Aussie director conducts master class at Mowelfund

MANILA, Philippines - Australian film director Elissa Down (second from left) recently met up with (from left) Mowelfund Film Institute director Edgardo “Boy” Vinarao, National Artist for Film Eddie Romero and Mowelfund, Inc. executive director Boots Anson-Roa as part of Australian Embassy’s Seventh Australian Film Festival which was held in Manila and Cebu from Nov. 5 to 14.

Down conducted a master class for student film writers and directors at Mowelfund Film Institute, sharing her experiences in making the critically-acclaimed Australian film, The Black Balloon. The film, inspired by Down’s own experiences growing up in an army family with two brothers with autism, won the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival Crystal Bear in 2008 for Best Feature-Length Film in the Generation 14 plus category and Australian Film Institute Awards for Best Direction, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing. The Black Balloon was one of six Australian films featured during the festival including Unfinished Sky, The Bank, The Hard Word, Danny Deckchair, and Garage Days.