Jasper Jones.
Four Aussie films will contend for CinefestOZ’s $100,000 Film Prize, the richest of its kind in the country.
Over the weekend CinefestOZ announced Jasper Jones, Spin Out, Girl Asleep and The Death and Life of Otto Bloom as the finalists for the prize.
Both Jasper Jones and Spin Out will have their world premieres at the August film festival, while Girl Asleep and The Life and Death of Otto Bloom will make their Western Australian debuts.
Now in its third year, the CinefestOZ Film Prize was established with the aim of pursuing excellence in Australian filmmaking, and is awarded to the producer of a feature-length film or documentary.
The films will be judged at the festival by a five-member jury, headed this year by director Gillian Armstrong.
Last year’s winner was documentary Putuparri and the Rainmakers, directed by Nicole Ma and produced by John Moore.
CinefestOZ festival chair Helen Shervington said that the calibre of entries made choosing finalists a difficult task.
“Year on year, the number and quality of entries for the $100,000 film prize increases, making it more and more challenging to narrow it down to just a handful of finalists. It’s actually wonderful to see – Australian film making continues to thrive and film makers are increasingly embracing the platform offered by CinefestOZ to showcase their works to appreciative audiences,” said Shervington.
WA Culture and the Arts Minister John Day congratulated the four finalists.
“The four films vying for the CinefestOZ Film Prize showcase the creativity and diversity of storytelling in Australian films,” said Day.
"I congratulate the filmmakers on being selected as finalists, and we look forward to welcoming them to Western Australia."
CinefestOz takes place August 24 – 28.