Central TAFE was well represented at the FTI 2007 WA Screen Awards with three graduates receiving recognition for their outstanding contribution to the local industry including Maziar Lahooti, who picked up the prestigious Young Filmmaker of the Year Award.
Graduates Tenille Kennedy and Renee Doring also won awards for Best Drama Production and Best Production Design respectively.
For Maziar, the win marks a pinnacle in his short but eventful career, and will further establish him as an emerging talent in the local industry.
“It’s my first win in a long series of being runner up,” said Maziar.
“I hope that it will open up possibilities for production and development funding allowing me to write and produce more work. I also hope it will assist with my application for the directors stream at the AFTRS (Australian Film, TV and Radio School).”
Since completing his Advanced Diploma of Screen, Maziar has been working extensively in the industry while developing his own projects.
“I’ve had regular work on film sets in technical departments, which is my bread and butter work and have received some money from Screenwest to write the second draft of my feature length film. I have also completed four short films, which have screened in various festivals across Australia and have just finished my fifth short, which is currently in post production.”
“In the future I plan to shoot a low budget feature and write another two feature scripts.”
Tenille, who won a producing award for the short film Before Closing is also planning for a future in feature films and sees her win as a step towards this goal.
“My ultimate plan is to get a WA feature into production, which will be hard work but there’s nothing like a bit of a challenge,” she said.
Like Maziar, Tenille is currently building up experience in industry while creating and promoting her own work.
“I’ve worked on shows like The Circuit, Marx and Venus and Wormwood where I’ve learnt more about how productions operate. In between, I’ve been applying these new skills to my own projects. I’m currently in post production for one short film and have another in the nationally acclaimed St Kilda Film Festival.”
Both filmmakers credit Central TAFE with giving them the skills needed to succeed in such a competitive industry.
“Going to Central TAFE I learnt how to shoot economically, which meant I was able to shoot my last project on film rather than the cheaper option of tape,” said Mazair.
“I found that I’m now working with a lot of the people who lectured me,” added Tenille. “Their experience definitely gave me a better understanding on what to expect when starting out in industry and I got quite a few industry contacts, which has since proved useful.”
Other Central TAFE graduates where also nominated in the categories of Best Tertiary Film and Best Sound Design in the competition, which attracts hundreds of entries from around the State.
Central TAFE Managing Director Neil Fernandes has congratulated the graduates saying that their success is driving the dramatic growth of the local industry.
“Central TAFE’s commitment to industry relevant training is manifested in the success of graduates like Mazair, Tenille and Renee who are shaping an enviable future for the WA film industry.”
Central TAFE Screen qualifications provide the practical skills and knowledge to work in the production and post production of film and television productions, Students develop skills in camera operations, lighting, audio, production, animation, script writing and producing, and practice these skills by working as part of a team to produce music videos, short films and documentaries.