
“We’ve received such great feedback about The Beeman, the COV film fund it is a great initiative.” - Cody Greenwood, producer, The Beeman (2018)
FINALIST Best Short Documentary at SAE ATOM Awards
QUALITY TIME
Directed by Matt Sav, it has received a Vimeo Staff pick and is now coming up to 50,000 views. QUALITY TIME from Matt Sav on Vimeo.