DISASTER! After arriving safe and sound in Wagga this afternoon we were faced with our biggest challenge yet… No internet!

With none of us able to pick up the hotels wireless connection and the local internet café closed we had one option. Civic video. With one properly functioning computer we quickly gave up and tried to learn how to survive not constantly connected to the interwebs!

The following morning we had another easy set up and prepared for the audience’s arrival, we had the most bookings for this session so we wanted to be prepared!

Everyone arrived early and got into the cinema on time, a great feat considering the huge turn out and they all loved the film.

We spent the break at Wagga Wagga City Library (free internet HOORAY!) and caught up on emails, facebook, twitter….

The evening session was a bit quieter, but constrasting to the early crowd was always going to feel a little smaller.

Loads more great feedback and so we decided to treat ourselves by watching a films we hadn’t seen twice in the last week… Mao’s Last Dancer.

There were tears. And a general consensus that it was a pretty good film (Michael was glad he won the argument against watching New Moon!).

Home to Sydney tomorrow!
AAAFF Team x

P.s. Stay tuned for video footage of some of the tour… and pay respects to Michael’s sunglasses that flew out the window, in the line of duty!

After a pretty smooth test run this morning we got set up in the cinema foyer ready for today’s sessions.
 
The response from Griffith has been very positive and the cinema manager, Dom, and his team are very welcoming.

The first screening was great! Lots more people than expected turned up and they really enjoyed the films and offered loads of fantastic feedback.

The evening session again was well attended, surprising seeing as we are fiercely competing with the recent release of New Moon!!

During the screening I had the chance to have a great long chat with local people about the festival and about Griffith itself, which was really interesting and enlightening!

It’s really invigorating to have such a welcoming response, especially from a place we are screening in from the first time!

First sessions of the regional tour done, dusted and a big success!

Time for us to relax with some local grub and an early night in preparation for the drive to Wagga tomorrow.

AAAFF Team x

*** Sorry for the delay in getting these posts up!!***

Join us in Sydney on December 3rd at Dendy Opera Quays for a panel discussion:
WILLING & ABLE
Increasing Cinema Access for People with a Disability

5:30pm: panel discussion
6:30pm: free drinks
7:00pm: free accessible screening of The Boys Are Back

To book please call 02 9281 5608 or email karina@thefestivalists.com. 

Speakers:

• Bruce McGuire, Senior Policy Officer, Vision Australia 
• Nick Hayes, National Manager, Dendy Cinemas 
• Alex Varley, CEO, Media Access Australia 
• Anneke Barnes, Access Coordinator, Accessible Arts
• Karina Libbey, Coordinator, Access All Areas Film Festival 

We will chat about the state of accessible cinema in Australia, existing technologies and models of best practice. Join us, listen to the experts and have your say!

10am this morning, we hit the road to Griffith!

Shortly after leaving Sydney we realised that between the three of us we had failed to bring music for the 8 hour drive. Or a useful map…



But amazingly we arrived here safe and sound, and early, nonetheless!

First stop was to drop off equipment at the cinema and have a chat with the projectionist. Everything looks good and ready for tomorrow and Dom, the cinema manager, is super friendly.

We’ve checked into the hotel, it’s nice, the weather is cool (I hear it's 9pm and still 38 degrees in Sydney!?) and we had a lovely relaxing dinner on the balcony. Wrapping up a quiet night and recharging for tomorrow…the first screening of the regional tour of the festival!!

Take it easy,
The AAAFF Team x

P.s. after missing a photo opportunity at the big ram in Goulbourn, there was no way were passing this one!! (See below)

Today we screened at Alice Betteridge School at the RIDBC, the final school visit the festival, and it was a fantastic.

The biggest group so far (over 70 in total!) really enjoyed the films and after the screening there were many hugs and high fives to be had!


It is so interesting seeing all of the different reactions to the films from the different kids, all with widely varied disabilities, and also how they interact with each other.

Particularly exciting about today was that the most audio receivers got used, and discovered. Audio description is a voice-over in-between dialogue describing of all the on-screen action for people who have low vision or are blind. It plays on a separate track, so not everyone can hear it, and is transmitted to a personal receiver. Some kids had never experienced this technology before and were really intrigued by it.   

It has been a really great and moving experience interacting with these kids and the schools, for the whole team, as it has been our first step gearing the festival towards children with disabilities and the outcome overall has been really positive.

Now I really can't wait for Sunday!
Megan, Michael (our other wonderful intern) and myself will be setting off, on the loooong drive, to Griffith in preparation for the Monday screenings of My Year Without Sex and The Boys Are Back.

Catch up with you soon!
Karina.

This morning Matt, Megan (our lovely intern) and I battled through terrible peak hour traffic and still managed to arrive at Thomas Patterson School on time! Success!
 
Set up this time around was even easier (we are old hats now) and the screening got off to a great start. All the kids had been given a bag of popcorn as a special treat and the enthusiastic munching sounds were adorable.

The films were a hit, especially Triple Concerto in D Minor, which had one of the students air-violining during the orchestra performance scene, and The Greatest Moment in the History of the Universe…Ever!  Because “it was a bit rude” – and had the kids in hysterics!

Afternoon tea followed, fruits and water for the students and tea and cakes for us…YUM! And we got to have a great chat with some of the teachers about the films, the way they are captioned and got some great first hand feedback on the program.
 
Off to Alice Betteridge School tomorrow (which is also part of the Royal Institute for Blind and Deaf Children, where we were today). Really looking forward to it!

And I’m off to practice my air triangle!
 Karina

Today was the first day of Access All Areas Film Festival 2009 and let me tell you, it was a cracker!

Our first stop on this year's tour was St Gabriel's School For Hearing Impaired Children in Castle Hill, screening 6 Australian short films for kids.

Battling through an early start and sweltering humidity we arrived ahead of time to set up the equipment for the screening and got to meet some of the staff and students.

Everyone was so lovely and excited, they even made the school's public notice sign into a welcome for the festival (check out the photo!!) and the children were really intrigued as we set up for the screening...

After lunch and everyone was seated the principal, Diane, introduced Matt, Marianne and myself and we kicked off the screening with "Tin Can Heart" - a beautiful short film that is also up for an IF Award in the next few days! Keep your eyes on that one!

Following the film we were delighted to have Rod March, the director, at the school for a question and answer session with the kids, who all loved the film and gave him a huge round of applause, after quizzing him on the film and how it was made, of course! 

Following the rest of the program we had an afternoon tea of delicious biscuits and juice and got to mingle and talk about the films with the kids, as well as chat to the teachers about access to films and cinema in Australia, what's going on and what needs to be done, it was fantastic to hear their feedback, one of the main aims of the festival!

Students and teachers alike (and us as well) were thrilled at how today went and I can't wait until tomorrow.

What a great start to the festival!
Better get some sleep for the early morning start tomorrow :)

See you then,
AAAFF Team