By Parker McKenzie
Belgrave’s Lantern and Light International Children’s Film Festival will return in 2023 after the success of this year’s festival, with a grant from Yarra Ranges Council.
The Grants for Community program awarded $9,280 to the not-for-profit organisation Ranges Academy of Performing Arts Inc. for the three-day film festival, held at the CAMEO cinema in Belgrave.
RAPA founding director Rainsford Towner said the success of the 2022 film festival has made them reconsider how the 2023 version will be run.
“It was probably a bigger success than we had anticipated in some ways. It was our first serious festival effort after Covid,” he said.
“We need to stretch the festival over a few more days to accommodate people who want to see more of the festival.”
The festival started in 2019 and features short films made by people aged six to 18, returning in person to CAMEO cinema after a disrupted two years during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Towner said this year’s festival saw a record number of international entries.
“The importance is what we’re doing for our young filmmakers in the area and that’s increasingly exciting,” he said.
There’s going to come a day, I guarantee you, where all these filmmakers from the hills start popping up in the industry.”
The festival will also include a free best of the Lantern and Light International Children’s Festival Regional Tour in four Yarra Valley Regional Communities during the 2023 September school holidays.
Mr Towner said the funding from Yarra Ranges is vital to the future of the festival.
“It’s probably the most important partnership we have because the grant provided seed funding for the festival and without it, it wouldn’t happen,” he said.
“It allows us to confirm with various parties the festival is going ahead, it allows us to open submission and gives us the confidence to work on it for next year. Without the grant, we don’t have the confidence to know whether we’re going to be able to do a festival.”
For more information on the Lantern and Light International Film Festival, visit llicff.org.au
