The MAKING MOVIES ROADSHOW was FTI’s annual touring program that provided digital filmmaking workshops and outdoor screening events to remote communities across regional Western Australia.

The five-day filmmaking workshops were run by a team of three FTI professional filmmakers who provide hands-on training in camera, sound and editing skills to youth and adult participants. Three short films, including dramas, documentaries, music clips or animations, are made during the workshops, which culminate with a fun outdoor community screening at the end of the week.

The Roadshow films are also screened to metropolitan audiences and many are broadcast nationally on the NITV network.

Over the past seven years, the MAKING MOVIES ROADSHOW program has delivered 58 workshops to approximately 700 regional participants with over 160 short films produced and screened to 6,700 community members. Several of the films have also broadcast on NITV and the BRACS network, Goolarri TV and Golden West Network.

“It’s a very successful initiative that encourages people living in regional areas to discover filmmaking as a means of sharing their stories and celebrating their communities,” said FTI CEO, Graeme Sward.

“The audience responses have been very positive to the unique films that have been created, often by first-time filmmakers,” he said.

Previous Roadshow participant, Dave Wells, of Punmu in the Pilbara, said the response to the filmmaking workshop had been extremely positive for the participants and the whole community.

“All the kids seemed so eager to learn, it’s like nothing that I have experienced – Making Movies Roadshow magic or something!” he said.

Their short film “Welcome to Punmu” was selected for the Over the Fence national film festival and toured throughout Australia screening at 40 festival locations.

The MAKING MOVIES ROADSHOW was a joint initiative of Woodside, NITV, ScreenWest and FTI.

Making Movies Roadshow has concluded and will not be running in 2011. FTI hopes to launch a new regional filmmaking program in the future.

Any further information can be obtained from the Film & Television Institute on (08) 9431 6700.