Newly-graduated Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) Bachelor of Screen Arts alumna, Fabriani Putri, has had a thrilling week. Her short film which she produced during the final year of her degree, has been accepted to screen alongside twenty other films at the end of March, in the Visions Film Festival & Conference, in North Carolina, USA.
The 3rd-year project is a short film around three minutes in length, entitled ‘My Mother Mawinei’
“It’s loosely inspired by my own relationship with my Mother. The story is about a little girl who wants to pursue a tertiary education, but because her family is working class and comes from a rural area, tertiary education is a luxury. In the film, the Mother tries her best to secure this education for her daughter by working as a palm oil labourer. Overall, the film explores the unconditional love a parent has for their child, and the sacrifices they make in order for their children to have a bright future" said Fabriani.
She said the Visions Film Festival & Conference is the first festival to select her film for screening.
“It’s really exciting – I did submit to other film festivals but have had no replies yet, so this is the first one”.
Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, and held this year from March 24th – 28th, the annual 5-day festival and conference is hosted by undergraduate students from the University of North Carolina Wilmington Film Studies Department. The area has a thriving film industry and is known locally as “Hollywood East”. The event provides the opportunity to celebrate and showcase the best in undergraduate filmmaking, and also to connect filmmaking enthusiasts with other like-minded people.
Rachel Mann, Animation and Game Design Team Leader at SIT’s School of Screen Arts, said of Fabriani,
“We are so proud of her, she worked so hard last year and absolutely deserves this recognition and praise”.
Fabriani’s burgeoning talent was apparent during her three years at SIT; when she graduated at the end of 2020 with a Bachelor of Screen Arts (Animation), she won the Reading Cinemas Award for Best Digital Short Film – Bachelor of Screen Arts.
Hamish Small, SIT’s Head of Faculty for New Media, Arts & Business, said Fabriani was deserving of this selection due to not only her individual talent, but for her drive and dedication to her skills and creative nous.
“Our BSA programme only served as a platform for her to excel and we are delighted Fabriani has utilised her education experience so well. We wish Fabriani all the very best in her future endeavours” he said.
Fabriani said she felt personally invested in the project due to the subject of the story she created, and involving other people in the film resulted in producing a better film.
“I learned a lot from making it, a lot about filmmaking and collaboration with other people – which is why this one’s been a success. I would not have been able to receive this recognition without the help of my peers, who collaborated with me and gave me feedback during the production”.
Fabriani’s currently applying for jobs in the creative industries within New Zealand; judging by her talent and work ethic, it’s only a matter of time before she’s snapped up.
“This film is personal to me, it is my love letter for my parents' unconditional love. I hope I can make other films like this in the future”.