Campfire re-focussed

The Campfire story rolls along quietly, slowly sometimes, but all the same, assuredly. I feel as excited today about it as I did when the concept first came into focus back in late 2006. So it seems fitting now to provide some kind of update on how things work and where they’re going. There are further plans for 2010, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

The Campfire concept

Our tag, “films on films, faiths on film” points to what we’re about.
Our mission is two-fold:

1. To encourage filmmakers to explore the spiritual in their art
2. To encourage people of all faiths to connect with each other (and their own faith) using short-films as a catalyst

We believe that faith and spirituality is important, not irrelevant,
and in an age of increasing tribalism, we can play a vital role in bringing together disparate faiths and ideologies using the language of film.

We exist for peace and love but acknowledge that in calling for honest opinions about faith and meaning, conflict is natural. Short films can offer an antidote to the negative effects of conflict, and provide a bridge to better understanding in the future.

The Campfire concept is best visualised as shown (right). 

Until now, the website www.campfire.org.au has been the central project of Campfire, but since 2007 we’ve seen many unique uses of the project appear:

• interfaith groups linked to our site for greater awareness and compassion for others (Parliament of the Worlds Religions, Arts & Exhibitions link)
• religious youth groups studying other faiths to better understand their own (Donvale Presbyterian Church)
• ‘emerging church’ retreats showing films for broad discussions (The Rusty Spring)
• teachers using films in schools (Waverley Christian College)
• religious outreach using films for values discussion ("The Rev")

We’d love to see a greater range of faiths making use of the site. So feel free to send us your ideas and questions about this might work.

Live screening – the inaugural Campfire Awards

At the heart of Campfire is the short film. We want to reward efforts of filmmakers who tackle issues of spirituality, faith and meaning. For this reason we have now locked in what we hope to be the first of many Campfire Award screenings at the ACMI cinemas at Melbourne’s Federation Square on Sunday November 29, 2009.

A panel of independent judges from various religious and ideological backgrounds are currently being chosen to make final selections. Awards will be sponsored and presented by an official from the Parliament of the Worlds Religions (PWR). The PWR is a week-long conference being held in Melbourne around the same time.

Campfire Awards mission:

The aim of the Campfire Awards is to encourage filmmakers to explore the spiritual in their art.

The deadline for all films to be considered for entry is August 31. All finalists to be screened at ACMI will be notified of the upcoming screening to ensure best quality viewing copy is available.

Online festivals for 2009

In the lead-up to our first Awards screening, the online festivals will be kept to a minimum.

So far this year we've had:

• our first themed festival (February)
• a regular 'open' festival (May)
• ...which looks like it might be our last online festival for the year as we pour most of our volunteer energy into making the LIVE screening at ACMI happen well.