THE BYRON SHIRE ECHO Advertising & news enquiries: Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au http://www.echo.net.au VOLUME 21 #34 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only
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Film festival attracts national attention The Byron Bay Film Festival (BBFF 2007) is creating a buzz in the film industry, according to organisers, with filmmakers travelling from Melbourne, Sydney and Perth to take part as well as from Hong Kong and the USA. ‘Some of Australia’s largest film distribution companies have supported us including Palace Films, Arclight, Madman, Accent, Gil Scrine, Ronin Films and Mel Gibson’s company Icon, which all provided judges for our festival,’ said festival manager J’aimee Skippon-Volke. ‘Luke Wheatley, theatrical acquisitions manager for Magna Pacific, is just one of the distributors who will be attending the closing night event. Luke grew up in Lennox Head and is extremely enthusiastic about supporting our festival.’ The festival has created two free events for filmmak-
ers, aspiring filmmakers and the general public. The Technology & Resources Expo to be held on Monday February 12 from 12pm to 5pm aims to connect filmmakers with screen industry products and services both at a local and national level. Also in attendance will be filmrelated organisations that can help these filmmakers stay active in their chosen fields. The Technology & Resources Expo will be followed by a panel discussion from 5pm to 6.30pm on the changes to the screen industry sector, chaired by local filmmaker Cathy Henkel. This is also a free event and is sponsored by the Northern Rivers Chapter of the Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA). Screen industries around the world are changing at a breathtaking pace. This panel will look at how film-
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Offset your emissions for the one you love
makers and content creators can keep up. Speakers include international feature filmmaker Rick Stevenson; Catherine Marciniak, documentar y director and Screenworks board member; Jan Mallis, interactive executive producer; Rebecca Coyle, lecturer SCU; and Nino Martinetti, president of the Queensland Branch of the Australian Cinematographers Society. The Careers In Screen Expo on Wednesday February 14 between 12pm and 6pm aims to connect students, teachers and aspiring filmmakers with the educational options available to them in the field of filmmaking. Information on courses ranging from university degrees to one day courses will be on display. More information on the Festival and the Expos is available at www.bbff.com. au.
Festival organisers Greg Aitken and J’aimee Skippon-Volke with the poster for Storm of Emotions, the powerful Israeli film which will be screening at the festival. Photo Jeff ‘Brief Flicker’ Dawson
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Rainforest Rescue’s Alice Moffat gets in the mood for love. Photo Jeff ‘Heartbreaker’ Dawson
In the lead-up to Valentines Day you might want to consider the alternative to a big bunch of roses for the one you love and plant a tree for them instead or better still, if the budget can extend to it, do both. For $25 you can purchase a Plant a Tree Gift Card
from the Rainforest Rescue website or visit any Southern Cross Credit Union branch which will sell them to you over the counter. Your gift will sponsor the planting of a tree in the Byron Shire’s beautiful hinterland. Trees ordered for Valen-
tines Day will be planted in the grounds of Crystal Castle. The rainforest will contain a diversity of rainforest trees. Plant A Tree Gift Cards are available from www.rainforestrescue.org.au or for more information call Rainforest Rescue 6684 4360.
Local meetings on climate change Climate change presenters, trained in Sydney by Al Gore, are offering PowerPoint presentations in Byron Shire this week and next. The meetings will be held at Mullumbimby, Sunday February 11, Pioneer Hall, Gordon Street, 7pm; Byron Bay, Sunday February 11, Ewingsdale Hall, 7.30pm; Bangalow Tuesday February 13, A & I Hall, 7.30pm; Ballina,Thursday February 15, Richmond Room, 6.30pm. For more specific info on these events contact John Seed on johnseed1@ozemail.com.au Further enquiries can be made to North Coast Climate Action Group, office days Wednesday/Thursday 10am-4pm, phone 6684
2272. NCCAG will soon be offering a number of free, basic energy audits for householders or small businesses to look at ways to reduce electricity usage and save money. The Bangalow presentation of ‘Australia’s Inconvenient Truth’ is sponsored by Green Coast Catalysts, a newly formed local group working to promote community involvement in the challenges of climate change and peak oil. Its members are Terry Bleakley, Joanne Walsh, Mick O’Regan, Christopher Sanderson, Christobel Munson, Megan Stringer and Ken McLeod. The multi-media presentation was prepared by emi-
nent Australian climate scientists in collaboration with the Australian Conservation Foundation. Bangalow presenter Steve Davis, an accomplished entertainer, is one of only 85 Australians to have been trained by Al Gore. Supporting the multimedia show will be commentary from Associate Professor Graham Jones, Director of Climate Change Studies, at Southern Cross University. ‘How seriously should we take the threat of climate change?’ asks Green Coast Catalysts. ‘What impacts can we expect on the NSW North Coast?’ Entry by gold coin donation. Café style refreshments available.
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