Film fest sees makers through the lens

IN a debut treat for both film and artisan craft lovers, Ballarat’s Australian Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades this month hosts the Makers’ Film Festival.

It’s a touring international short film festival celebrating rare and beautiful crafts along with the makers, making, and materials that go into them, and it takes place next Saturday evening, 13 September from 5.15pm to 8pm.

“From our perspective the Rare Trades Centre is a place to share and preserve rare trades skills and knowledge at risk of being lost around the world,” head of collections and curatorial at Sovereign Hill Museums Association Lauren Bourke said.

“Coming to the Makers’ Film Festival will be a wonderful opportunity to get insights into amazing making knowledge and craft skills from all around the world and to be inspired.”

The biennial festival features 14 short films from around the world including collaborations from Australia, Canada, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Selected from a worldwide call out, the final set of films includes a wide variety of genres as well as craft practices and materials from organic fashion to incense-making, and from terrazzo tiles, glass and ceramics to puppetry and automata.

“It’s the first time that this event has been held in Ballarat and we hope it will be part of our program going forward,” Ms Bourke said.

“Many of these films are also about cultural identity and place, and the history of different peoples and cultures.

“It will be an opportunity to learn about craft skills that perhaps you’ve never heard of, or encountered before and it’s just an amazing creative opportunity for our craft community.”

Those keen to know more and grab themselves a ticket can find film trailers and book on line through the CRAFT website.