Page 26 - 2023 - The Altiora Vol 75

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26 | PERFORMING ARTS
PERFORMING AR
TS
NATIONAL HONOURS IN THE BELL SHAKESPEARE SHORTS FESTIVAL
NA TIONAL HONOURS IN THE BELL SHAKESPEARE SHOR
The short film, Sonnet 73, created by Year 10 Drama student
Alfie Swann as part of the Stage 5 Film unit of work, was
selected as a finalist in this year’s Bell Shakespeare Shorts
Film Festival. This is the fourth year of this highly prestigious
Film Festival and Sonnet 73 was one of only seventeen films
from across Australia.
In a wonderful result, Sonnet 73 was announed winner of the
coveted Creative Design Award. Sonnet 73 was written and
directed by Alfie Swann with his Year 10 classmates Jesse
Hardaker and Raphael Hampartzoumian, and Charlie Monks
(Year 9) appearing in the cast.
The brief from Bell Shakespeare is that the films have to
engage with one of Shakespeare’s plays in some way.
TS FESTIV AL
The films completed by our Stage 5 Drama
class ranged in theme and style, including A
Midsummer Night’s Dream film inspired by the
2023 hit movie, Barbie, Romeo and Juliet as
told from the perspective of Rosalind, a King
Lear-inspired work where a young woman has
to choose who of her friends to take to Luna
Park, among many others.
Rather than basing his film on the stories told in
one of Shakespeare’s plays, Alfie took a risk and
instead found his inspiration in the Sonnets, and
he was rewarded for his courageous choice!
Sonnet 73 joins a long list of very successful
films made by BMGS students – including
joining three previous BMGS teams as national
finalist in this competition.
In recent years, our students’ Drama films have
been selected for, and won, competitions from
the local level right through to winning national
filmmaking competitions. Students have also
had their films selected for both National and
International Film Festivals, and gone on to
study at a variety of Film and Theatre schools
after graduation .
Pictured below, l to r, Raphael Hampartzoumian,
Alfie Swann, Jesse Hardaker and Charlie
Monks.