Yes, change is in the (fresh) air for BOFA this year with lots of innovations to make Tasmania’s own film festival an ever-changing and an all year round experience. Here’s a preview of some upcoming events.

BOFA  will again be travelling to St. Helens from June 4 - 8 in partnership with the Bay of Fires Winter Arts Festival www.bayoffireswinterartsfestival.com.au. Why not make it an East Coast Long Weekend and indulge your senses, your taste buds and your sense of adventure.  You won't find a better way to enjoy the mid winter long weekend.

This year’s Red Carpet  opening night feature  at the Portland Hall, St Helens is the appropriately named ‘Jimmy’s Hall’ , a festival favourite at BOFA 2014.  At White Sands Cinema the heart-warming ‘Advanced Style’ will give you a chance to dress up and express your advanced sense of style. Other films on show include  gastronomic comedy ‘Chef,’ feel-good family hit ‘Paper Planes’, horror fan’s truly scary dream come true, It Follows,  and extreme sport surfing doco ‘Swell Chasers’.

Throughout the festival White Sands Estate will be matching screenings with specially themed menus - so why not join us on the picturesque east coast for a weekend of great films, delicious food and lots of fun? Full film programme www.bofa.com.au/festival-programme/

Portland Hall opening night screening ($15)
purchase via Choc-a-Lolly, Shop 3, 33 Cecilia Street, St Helens (03 6376 2977).

White Sands screenings ($15) 
can be booked/purchased at reception (03 6372 2228) or at www.white-sands.com.au

Last Sunday saw the successful launch of the partnership between Launceston's fast growing Saint John Craft Beer and the BOFA Film Festival. We screened The Girl Who Walks Home Alone At Night, a black and white, Iranian, feminist horror romance! Have we lost our minds? No, just pushing the boundaries as we like to do! See www.bofa.com.au/festival-programme/

BOFA's Festival Director, Owen Tilbury, said that Launceston film-lovers have been asking for a “Northern State Cinema” for many years and this partnership offered a great opportunity for a discerning audience looking for something outside of mainstream films. “We…love the idea that you can enjoy a great film along with the world's best beers, snacks and meals…it's a partnership made in heaven," he said.

Together we will be programming film seasons on a Sunday evening at 7pm  at Saint John Craft Beer’s expanded venue dubbed ‘The Barrel Room.’ (133 St. John Street, Launceston).  Winter Season will run each Sunday at 7pm from June 14 to July 19. Spring Season will run each Sunday 7pm from 13 September to October 18. Stay tuned for more details.

BOFA and Saint John Craft Beer are interested in what kind of films Launceston want to see and have an online survey for you to tell us: www.surveymonkey.com/r/BOFAatthebarrelroom

BOFA welcomes Eaglecrest Technologies as our major BOFA in Action partner. See more at www.eaglecrest.com.au

When you are a small island at the bottom of the world you have to do things differently – innovatively  – to find a place on the world stage. BOFA is all about using film to inspire people to make positive changes at a personal, local and global level. We think  BOFA is an ideal venue for innovative thinking on state and other issues.

In the spirit of “putting your money where your mouth is” BOFA in November 2014 hosted a Tasmanian  Regional Innovation session lead by international expert, Dr Anton Kriz. In the  months since that session much has happened. See what at  vimeo.com/121860409

Tasmania has a proud record of innovation because , as island folk, we’ve always had to find solutions and depend on our own ingenuity. But how innovative are we now? You are invited to complete an online Regional Innovation Survey to rate how innovative you think we are.

The 2015 Innovative Tasmania Awards  will seek out and celebrate the very best innovations from past and present. We will soon be seeking nominations,  from the general public and organisations, of innovations that have had an impact on Tasmania in any sector of life from past to present day in the categories of:

• Mouth-watering innovations: food and beverage production
• Boundary pushing innovations: science, technology and transport
• Fun & fanciful innovations: sport, leisure and the arts
• Law and order innovations: politics, governance and security
• It takes a village innovations: community and  environment

This competition will be launched on 3 June at the IDEA conference in Ulverstone  and the winners announced at BOFA 2015 in November. Proudly sponsored by Big Picture Tasmania,  Australian Innovation Research Centre and BOFA in Action. See www.bofa.com.au/innovativetasmaniaawards/

Check out what else is in store for BOFA 2015 at www.bofa.com.au