Sci-Fi Film Festival teleports into Riverside

Hello Fellow Geeks!

What's the best way to spend Halloween? Going to a convention of course!

The cast of the upcoming Garrison 7 prove that Australian filmmaking talent is good enough for Hollywood as they launched a sneak-peak trailer at Sci-Fi Film Festival at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta last Saturday.

According to the event organiser, Paul Payten, the Festival returned for a second time after its success last year, with a new vision to “broaden the creativity of the festival.” The Festival was tested along Church Street last year but its popularity caused it to be relocated to the Riverside Theatre.  Mr Payten said that the aim this year was to “promote local filmmaking and local creativity” as the standard of Australian Sci-Fi films, art and writing are of a quality to be “globally competitive.”

The cast of upcoming Australian film, Garrison 7, mingled with guests before appearing at a panel where they discussed the difficulties of creating a blockbuster in a small Australian Sci-Fi industry. They stressed the importance of “good story telling” and authenticity while one producer said “you don’t need good names to make the film great.”

The crew avoided using CGI and handmade most of their costumes and sets, shot scenes on location and did their own stunts. Guy Williams, plays the lead villain, Rogan Tha’an, said that, although the scenes were “physically demanding”, it was “worth it” because they looked genuine.

A volunteer at the Festival, said Sci-Fi films are successful because producers “make the effort to develop the narratives and the personalities of characters.” It is these factors that cause films, like Star Wars, and television shows, like Doctor Who, to endure for decades, as she said it is “a testament to the franchise if they’ve been going for that long.”

Garrison 7 Q&A Panel

An extra screen was run this year to premiere the best of 350 short film entries from around the world followed by the world premiere of Australian blockbuster Arrowhead, directed by Jesse O’Brien.

A Cosplay Convention was introduced alongside the Film Festival this year due to its popularity as Mr Payten aimed to showcase Australian creative talent in industries other than film by increasing the diversity of exhibitors. The Festival received an overwhelming number of applications from artists, writers, graphic designers and collectors who were invited to display their work increasing the number of exhibitors from 24 last year, to 35.

The creative writing sector also saw a 300% increase in short story applications which, according to Mr Payten, meant that the “standard of demand was being met” and made expansion in the future a possibility. Despite this, Mr Payten said that it was most important to “preserve the quality so we don’t want it to be too big.”

For Mr Payten, the Festival was about creating a “family day of fun” as many young sci-fi fans joined the older generation in dressing up and exploring the set. This is supported by volunteers who said that conventions became a way of escaping reality and an attempt of creating a new type of family, as they were able to “converse and connect with likeminded people of all ages.”

'Welcome to the Dark Side, we have muffins!' by @cloudy_arts101

Mr Payten said that he and his team aimed to create the experience of “stepping into a whole other world” which many attendees said was successful because it “felt so real.” Mr Payton claims that the Festival won the support of the Council and “has become a signature event for Parramatta.”

Make sure to check out the Sci-Fi Film Festival next year! To keep updated head over to their website http://scififilmfestival.com/ and follow them on social media :)

~ Kiki ~