Last night the 2010 Play Now Act Now Showcase Event went down at The Vanguard Theatre as all of our finalists works across Short Film, Digital Design and Microfiction were exhibited for participants, friends, family, festival sponsors and judges.

Below is a rundown of the winners followed by some more info on the Play Now Act Now judging panels.

Microfiction:

Overall People’s Choice Award: Bernadette Silner for ‘The Unsociables‘
3rd Place Winner: Jason Gray for ‘Jamal‘
2nd Place Winner: Felicity Pickering for ‘Mango‘
1st Place Winner: Erica Lovell for ‘Lucky Will‘

Digital Design:

Overall People’s Choice Award: Jessica Le for ‘Wasted Potential‘
3rd Place Winner: Tia Scott for ‘Drug Lord‘
2nd Place Winner: Brendon Killen for ‘Reflections‘
1st Place Winner: Jessica Le for ‘Wasted Potential’

Short Film:

Overall People’s Choice Award: Brendon Killen for ‘Hand’
3rd Place Winner: Lachlan Shire Youth Services for ‘Picket Fence‘
2nd Place Winner: Claire Phillips for ‘The Boys‘
1st Place Winner: Brendon Killen for ‘Hand‘

The three judging panels were comprised of celebrated-industry professionals as follows:

Microfiction
Miles Merrill
Paul Watters
Jacqui Dent

Digital Design
Ray Wassef, aka Ray Mann
Jeremy Saunders
Louise Helliwell

Short Film
Steven Kastrissios
Stefan Popescu
Dee Jefferson

Huge thanks to all those involved in making it night to remember.

The September Official Selection and People’s Choice Award winners – each rewarded with a $100 cash prize and place in the October grand final – are as follows:

Short Film
Official Selection: ‘Picket Fence’ by Talitha Gardner of Condobolin, NSW
People’s Choice: ‘Anywhere’ by Brendon Killen of Dural, NSW

Digital Design
Official Selection: ‘Reflections’ by Brendon Killen of Dural, NSW
People’s Choice: ‘Maze To Escape’ by Sophie Jennings of Glen Innes, NSW

Microfiction

Official Selection: ‘Jamal’ by Jason Gray of Epping, NSW
People’s Choice: ‘Actuality’ by Tia Scott of Billinudgel, NSW

In addition, due to the absence of a People’s Choice Award for May in Digital Design or an Official Selection in the July Short Film competition, Play Now Act Now Festival Director is pleased to award wildcard spots to one entry from each of those categories considered to be works of an exceptionally high standard.

The following entries join September’s winners in the final alongside those from May, June, July and August, to be judged by an independent panel of industry experts:

Digital Design: ‘Lucy Lawless’ by Sara Versitano of Marrickville, NSW
Short Film: ‘The Boys’ by Claire Phillips of Newtown, NSW

The above entries represent the last pieces in our Grand Final puzzle, which now features 20 individual artists and 28 original works. Check them out here:

Short Film Grand Final

‘Hand’ by Brendon Killen of Dural (theme: Hero to Zero)
‘Welcome’ by Zena Kells of Medlow Bath (theme: Hero to Zero)
‘Pillow Talk’ by Felicity Pickering of Hunters Hill (theme: crime story)
‘Boxed In’ by Jessica and Brian Le of Clemton Park (theme: out of it)
‘Wasted On You’ by Ehsan Knopf of Stanmore (theme: out of it)
‘Picket Fence’ by Talitha Gardner of Condobolin (theme: this life)
‘Anywhere’ by Brendon Killen of Dural (theme: this life)
‘The Boys’ by Claire Phillips of Newtown (theme: this life)

Digital Design Grand Final

‘One Friend Request’ by Marnie Shanahan of Balgowlah Heights (theme: unsocial networking)
‘Wasted Potential’ by Jessica Le of Clemton Park (theme: Hero to Zero)
‘A Prior Engagement’ by Tia Scott of Billinudgel (theme: Hero to Zero)
‘No Cluedo’ by Anthony Georges of Campsie (theme: crime story)
‘Drug Lord’ by Tia Scott of Billinudgel (theme: crime story)
‘Obfuscation’ by Tia Scott of Billinudgel (theme: out of it)
‘Antagonistic Change’ by Regine Alarcon of Castle Hill (theme: out of it)
‘Reflections’ by Brendon Killen of Dural (theme: this life)
‘Maze To Escape’ by Sophie Dawson of Glen Innes (theme: this life)
‘Lucy Lawless’ by Sara Versitano of Marrickville (theme: crime story)

Microfiction Grand Final

‘Daily Unsocial Networking‘ by Veronica Hope of Kensington (theme: unsocial networking)
‘The Unsociables’ by Bernadette Silner of Leichardt (theme: unsocial networking)
‘Lucky Will’ by Erica Lovell of Wyoming (theme: Hero to Zero)
‘Saturday 3am’ by Jason Gray of Epping (theme: Hero to Zero)
‘Purgatory’ by Elizabeth Abbot of Northbridge (theme: crime story)
‘Mango’ by Felicity Pickering of Hunters Hill (theme: crime story)
‘Free For Five’ by Daniel Sandona of Keiraville (theme: out of it)
‘Faltering Heartbeats’ by Sam Milgate of Oatley (theme: out of it)
‘Jamal’ by Jason Gray of Epping, NSW (theme: this life)
‘Actuality’ by Tia Scott of Billinudgel, NSW (theme: this life)

Grand Final Showcase

With $15,000 in total prize money as well as creative goodies from PNAN partners, everything is still to play for. Judges will award prizes to the top three entries in each category at our Showcase Event and Awards night, 19 October at The Vanguard Theatre in Newtown. PNAN will also announce the Overall People’s Choice Award winner in Short Film, Digital Design and Microfiction.

