And that’s a wrap… after 20 years, announcing the last MyState Student Film Festival

After 20 years, thousands of entries, 15,000 students, over 250 winning films and more than $200,000 in prizes, the curtain is coming down on the MyState Student Film Festival.

This year’s festival will be a triumphant farewell.

Open to students nation-wide from kindergarten to university, the event was created in 2003 to find, nurture and celebrate the next generation of film and production stars.

For two decades, thousands of young Tasmanians have unleashed their creativity with writing, storytelling, directing, filming, acting and animation. Industry stars have been discovered and careers launched.

Far from being just a sponsor, MyState has run the festival from start to finish. Ending its long run was an “extremely difficult decision”, said MyState Bank Managing Director and CEO Brett Morgan.

“We can’t thank enough all the students, parents, teachers and judges for taking part in the MyState Student Film Festival. Over the past twenty years we’ve received the most extraordinary entries, showcasing local talent and the best backdrop in the world – Tasmania,” said Mr Morgan.

“We take great pride that since we started the festival, more than 15,000 students have participated. It has been a great journey, but we believe the event has outgrown our capacity to run it. We’ve made the decision to concentrate our community efforts in different areas where we feel we can have a deeper impact.”

“Our main community focus will be the MyState Foundation, which has awarded over $2.5 million in grants to 140 not-for-profit organisations since 2001. The Foundation has always assisted grassroots organisations, with a mission to provide young Tasmanians with greater opportunities.”

This month, Reconciliation Tasmania, Brave Foundation and Kennerley Children’s Homes were announced as among some of the 20 recipients who’ll receive a total of over $174,000 in MyState Foundation’s 2022 grant round.

Also in late August, the Tasmania JackJumpers and MyState Bank agreed to a three-year deal which included bolstering junior basketball development in the state with grassroots programs.

Janelle Whittle, MyState General Manager of People, Community & Public Affairs said MyState wants this year’s final film festival to end on a high, and is encouraging all students interested in film, video and sound to enter.

“I’ve always been so impressed with the teamwork needed in producing the entries. The standard is always high, and there’s a friendly rivalry between schools,” said Ms Whittle.

“We’re thrilled to have supported this festival for two decades. The event has encouraged and celebrated the next generation of storytellers across Tasmania and, more recently, the whole of Australia.”

This year, there are cash and prizes worth over $20,000 across 26 categories. Entry is free, with 24 judges, including Tasmanian arts industry heavyweights judging the entries.

The MyState Bank Student Film Festival 2022 is open to students across Australia, with a feature item of ‘water’.

Details:

Entries for the MyState Bank Student Film Festival 2022 close 21 October 2022.

Winners will be announced at the live awards event on 29 November 2022.

MyState Student Film Festival website: http://mystatefilmfestival.com.au

The awards and prizes page: https://mystatefilmfestival.com.au/the-festival/awards-and-prizes/

The judges page: https://mystatefilmfestival.com.au/the-festival/judges/