:: COCHLEAR Young At Heart Short Film Awards

By: Carmine Pascuzzi

Entries are now open for the COCHLEAR Young At Heart Short Film Awards, a national film competition which highlights the artistic contribution made by seniors to Australian cinema.

The awards showcase the best new Australian short films starring seniors, selected from a national call for submissions. To be eligible, films must be Australian made, completed no earlier than January 1, 2008, feature one or more actors over 60 years of age in a key role and be no more than 20 mins in length.

There is no entry and deadline for submissions is February 1, 2010. Finalists will compete for two $1,000 cash awards.

The NSW Seniors Week Talent Award will be decided by a jury of industry professionals, recognizing exceptional acting from a person over the age of 60. The Audience Award will go to the Best Film, as voted for by the audience. A wildcard entry will be made by seniors in the week preceding the event, as part of the Young at Heart Filmmaking Workshop, during which a team of intrepid filmmakers will write, direct and edit a short film in only five days.

The finalists will be screened on the opening night of Young at Heart, Sydney’s 5th Seniors Film Festival, Thursday March 25 at Dendy Opera Quays in Sydney. Winners will be revealed at the screening.

Returning March 25 – 28 as a flagship event of NSW Seniors Week 2010, the popular Seniors Film Festival features four days of film premieres, restored classics, filmmaking workshops, and exclusive meet-the-artist events. For more information and to download an entry form, visit here

Tickets are only $5 for seniors and $12 for everyone else, and are on sale from the cinema from March 8. To receive a program in the post, call 02 9281 5608.

Young at Heart is presented by The Festivalists and Ageing, Disability and Home Care, Department of Human Services NSW, and is a flagship event of NSW Seniors Week 2010.