Students learn the tricks and traps of running a film festival
In 12 short weeks, RMIT media students put together a film festival as part of their degree. The theme is nifty: first films by directors, both famous and emerging.
Peter Murphy of Bauhaus performing ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ in ‘The Hunger’. Image: Supplied.
The Debut International Film Festival (DIFF) is an entirely student-run event, from theme to programming, website design, venue hire and fundraising.
Running over three nights, from 31 May to 2 June, and across two venues in Melbourne’s CBD (The Capitol and RMIT’s Kaleide Theatre) the event is a chance for the 21 media students to fully understand the elation and last-minute panic of running a real, ticketed event.
Rochelle Siemienowicz is Screen Content Lead at Screenhub. She is a writer, film critic and cultural commentator with a PhD in Australian cinema and was the co-host of Australia's longest-running film podcast 'Hell is for Hyphenates'. Rochelle has written a memoir, Fallen, published by Affirm Press. Her second book, Double Happiness, a novel, is out with Midnight Sun on October 1, 2024. Instagram: @Rochelle_Rochelle Twitter: @Milan2Pinsk
