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Wendy Gibbs is the person behind the fifth Bent Bridge Film Festival, which is open for entries. Image: Contributed.

Short film festival calls for entries

Wendy Gibbs is the person behind the fifth Bent Bridge Film Festival, which is open for entries. Image: Contributed.
Wendy Gibbs is the person behind the fifth Bent Bridge Film Festival, which is open for entries. Image: Contributed.
  “The fifth Bent Bridge Film Festival is open for entries and it’s free,” says the event’s organiser, Wendy Gibbs. Wendy moved to moved to Grafton with her husband in 2010, having retired from the 9 to 5 grind, and “pursued screenwriting as an interest and challenge” and, soon enough, her new passion for film led to the inaugural festival. “Last year, with over two hours of short films, our major winner was Andy Bambach with his documentary Peta Puppets, about a Lismore local who makes puppets from second hand toys,” she says. “While the Bent Bridge Film Festival is open to any genre of films, including drama, animation and music videos, last year most of the entries were short documentaries from around the Clarence Valley, covering a diversity of topics such as native bees, the ANZAC Ride, freedom riders, cycling and South Grafton locals.” Wendy says that the festival is an opportunity for people who have been out and about with their “video and phone cameras rolling at events around the Clarence Valley and beyond, [to] put together a video of your happenings to share with the rest of the community”. The 2017 Bent Bridge Film Festival has cash prizes for three categories: Best Open (25+); Best Youth (Under 25)’ and Best Clarence Valley entrant – judging will be by a secret ballot ‘people’s choice’ on the day. Films must be under 20 minutes in length and have been made in the past two years. Entries close Friday March 31, 2017. Check out the webpage www.bentbridgefilmfestival.com.au for entry forms and full terms and conditions. If you have any questions, ask away now on the facebook page: facebook/bentbridgefilmfestival or phone Wendy on 0458 427 332 (after Feb 2nd) – she is currently in the USA attending the Sundance Film Festival, armed with her synopsises and two screenplays, which are adoptions of two published books – Whitefella Dreaming and Desert of the Mind – by Rob Clague. The festival takes place at the Criterion Theatre, Oliver Street, Grafton on April 9 at 2pm.