Filmmakers from the University of Notre Dame Australia have been recognised at the WA Made Film Festival Student Awards, taking home honours for Best Producer and Best Sound.
The Best Producer award went to final year film student Elsie Taylor, while recent graduate Taylor Finch won the Best Sound award for their work on the short drama Holding.
Holding follows Max, a lost spirit, and Vivian, a grieving widow, as they form an unlikely connection amidst a climate crisis, forcing them to confront their past and find solace in each other.
Shot across two Western Australian locations, the film combines exterior scenes shot in the remote town of Sandstone and interior scenes shot in Mandurah.
Elsie and Taylor said they were honoured to receive the awards and have their work recognised by the industry.
“Not only did we get to create a fun film with an amazingly talented crew, we also got great support from our lecturer Brendon and his team at Notre Dame,” they said.
“As one of our capstone films, we are lucky to have created something that’s been recognised by such exciting festivals.”
The WA Made Film Festival Student Awards recognise emerging talent in the Western Australian film industry and highlight the creativity of the next generation of filmmakers.
In addition to Elsie and Taylor, the Holding team was also nominated in the categories of Best Film, Best Director, Best Editor, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Performance (under 18).
Notre Dame Film and Screen Production Lecturer Dr Brendon Briggs said the awards were well-deserved recognition of Elsie and Taylor’s outstanding work.
“Everyone at the Fremantle Film School is incredibly proud of Elsie and Taylor, their dedication to their work and their creative and professional talents,” he said.
“Taylor’s sound design really elevated the project, serving the tone, character, story and overall audience experience. Elsie’s producing allowed the team to create a film that utilised exteriors that were 800km from the site of the interior shots,” he added.
Dr Briggs said the filmmakers were part of a highly collaborative and talented team, whose shared commitment to the project was reflected in its strong recognition at the awards.
“The students from the team behind Holding were nominated for a total of nine awards. This shows how their shared dedication to the project created such a cinematic outcome,” he said.