A Waurn Ponds teenager has won an award and had his film shown at the Sydney Opera House.
Zac Deren’s film ‘They Call Me BART’ was one of 11 films from filmmakers aged 18 and under from across the world to receive Smart Fone Flick Fest (SF3) Kids awards.
The 15-year-old won the SF3 and Blackmagic Cam Award (High School) and said that seeing his film at the Sydney Opera House was a dream he never thought would come true.
“I was completely shocked as I had no idea that I was going to get it (the award), and it was just such an honour,” Zac said.
“Seeing it on the screen and seeing everyone else’s film on the screen too, and their reactions to my film and their own films afterwards were so great.
“I loved seeing how the film came together in the end, because when I’m filming, you don’t know how the film is going to end up, but once you’ve edited it, it seems so different to how you expected it to be.”
Zac’s film follows the story of Bartholomew, a teenage boy who lives in a magnificent mansion and is homeschooled by his father, until one day he decides to attend high school.
The film follows the character as he embarks on this new adventure of change and friendships, while also having to navigate high school as a teenage vampire.
“I love making films, and it’s fun to hang out with friends and be able to make a film with them, so that’s just a good memory I have when watching the film,” Zac said.
“My whole life, I’ve been told that my skin is very light and I always look pale, so I decided to go along with that and make a film about me being a vampire.”
SF3 received close to 450 entries for its many film award categories from filmmakers of all ages from all over Australia and internationally during the film’s 11th year.
