The Maroondah Snippets Youth Short Film Festival has returned for 2008 to further showcase the creativity and film skills of Maroondah’s youth.

Tonight’s award program, held at Eastland Hoyts, showcased eight films, covering a range of genres including drama, comedy and animation. The Good Guys in Bayswater are also a major sponsor and donated a video camera as the main prize.

Ringwood Secondary College was a major participant this year with a number of students from the school entering their contributions. Maroondah’s Youth Services team, at EV’s in Croydon, is a major contributor to the film night and the youth workers in schools program has assisted in promoting the many activities available for Maroondah’s youth. It was also great to see a number of teachers, principals, parents and students at the festival, demonstrating a strong commitment to the creativity of younger people in our community.

The Youth Short Film Festival provides an opportunity for younger people to promote their artistic skills in an environment that encourages independent film making. It was great to see the film festival returning for its second year and I look forward to its continued success.