Students look to Livin’ the Light
Image: Photo: www.raymondstevenson.com
Participate Film Academy students will document the lives of underprivileged Africans through the creation of visual stories.
“We have the immense opportunity to take on this challenge within a year, commencing as a novice filmmaking students,” said Participate Film Academy student Marcelle Steyn, who is based in Redfern.
Ms Steyn’s project, Livin’ the Light, was inspired by a previous youth program she was involved with while in Cape Town in South Africa.
“Livin’ the Light is aimed at documenting stories of inspiration of disadvantaged, extremely gifted young adults throughout Africa who have chosen to make a difference in their lives despite their extreme circumstances. These are extraordinary young people who have a story to share,” she said.
“My aim is to develop this [project] as creatively with as possible. In order for this to be a success, I need to be able to put together impactful documentaries and movie clips to share with the world.”
As a South African film student studying in Sydney, Ms Steyn, 35, has previously managed a youth program called Adrenalize in Cape Town. It was aimed at teaching youth at risk valuable life lessons through adrenaline-charged experiences with the aim of shifting their perceptions.
A golf tournament, dinner and auction will be held on July 4 to help students cover production costs.
Based at the Australian Technology Park in Eveleigh, Participate Film Academy is the only film school in the world where students embark on shooting a full-length film, and raise their own funds to do so.
“We have collaborated with the support of our course director to develop a way to raise funds to contribute to our feature film fundraising budget,” said Participate Film Academy student Alex Pryor – Ms Steyn’s partner for the project.
“We are appealing to readers out there to invest in our project either through funds, support or donations. We also encourage readers to buy tickets to enter into the golf game as a means of support.”
Contact info@participate.com.au for more information.
