Refugee
‘first world, freedom and final destination’

From Left to Right: Maryam Gholamshahi (photogrpaher), Shafiq Monis (Painter), Vahid Vahed (video artist), Abbas Makrab (Painter), Tamirat A'Gerbramiriam (painter). Sitting: Kavita Rani (painter)
Westside Gallery
Addison Road Centre for Arts, Culture, Community and Environment
142A Addison Road Marrickville Sydney Australia
December 3-20, 2003
10am-6pm

During April 8-16, 2003, six Australian multidisciplinary artists from Refugee backgrounds residents of Sydney NSW entered Woomera, South Australia with the intention of producing a series of paintings, photographs and video images after extensive consultation with Woomera community.

The artists began their research by discovering Woomera’s history through archives available at Woomera Heritage Center, and space and airforce memorabilia left by the Space Programs coordinated through British and Americans since 1952. As well as attending various historical sites such as John Henry Davies’s grave who died of thirst in 1884, John was almost 24 years old, and his grave was found by a couple of British Soldiers searching for missile wreckage after a test launch in 1954.

At Woomera Public School, the artist had a few hours with the kids of various age groups to find out about their likes and dislikes of Woomera, as well as the message they wanted the artists to transcend through the artworks that reflected Woomera from the community's perspectives. The feelings of belonging and freedom due to barren landscapes were the likes and flies, absence of KFC and McDonald’s as well as lack of activities were among the dislikes.

After 3 days of research and discussions between the artists and the community members, which helped the artists to brainstorm numerous topics every night, finally began to produce their individual works. An exercise was undertaken to bring all the artists together in regards to form since everyone were in tuned with the content. They were asked to make an installation each to display their feelings towards Woomera utilizing the previous conceptual discussions. Some of the installations that were made with found objects in site-specific locations are now displaying at Woomera Heritage Centre and also added to the Woomera tourist guide map.

On Tuesday April 15, 2003, at the foyer of Woomera Theatre the exhibition were opened that contained paintings, photographs and installations for the public to visit free of charge. Since Woomera is on the way to Alice Springs and has an atomic history, many passing by tourists were among the visitors. Over 100 people attended the exhibition and amongst them were refugee women and children from Iran who are now living away from their husbands and brothers in the township of Woomera (always accompanied by immigration law enforcement officers).

This is an ACDN in Partnership with CINEWEST Ltd. Project and assisted by the Australia Council for the Arts (CCDB)

CINEWEST Ltd.
PO Box 861
Auburn W Sydney NSW 1835
Australia
Ph: 61 402 707010
Email: cinewest@hotkey.net.au
Website: http://www.hotkey.net.au/~acdn/cinewest.htm

SHORT SOUP
International Short Film and Food Festival
September 26, 2003

Hederse wins the first prize
Ramtin Lavavfipoor, Live Action 23' Iran 2003
"A film about tradition and myth that belongs to thousands of years ago in Iran. Kids will visit each house in the village to gather dates to leave for crows in the desert. Ideally, the birds after eating the dates will bring rain to the barren land."

SHORT SOUP received more than 50 films from Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Southern Europe and South America and only 8 works made it to the final showdown in winning $2000 first prize as the best film of the festival.

Although, such films as the bizarre animation from Japan "Have a Meal", the surreal Italian midlife crisis "The Cooked Nose" and the very sophisticated "Radioportogutenberg" displayed aesthetic brilliance but "Hederse" as the longest short film of the festival represented the authentic voice of tradition and cultural heritage through it's form and content.

"Hederse" is a meditative non verbal journey transcending an ancient tale through moving images and sound. It is about effort and perseverance driven by hope and centuries of belief. It is an authentic response to the land and what it offers. It's themes are community, belief, the significance of ritual, abundance and drought.

Congratulation Ramtin Lavavfipoor.

CINEWEST Ltd.
PO Box 861 Auburn W Sydney NSW 1835 Australia
Ph: 61 402 707010 Email: cinewest@hotkey.net.au
Website: http://www.hotkey.net.au/~acdn/cinewest.htm
SHORT SOUP is initiated by SOPA and Curated by CINEWEST

Winners

6th Edition
Auburn International Film and Video Festival
for Children and Young Adults

Tadgell’s Bluebell Award
Child Produced 6-14 years old

Winner
A Good Heart
Ashden Walker, Live Action 4’30” Australia 2003
“An African girl struggles to fit in to her new school in northern part of Queensland, Australia. In a race at school, a white boy who does not like her pushes her off and prevents her from winning. As the result of this incident the teacher will give warning to the boy to not do it again and behave with proper manners and respect for others.”

2nd Place
Winston
Gene Alberts / Channel Free, Experimental 4’ Australia 2003
“To conform to the average life of a male, is to conform to the average thinking in the mind.”

3rd Place
Ants
Children aged 8-13, Animation 2’29” Croatia 2003
“Drawing animation about a Lazy Ant who does not want to do his work like others.”

Tadgell’s Bluebell Award
Youth Produced 15-22 years old

Winner
The Last Tree
Moritz Mayerhofer, Animation 6’10”Germany 2003
“In a dark future, humans are no longer vital images. They are suppressed to their boring work. They forget about the nature as they become deeper involved in their everyday mundane lives. Until the Last Tree saves the world and humans.”

2nd Place
Unexpected
Ms. Avil Johnson, Live Action 10” UK 2002
“Unexpected is an emotional teenage drama about a young girl, who is raised by an abusive father. After a one-night stand she becomes pregnant. She then has to make a crucial decision.”

3rd Place
Moving on
Ricardo Barker, Live Action 10’ UK 2002
“A moving story about 2 young partners in crime as well as best friends at school decide to steal the female teacher's fancy motorbike. The younger friend is reluctant to do it but forced by older that leads to losing his life in an accident to leave a huge scar and guilt in his friends mind. ”

Tadgell’s Bluebell Honor Award
Adult Produced for/about children

Winner
Trouble of Being a Boy
Jamil Rostami, Live Action, 24’50” Iran 2002
“Sirvan is a boy from one of the Kurdistan villages. His roosters will be replaced with one another in the village. His mother forces him to find the rooster. Suddenly some travellers come to the village. One is a circumciser, and all the boys are afraid of him.”

2nd Place
Down River
Reneta Schuman, Video Clip 2’47” Australia 2002
When it's hot we go down river and swim
When we go fishin', we catchin' the bream
When the river's high, we jump off the bridge
When we get home we play the didge

3rd Place
A Dog’s Hideaway
Aviva Barkhourdarian, Live Action 6’54” Germany 2001
“Janine has got a problem: she isn’t allowed to have dog but there is nothing in the world she desires more then having a dog. Polo is chained in a garage and his master tortures him. Polo escapes towards Janine, the owner searches him, and Janie meets Rudi the boy from the circus.”

Tadgell’s Bluebell Honor Award
Adult Produced for/about youth

Winner
My Old China
Linden Goh, Live Action 11’ Australia 2001
“A film about growing up Chinese in the white Suburbs of 1970’s Australia. 2 Chinese background boys being hassled by white boys at school, as they try really hard to assimilate and having trouble turning their parents into Aussies when they get home.”

Shared 2nd Place
A Case of Doubt
Torsten Schrank, Animation 3’20” Germany 2002
“On a beautiful Autumn day the turtle Edward to write his important love letter, But with a sudden case of doubt , Edward thinks over his feelings.”

The Kennel
Bujar Alimani, Live Action 13’30” Greece 2002
“Hito leaves his family in Albania and crosses over illegally into Greece, together with his friend and several others. At the border, the group become separated. His dog is also following him in the distance and becomes his saviour when they get to the other side.”

Shared 3rd Place
Cry for Bobo
David Cairns, Live Action 9’34” UK 2001
“Frantic knockabout tragedy ensues when Bobo is sent to clown prison for committing a daring but silly crime. Can he escape in time to prevent his family from bringing shame on all clowndom?”

Little Noel Wants to Fly
Nassiem Valamanesh, Live Action 7’50” Australia 2002
“Electricity, Helmet, Sunshine, Mum, Dad, Brother, Bike, Knives, Stamps, Ducks, Sleep, Test, Acceptance. A young boy from the suburbs of Melbourne who wants to join the Air force to blow up things.”

Best Feature About/for children

25 Kids and One Dad
Huang Hong, Live Action 90' China 2002
”TV broadcasts that a lawful citizen has donated money to the city’s orphanage and in an interview he suggests that by doing this he feels that he is orphans’ father. That’s when the trouble begins when 25 orphans turn up at his door step and want him to become their dad as he mentioned on TV.”

Best Feature About/for youth

XS The Worst Size
Jorge Lopez Sotomayor, Live Action 87' Chile 2002
"Drugs, romance and heavy school fighting at the old plaza by the Bone Peeler, surround this film creating a moving and restless portrait of youngsters today."

Message from the jury members

Dear 6th Edition Filmmakers,

We would like to thank and congratulate you for your efforts to preserve human dignity and heritage in a moving images form as well as confronting and addressing contemporary social, cultural, economical and political issues surrounding young human lives in the 21st Century.

Being young adults ourselves, we decided unanimously that 'The Last Tree' by Moritz Mayerhofer from Germany was the best film of the festival since it projected hope even in the age when humans are no longer appear as humans rather as machines. And the Last Tree becomes the protector of the earth and human race rather than the Terminator.

We unanimously decided to select 'Trouble of Being a Boy' by Jamil Rostami from Iran because of the innocence, honesty and purity depicted in the child's mind. The confusion is created when he finds out that his task has no meaning but he must carry it to the end. And the end is just a beginning.

Also being young Australians from diverse cultural backgrounds, we decided to select 'A Good Heart' by Ashden Walker and 'My Old China' by Linden Goh both from Australia, which were about racial discriminations that children and young people have to face when their parents immigrate to a new country.

As the result of many great works being included in the competition this year, we had no hesitation to recommend strongly for shared second and third place winners in one category.

Due to a number of feature films screened at the festival this year, the jury decided to nominate 25 Kids and One Dad by Huang Hong From China for its humour and warmth as the best feature about/for children and XS The Worst Size by Jorge Lopez Sotomayor from Chile for it's daring and truthful depiction of youth at a high school in Chile, which is very similar to high schools in Australia as the best feature about/for youth.

Thanks for caring about the world and us.

JURY MEMBERS
Ariyan Daly 16 years old
Sebastien Khavari 16 years old
Rodean Roozbahani 16 years old

flEXiff 2002 - 2002
First Edition 2003

The First and the Last Experimental International Film Festival is a global screen culture initiative from Western Sydney region supported by the NSW Film and Television Office and Reading Cinemas Auburn. The festival received more than 150 works since June 2002 from Australia, Croatia, Finland, England France Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Slovakia, Spain and USA. The final selection was 30 works with diverse form and content, which were the essential criteria for entries. The festival organizers and judges would like to thank the entrants and congratulate the winner.

Winner

Hederse Ramtin Lavavfipoor, Live Action 23' Iran 2003

‘A film is about tradition and myth in Iran from thousands of years ago, which is practiced today by people from the same region. Kids will visit each house in the village to gather dates to leave for crows in the desert. Ideally, the birds after eating the dates will bring rain to the barren land.’

Shared 2nd Place

From the Street Stano Petron, Live Action 5' Slovakia 2003

‘Dead man is lying on the street and the story is about to begin...’

The Diver Pu Lehtinen, Documentary 21' Finland 2000

‘Diving is like Poetry, every movement flowing into the next, The Diver is a hymn to diving and the aesthetics of movement.’

PO Box 861 Auburn W Sydney NSW 1835 Australia
Ph: 61 402707010 Fax: 61 2 89040401
Emails: flexiff@reelmind.com
Website: http://www.hotkey.net.au/~acdn/festival.html

WORLD SPORTS EXPO FOR YOUTH
A visual and audiovisual art exhibition

1. THE PROJECT

The message of the Olympic Games (Citius, Altius, Fortius) Athlima in Greek means sport; on a second level it means struggle, a creative struggle to be faster, higher, stronger. The Olympic Spirit rewards excellence in sport and in culture, in a struggle where participation is more important than victory. In this connection, the Athlima World Sports Expo promotes youth creativity and artistic achievements through the encounter between diverse world cultures. It brings together youngsters from Europe and the rest of the world in a vast project of global participation.

The context of the exhibition
As indicated, Athlima means sport and this is the theme of the global exhibition to be organized in Athens in July and August 2004. The exhibition is to feature visual, audiovisual and web-based creations addressed to children as well as art creations produced by children. It aims at highlighting the world's impressive cultural diversity and encouraging intercultural exchange. It focuses on knowledge and active promotion of the world's different cultural identities.

The exhibition likewise encourages intercultural exchange, contributing to cultural bridge building, the development of new conceptual tools and the enhancement of communication skills, optimizing the global socio-cultural encounter. Each country contributes art creations covering the entire history of sport and focusing attention on the current situation in youth sport, as an index of the social synergy and cultural expressiveness of all its citizens. Moreover, through expansion of the contemporary visual arts the past, present and future of youth sports is creatively endorsed in each country within a process of evolving a common European mosaic or artistic expression on a theme of broad social relevance.

