At times of crisis, Australians are well-known for banding together to help in whatever way they can – and this recent Bush Fire Emergency was no exception.
As a nation we faced the shocking reality of the devastation these fires had on our communities, our wildlife and our country as a whole.
This emergency was unprecedented. The loss of life, habitat and property it wrought across the country is hard to comprehend and the disaster is not over yet. The fires may now be contained and on their way to being fully out, but the recovery has only just begun and help will be needed for months, if not years to come.
As a proud member of Melbourne’s independent film community, I know how generous, supportive and creative my colleagues are first-hand. So, with a growing sense of helplessness as I watched the continual news cycle of trauma and loss, compounded by my overwhelmingly despair-filled social media feeds six short weeks ago, I decided it was time to DO SOMETHING – something that would have the most reach and impact possible.
Reaching out to my network of industry colleagues, I received an overwhelming response of support. Less than a week later a group of us were sitting around a table planning what is now Shorts Relief: Flicks For The Fires. The core team consists of three Melbourne-based businesses and organisations – Incognita Enterprises, The Lost Artist and Melbourne WebFest, who are banding together in the best Aussie tradition to help our fellow citizens and our unique wildlife at this time of trauma, uniting the Victorian short film and web series community to do what we do best – entertain others through the medium of the screen one bite-sized piece at a time – while raising money to help those in need at this awful time.
The Arts are important for many reasons and I salute all my colleagues in all the Arts arenas, locally and internationally, who did such incredible work to help at this time of unprecedented crisis in our country through their fundraising efforts. This is the Victorian independent film community’s chance to contribute to that global response.
100% of profits through ticket sales will go directly to our two nominated charities: Wildlife Victoria Inc. and the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Also, as we are partnering with Humanitix to sell our tickets, all ticket booking fees will be donated by Humanitix to the Red Cross Bush Fire Appeal on our behalf.
I would like to acknowledge and thank the Capitol Theatre who are generously waiving their venue hire fee for the day and The Mahony Group who are donating a percentage of bar profits toward the total amount raised. I would also like to thank the generous businesses and organisations who have answered our call as Event Partners, rolled up their sleeves, rallied support and donated their time, services and energy to the cause with such enthusiasm and commitment, as well as all the filmmakers, speakers and Special Guests who are donating their work and time. It takes a village to achieve something like this and what an incredible, talented and generous village we have assembled!
As March 8 is also International Women’s Day, we have curated a program of content that we feel not only showcases the talents of the independent film community in Victoria, regardless of gender, but also features a wide range of female directors, producers, writers, actors and creatives to highlight the impressive contribution that women make to our creative screen industry.
I invite you to join us on Sunday, March 8 as we gather to celebrate the creativity and talent of Victoria’s independent film community while raising as much money as we possibly can to help ease the burden for those on the fire front lines who are now facing the the long road to recovery.
Thank you for your support.
SALLY McLEAN
Event Producer
Shorts Relief: Flicks For The Fires