Press release from DigiSPAA
The winner of the prestigious ‘SPAARTAN Award’ for the 2010 DigiSPAA Feature Film Competition, sponsored by Movie Network Channels, was announced yesterday at the Screen Producers Association of Australia’s (SPAA) annual conference.
Little Sparrows, directed, written and produced by Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen and co-produced by Eva Di Blasio wowed the judges with its sincere charm and heart, taking the major prize from a pool of strong contenders. Shot entirely in Western Australia where Camille resides, and on Red One format, Little Sparrows tells the delicate story of three sisters who are forced to make tough decisions when their mother’s breast cancer returns and they must face the reality of their last Christmas together.
As winners of the esteemed DigiSPAA digital filmmaking competition, in its sixth year running, Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen and Eva Di Blasio have secured one of Australia’s most lucrative film competition prizes. They walk away with a package totaling over $50,000, including $10,000 in film
equipment hire, $15,000 cash, $20,000 worth of post-production courtesy of Movie Network, a guaranteed screening of their film on the Movie Extra channel, and a return airfare and free registration to the prestigious CineMart International Film Festival Rotterdam.
The world premiere of Little Sparrows took place in June at the Sydney Film Festival where it received high accolades, and went on to garner positive receptions at other festivals including the Melbourne International Film Festival, and most recently – the Rome International Film Festival, where Camille secured and signed a film distribution deal in the US and Canada. In deed Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen and Eva Di Blasio are rising talents, and are an example of the escalating calibre of filmmakers the annual DigiSPAA Feature Film Competition continues to draw.
Runner up The Fall Guys, produced by New Zealander Rhys Cain is a gritty, edgy crime comedy about three college buddies who stumble across three cases of premium grade heroin. The story is told in flashback as each of the men are interrogated by police, pushing the friends deeper and deeper into a world they clearly know nothing about.
The Fall Guys and Little Sparrows – both superb films, highlight the differing styles and subject matters from filmmakers attracted to the competition this year.
Antony I. Ginnane, president of SPAA and co-curator of DigiSPAA commented: “‘Little Sparrows’ is an incredible achievement. It takes subject matter which could have resulted in a Lifetime disease of the week TV movie, and turns it into a searingly moving tale of love and loss and understanding. It’s packed full of real emotion. Producer/Writer/Director Camille Chen and Producer Eva Di Blasio are talents to watch and worthy recipients of this year’s SPAARTAN Award”.
“Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen has an intense filmmaking style that propels audiences into an emotional journey with the characters. Produced by Eva Di Blasio, ‘Little Sparrows’ is a must see”, says Daniel Scharf, DigiSPAA Co-ordinator and judge.
2010 DigiSPAA judges included Antony I. Ginnane, President of SPAA and IFM World Releasing Inc.; Geoff Brown, Executive Director SPAA; Daniel Scharf, Producer of Geoffrey Wright's AFI Awardwinning Romper Stomper; Colleen Meldrum, Program Director, Movie Network Channels and Stacey Edmonds, Producer/Director of I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer.