ABOUT NORTH BELLARINE FILM FESTIVAL
Our Story
The North Bellarine Film Festival was established in 2017 with the objectives of bringing high quality and diverse cinema to the Bellarine Peninsula and to help foster regional, state and national filmmaking talent. Its presentation of rich and diverse programs of Australian and international feature films and its growing focus on short films produced by independent filmmakers from across Australia has resulted in the North Bellarine Film Festival growing into a major regional event.
The North Bellarine Film Festival established the annual Emerging Filmmaker Award in 2019 to recognise Victorian filmmakers twenty-five years of age or younger who demonstrate outstanding talent and the strong desire to succeed at their craft. Victorian students and other young filmmakers can now have their films shown on the big screen and to meet other filmmakers at the Emerging Filmmaker Award ceremony.
Now in its sixth year, the North Bellarine Film Festival continues to attract an ever-growing audience of film buffs from across the region to its annual event in November and to smaller events, including wineries and other venues, throughout the year.
The North Bellarine Film Festival has a strong relationship with the City of Greater Geelong who have supported the festival to ensure its growth. The festival has a growing number of sponsors who also assist us in growing the event and supporting our future direction.
OUR TEAM
Where the Passion Begins
BILL LUSSIER
Festival chair Bill Lussier's love of films started as a ten year old when he would go to the Sunday matinees at the Rivoli Theatre in his hometown of Chicopee, Massachusetts.
Early favourites were Mary Poppins, Swiss Family Robinson and The Battle of Britain.
IVAN KEMP
Ivan is a freelance photographer with a passion for live music and theatrical performance photography.
This passion also spills over to film and his film experiences started with Saturday afternoon matinees at the local picture theatre.
His appreciation for film has grown to include arthouse films and short films and he loves great spy movies like Tomas Alfred's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy".
Ivan is keen to promote and expand the Emerging Filmmakers program within North Bellarine Film Festival and is also responsible for sponsorship for the festival.
MARY MICALLEF
Mary’s first recollection of the big screen is when taken by the school to watch Marcellino, pane e vino. “At one stage the nuns ordered us to cover our eyes, and naturally I peeped through my fingers.”
She has great memories of being taken, together with her sisters, to the cinema by her father during school holidays.
Mary’s first introduction to Australian cinema was when she watched Walkabout, in the early seventies in Malta, before she and her husband left Malta to come and settle in Australia in 1974.
Mary consumes storytelling in any form; through reading, the big and small screen and the theatre, all passions of her.
VICTOR TROFIMOVS
Victor has had over 35 years experience in News and Current Affairs for the Nine Network.
He has covered many major news stories, locally & while based in Europe, including the fall of the Berlin Wall & the Port Arthur Massacre before going freelance as a producer on numerous Lifestyle, factual & travel shows.
Now retired, Victor is particularly interested in promoting & mentoring young documentary makers and video journalists.
BAIBA KEMP
Baiba has had a life long interest in films. Over time her interest has manifested itself in arthouse and short films.
She attended the North Bellarine Film Festival for the first two years upon moving to the Bellarine before accepting a position on the festival committee.
Her goal is to assist in the promotion of the work of young filmmakers and to provide them with an opportunity to have their films screened in front of a live audience.
JESSIE AITON
Jessie is a radio producer who has worked for 3AW and the ABC. She is the creator of the ongoing Do You Know Where Home Is picture story featuring the much-loved Bellarine Bear.
Jessie is passionate about regional storytelling, and is a firm believer that there are rich narratives to be found all through rural and regional Australia - it just takes the right people to bring them to life.
Her love of film began at a young age where she watched the Wizard of Oz forty-three times “because I didn’t want to miss anything…”
She has interviewed David Stratton, Ted Kotcheff, and Robert Connelly
STONE TIGHE-MARSHALL
Stone grew up with a passion for films that brought stories to life. Films such as Troy and Pirates of the Caribbean really inspired Stone to share his own stories and adventures in film in the hope of inspiring others.
His passion for film led Stone to study and gain a Certificate III in visual Arts and Certificate IV in screen and media. This kicked off his career in filmmaking and he went on to work on a few short films and to start making his own short films.
Stone joined the Bellarine Film Festival to extend his knowledge of filmmaking by evaluating the work of fellow Australian and International filmmakers and the committee was pleased to be able to provide that pathway.
Alexander D'Aloia is a multi-discipline writer originally from Melbourne, Australia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing majoring in Screenwriting, an Honours in Media and Communication, and is currently finishing his PhD at RMIT University on affect, time, and the moving image. He has reviewed both film and music since 2009, taught screenwriting to the general public, and film theory at university. In 2022, he moved to Uzbekistan where he now teaches IELTS at A-Z English.
He is passionate about science-fiction, slow cinema, and schlock horror and will watch just about anything you put in front of him except for the Coen Brothers. In 2021, he joined the NBFF committee after having been a judge for its Emerging Filmmaker Award since 2019, where his background in film theory and film philosophy contribute mostly to discussion of new ideas.