The selection of the art works is carried out through networks with members and core action groups all over the continent, so as to ensure large-scale representation of young people and artists from all European countries. The networks involved have made an acknowledged contribution to other European cultural projects at present being implemented with wide social and cultural support.

An on-line service hosting the international dialogue between youngsters and artists supports the exhibition operation, enhancing its European character and ensuring worldwide dissemination of the relevant information. This service, together with the ongoing collaboration with global networks promoting youth art, serves to secure representative participation of non-European countries in the project. The exhibition aims to carry out an indicative mapping of the international situation and a wide-ranging and detailed presentation of European realities at an historic moment when the Olympic Games are returning to their birthplace.

After the Games it is proposed that the exhibition be made mobile and embark on a tour of the countries inside and outside Europe that are in a position to meet the costs of hosting it.

2. AIMS OF THE PROJECT

· The promotion of European audiovisual and web-based art creation addressed to children
· The encouragement of children's creative work in audiovisual and web-based arts
· Emphasis on cultural bridge-building in order to focus on the world's cultural diversity and identify points of convergence between Mediterranean countries through a constant flow of information establishing the basis for intercultural synergy
· The development of a common approach to children's sport as a basic question of education and culture and a medium of communication
· The comparison of what is offered by the professionals with the images perceived by children and the elaboration of a creative dialogue between developers and users of visual, audiovisual and web-based products.
· The determination of a common global position on children's sport, as expressed in visual, audio-visual and net-based products; the promotion of pictures by children and the views and demands of children pertaining to the fields of physical exercise and sport; the development of input into state policy-making on children's sport as well as into aesthetic and audiovisual education.
· The establishment of a decisive cultural and financial role for youth sports in the global socioeconomic structure

3. MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION

Informing and communication
Information dissemination and continuous communication with the organizational centre is to be effected through specific structures with specialization in children's sport and in visual and audiovisual education.

Television channels and websites presenting the development of the organization and the art education structures will both have an important role to play in this connection.

Each country will activate sports associations and other related organizations to provide us with a general overview of sports education at the national level. State and private television networks will present the audiovisual products being made available to youngsters for their information and education in relation to sport. Our research collaborators in each country will identify websites carrying useful information, so that the corresponding organizational department can liaise with them and establish the appropriate links. Art networks will be responsible for transmission of information and selection from all member countries of the visual art material created by children for the Athlima project.

3.2 Presentation of material
The exhibition is specially designed to group together entries from each participating country and to be accessible to both adult visitors and children. It will include symbols and other components that will provide a fitting embodiment for the sports message of each country and numerous artistic works created by children for the project.

Exhibition planning will be focused on attracting interest from children. It will be an event oriented primarily towards children, leading them and inspiring them to search for the different cultural characteristics of each country as they relate to the significant, popular and accessible theme of sport.

The presentation of audiovisual products is to be conducted through pre-installed monitors, video-walls and info points. Moreover, individual screening booths will be in operation for the duration of the exhibition, with public screening scheduled in accordance with the timetable.

All web-based products are to be presented in real time through individual PC monitors and pre-installed video-walls and info points.

All sections of the exhibition are to be constantly on-line, connected through a PC link operated by the information and communication service.

The exhibition will fully covered and promoted by television channels, the press and Internet.

The official catalogue will be available in four languages for the duration of the exhibition.

4. ORGANIZATION

Organization gets under way with the approval of the project and will come to an end by June 2004.

The exhibition is to last two months, with public participation expected from all parts of Greece. Though focused on European participation, it will also accept contributions from anywhere outside Europe. Governmental, non-governmental and international organizations specialized in visual, audiovisual and web-based production and in education will all be involved in co-organization. The exhibition will be made mobile and will go on a tour, for at least two weeks, of countries requesting a visit and able to cover the expenses.

Co-organizers and partners are to be assigned specific roles. Co-organizers will bear five percent of the costs and will undertake suitable specialized tasks. Partners will be responsible for their own national participation and for disseminating information on the project. The project's co-ordinating committee will work out conditions of participation for professionals and children, which will be publicized internationally.

Both co-organizers and partners will be responsible for bringing together the visual, audio-visual and web-based creations and submitting them to the co-ordinating committee, on which all co-organizers will be represented.

The coordinating committee will be charged with securing a suitable exhibition venue and planning the tour. It will find the premises for the lectures, workshops and ancillary functions. It will establish the committees responsible for transport, receipt, maintenance and dispatch of the works.

