North Bellarine Film Festival launches in Portarlington

FILM enthusiasts gathered at Pier St on Friday last week (October 4) for the official launch of this year’s North Bellarine Film Festival.

The two-day festival will run from November 15 until November 16 in Portarlington and will feature a diverse program of short films.

Committee vice-president Robert Walton said the launch event was all about creating a “buzz” for the coming festival, with about 50 people attending.

“We’re really trying to create a local crowd attraction, we want to get the local people interested in coming to this event, so this was the first step, basically.

“It was a really good night, everyone enjoyed themselves, the food was fantastic, and it was just a nice way to kick off our festival.”

Committee president Bill Lussier gave attendees an overview of where the festival was at, and thanked sponsors and those who had supported them.

The festival is returning for its eighth year, although 2024 will mark the first year it’s being held in Portarlington.

“I’m just hopeful that the town gets behind it and it becomes a major festival in Portarlington,” Mr Walton said.

“The films are 50 per cent of it, but the other 50 per cent is really the excitement, the buzz and the people coming together and enjoying it.”

The festival is broken up into parts and includes the emerging film-makers, emerging documentaries and ordinary films.

Awards will be given out for the emerging filmmaker and emerging documentary film maker, with the program made up of international and local works.

“We want some high-quality films people want to see, but there’s also some fantastic local stuff in there as well,” Mr Walton said.

Feature films will also screen during the festival, with the Amy Winehouse film Back to Black playing on opening night as well as Cassidy Krygger’s award-winning film Daisy.

The Friday and Saturday night of the festival will include drinks and canapes at Pier Street before a bus will take guests up to Park Hall to view the films.

To view the full program or purchase tickets, head to northbellarinefilmfestival.org