Film Awards Launched

30 April 2008

“The TFL Kula Awards is back – bigger and better”. These were the words of the Fiji Audio Visual Commission Chief Executive Officer, Taniela Bolea at the announcement today of the 2008 TFL Kula Film Awards.

Mr. Bolea said that the program this year is bigger because of the increased number of entries from schools; adding that this year, the competition is truly national with the participation by schools from the North as well as with the inclusion of schools that had not previously participated in the competition. Mr. Bolea added that all the participants will receive more intensive training in film production from professionals based at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

“We continue to target young people each year to stimulate their interest in the creative arts and thereby urge them to seriously consider the many opportunities available in the audio visual sector as a career’, said Mr. Bolea. These opportunities will be presented through displays and presentations at an Audio Visual Industry Open Day with the view to inspiring students into considering a career in this industry. “The film competition will act as the platform to ignite the untapped potential of future film makers and other creative talents latent in our young people”, said Mr. Bolea.

“We wish to thank at the outset our main sponsors, TFL, for partnering with us again in putting together this project for the development of our youths”, said Mr. Bolea. Without TFL’s support, organizing a show of this magnitude would have been impossible he said.

The 2008 TFL Kula Awards will have the same theme - “Finding Fiji’s Future Filmmakers”, as in the past 2 years. The competition is open to secondary and tertiary school students. The competition was opened up to the latter group last year to ensure that the interest in filmmaking nurtured at secondary school level continued after the students had left the school system. Mr. Bolea said that whilst no tertiary institution participated last year, he said the FAVC hopes that some entrees would be received this year.

With the assistance of the Ministry of Education, the FAVC has invited over a 300 secondary schools from all over Fiji to encourage their students to take part in the filmmaking competition.

Representatives of the local audio-visual industry will provide technical assistance to all participants in areas such as film editing etc.
Trophies and prizes will be awarded to the winning school as well as to the winning students.

Awards will be presented for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director & Most Popular Film. All entries will be shown on Fiji TV and on the website www.tflkulafilmawards.com.fj

The public may vote on-line, by texting or on-site voting at the Open Day.

Mr. Bolea stressed that the competition is still open and schools are invited contact the FAVC to register their interest in participating.

The FAVC is again spearheading the organizing committee, which is made up of representatives from industry and stakeholders. “All the major stakeholders in the local audio visual industry have come together and have committed to combine their talents and resources in making this event a success,” said Mr. Bolea.

The event will include an Open Day for the public on July 25 and 26, at the Suva Civic Center, where companies and individuals involved in the industry will stage an exhibition of their products and services. A Bollywood Dance Competition is also part of this event and an announcement will be made soon with regard to the sponsorship of this.

Activities planned range from exhibition booths live music provided by musicians and bands, displays by overseas movie stuntmen, panel discussions, simulated news reading by students and screening of international films shot in Fiji and the entries for the film competition.

Entry to the Open Day is free.

For additional information, contact Florence Swamy at FAVC on 3306662/9926665.