For more information, interviews and pictures:

Contact:    Scott Henderson
Phone:       02-9356-1816
Email:        festivaldirector@pnan.com.au
Web:          www.playnowactnow.com.au

Trespass Magazine has grown exponentially since its launch 1 December, 2008 and is a testament to the commitment and talent of a dedicated team of editors and writers Olivia put together. So, who better to farm advice on creating microfictions?

Name: Olivia Hambrett
Occupation: Writer/Editor

Do you remember the moment you first committed pen to paper in the interest of storytelling?

I don’t remember the first committing of pen to paper in the interest of story-telling, but I do recall writing a story when I was eight, for a writing class they herded all us keen ones into. And it was this rather strange story (for an eight year old to come up with) about an intruder who made himself at home inside a family’s house and they didn’t suspect anything until they noted cans of baked beans were disappearing from the pantry. I think I terrified the class.

What’s your all-time favourite word and why?

That’s a hard one.  A really hard one.  In fact, I don’t have just one all time favourite word, and I’m horribly fickle. I go through phases, love affairs if you will, with words.

How does being a writer colour the way in which you see the world around you?

I’m not sure if being a writer colours my world, or the world colours my writing. Or if that indeed actually answers your question.

What are the most common pitfalls all writers should try to avoid?

Sending a first draft of anything to a publisher or agent or editor. But most of all, not realising how much time writing takes.

Do you believe in writer’s block and, if so, do you know a cure?

I do actually. Perhaps ‘writer’s block’ isn’t an accurate or adequate label to give it, but there are absolutely times I cannot write – or, cannot write well, or what and how I want to. And there are times I simply don’t feel like it – the difficulty there is, the compulsion still exists, I just don’t feel like acting on it. The consequent tension drives me mental.

How important is it writers exhibit or perform their work for others to critique?

Very. Very. Very.

What online resources for writers do you turn to when looking for community?

I keep tabs on the NSW Writers Centre and Varuna, to see what programs they’re running and what competitions are impending.

Play Now Act Now is a short form competition with a 250-word limit, what is the greatest challenge in storytelling under that constraint?

I actually quite like the idea of almost a literary snapshot. As someone who struggles hugely with plot and structure, the idea of a little piece that doesn’t have to connect to a larger piece, is quite appealing. That being said, the difficulty of telling a story in a 250 word limit is … telling the story.

Up to a challenge? Tell us a story involving drugs or alcohol in no more than 50 words…

Sometimes you see things you don’t want to see, hear things you don’t want to hear. Sometimes it is best not to dig, to scratch at time’s rubble. I don’t want to remember that crushing moment when light and air poked me with their sudden fingers.

To find out more about Liv visit her website or check out her travel blog, A Big Life.

The August Official Selection and People’s Choice Award winners – each rewarded with a $100 cash prize and place in our October grand final – are as follows:

Short Film

Official Selection: ‘Boxed In’ by Jessica and Brian Le of Clemton Park, NSW
People’s Choice: ‘Wasted On You’ (pictured) by Ehsan Knopf of Stanmore, NSW

Digital Design

Official Selection: ‘Obfuscation’ by Tia Scott of Billinudgel, NSW
People’s Choice: ‘Antagonistic Change’ by Regine Alarcon of Castle Hill, NSW

Microfiction

Official Selection: ‘Free For Five’ (pictured) by Daniel Sandona of Keiraville, NSW
People’s Choice: ‘Faltering Heartbeats’ by Sam Milgate of Oatley, NSW

Finalists stand the chance of winning a $2,000 first place cash prize in each category and creative goodies from our sponsors. Special congratulations to Tia Scott who has scored a hat-trick of wins in our Digital Design category and to 16-year old Jessica Le who is now a finalist in both the Short Film and Digital Design competitions

You can view the entries in our September competition categories where voting is now open by clicking on the links below:

Short Film
Digital Design
Microfiction

Six works from September will join 36 finalist entries in our Grand Final at the Play Now Act Now Showcase to take place in October (date and venue announcement coming soon). The event promises to be an exciting finale to six months of artistic endeavour by some of New South Wales best emerging creative talents.

For more information, interviews and pictures contact festival director Scott Henderson: festivaldirector@pnan.com.au

About Play Now Act Now
Play Now Act Now is online arts festival and competition for 16-25 year olds in NSW. 2010 is the eighth year that NSW Health and Metro Screen have teamed up to deliver the state’s most creative alcohol and drug awareness initiative.

To find out more about our prizes click here.

Play Now Act Now would like to thanks its sponsors for their continued support.

Hi, again.

Superimportant relevant thing – I DON’T DRINK OR DO DRUGS.
I know – freak!

You probably have questions: Am I boring? Fugly? Missing out on life?

And I have answers: So what? Hope not. Hell no!

Don’t get me? Read on.

If you do get me, you have better things to do than read on, so please go enjoy your meaningful relationships, charity work, playing of musical instruments, cooking, environmentalism, martial arts, sport, or miscellaneous erudite and epicurious endeavours.

Ooh, see what I did there? Pick up anything? It is called LIFE. When you live life, properly, you have less need to escape life.

And before you say anything – I know heaps of horrendous things can happen, and I’m lucky to have choices, and parents with a comfortable home, and be bored enough to enter a drugs and alcohol awareness competition when I have little experience with either (other than noticing people who abuse them seem much sadder than even before they started), but I thought I’d offer my mild-mannered middle-class suburban perspective.

Hope it wasn’t too whiney or self-righteous.

Sorry, if you were expecting a story of heartache or vomit or both.

(Oh, and while you’re here: blind consumerism is an addiction as worrisome as drugs and alcohol.)

Bye-ee!