An international evaluation committee will be set up to take responsibility for acceptance of works into the exhibition. People of distinction from the arts and the audiovisual world will make symbolic awards to both professionals and young artists at the exhibition's closing reception.

Workshops, lectures and other ancillary functions for organized groups of children and professionals will be staged at regular intervals and on request.

Exhibition preparations and publicity will be concentrated at a specially created website, capable of attracting lively participation from all over the world. The virtual exhibition will be hosted on the website starting from August 2004 and for two months following the completion of the tour.

The exhibition tour is tentatively programmed to get under way by October 2004.

Non Virtual Palestine

Photographic Exhibition by

Nasser Shiyoukhi

(A Palestinian Photographer based in Alkhalil)

Gallery

Media Release

Auburn Community Development Network- Website Project

Jan-Feb 1999

The project is funded by the Australia Council, the Federal governments arts funding and advisory body.This project comprised a series of workshops in internet, graphic design, digital imaging, writing and digital video, and involved participation of young people and other community members.

Participants:
Mike Trinh
Allan Cantara
Luke Weyland
Boyu Zhao
Nathan Lane
Jimmy He
Phil Nakad
James Le
Tom Hollins

Information Technology - Website production
JOSEPH CAPOLUPO:

The web production workshop, allowed the youth of Auburn the opportunity to learn how to create internet web pages. Volunteers were able to learn, experiment and create web pages using the professional, web production tool, Macromedia Dreamweaver 2.1.

Graphic Design - Digital imaging
MISAKO SUGIYAMA:

 

Digital Video - Camera/ Editing
FARZIN YEKTA:

To view an example of the video work created click the link below. You will need Quicktime 3.0 to view the movie. Download the plugin at www.apple.com

-Bulliten Quicktime Movie (730K)

Graffiti Art - Designing for internet
SHARLINE BEZZINA:

Creative Writing - Fiction/ Documentary
ZOYA BOJIC:

Interview:
During the creative writing workshops conducted by ACDN, Luke conducted an interview with Magdalena, the Co-ordinator of Auburn Youth Centre.

Magdalena: "Auburn Youth Centre conducts a number of activities, including counceling service, Drop in Centre (mostly for young men, with one day a week dedicated to young women), and information and activity stall. We have come up with Youth Action Group which consists of consultation groups. Similarly, we have been conducting workshops involving body image. Drop in Centre deals with issues such as drug and alcohol abuse and safe sex practice, the issues that parents and schools are not too happy about.
Our youth activities include bands, house parties, dance parties, talent quests and similar activities. Youth week activities also include outdoor sports. Auburn Youth Centre supports lobby on behalf of youth and young peopleÕs rights. We work in close collaboration with other organisations. Young people want to be heard, listened to, respected. They want to have a voice in the society. The Centre is the place for young people to hang out, have fun and meet others."

Here are two poems created in the workshops by Luke.

Alone I am alone. Upon this rattler. Yet one of men Equally alone. Some reading paper: The Tele, the Herald, Either the Sydney Morning Or the Chinese; My neighbour studies His forward planner As the Train, Stopping at every stop, Travels forward to Penrith. Only now at Auburn, Do I hear the sound Of voices outside my head. Three children, aged ten to twelve On the way to school. They speak a strange tongue Yet in every sentence lies A word or two of our own The half empty train Still half empty Where I sit Yet near the sliding door A mass of human flesh. Now I approach my destination I rise and turn Recognise David, my manager, Realising, I was never alone.

The Youth's Return One time I called it art Other times self-expression Now all I see are scribbles Spray painted on city walls. Once I would read the wit Written on toilet doors Now it seems what is written Is crude, racist or rude. Still I imagine myself A youth aged one and twenty But youth slipped out While I dozed during the cricket Only to return In the shape of my son. I could climb unaided Upon my parentsÕ steep roof Turn blind on a skateboard Down a very steep hill Drive one-seventy Along the BellÕs Line Now as I climb to remove A broken roof slate I hold on to dear life Grow dizzy and shake. Still I imagine myself A youth aged one and twenty But youth slipped out While I dozed during the cricket Only to return In the shape of my son.

• Annual Street Festival
• Auburn International Film and Video Festival for Children and Young Adults
• The First and The last Experimental Film Festival
• Internationa Exchange
• Cinewest
• Festival Link

Libby Tonkin - Youth Development Officer