The fresh air of winter is matched only by the (fresh) air for BOFA this year with lots of innovations to make Tasmania’s own film festival an even better experience for film lovers and film makers alike. A preview...

We have a completely new look web site - stylish, informative and super user friendly. Take a look www.bofa.com.au.

Driven by the success of last year’s Festival, we’ve added another full  day on Thursday- we simply can’t fit it all in!

..and to help pay for it all,  Events Tasmania and Screen Tasmania have just confirmed funding for 2015!

BOFA is all about finding the best of the best from the world’s current documentaries and feature films with inspiring stories of challenge and achievement. Being at the end of the year means we can include the hits and award-winners from other major film festivals around the world, but BOFA specialises  in finding the off-beat and the unusual- films that will not make the cinema circuit in Tasmania and which are not necessarily seen at other festivals.

It’s another feast of film – 30+ features and documentaries with  short films with every film, Q &As with many. The full 2015 program will be available mid September. Stay tuned over the next months as we progressively announce the big names and big movies coming to BOFA 2015.

Present and future film makers will once again gather at BOFA for Saturday’s one day master class with leading directors, producers and actors sharing their experience and helping to build Impact Producer  skills and expertise, an emerging area focussed on making the maximum impact for a film or documentary.  High achievement will be celebrated with the presentation of the BOFA Devil Awards.

Last year we had 122 entries in our short film competition.  The BOFA Devil 2015 Short Film Competition is now open. Up to 35 films of 15 minutes or less from all around Australia will be selected for competition and screened throughout the Festival.  The winner will receive a hand crafted, blown-glass BOFA Devil Award plus $1,000 to spend on travel, accommodation or to put towards creating their next film.

BOFA Devil Awards will also be presented for Script Writing and for Entrepreneurial Spirit. Entries are open now and close August 2nd- details at the BOFA web site www.bofa.com.au/competitions/

On Thursday 5th November at the Festival the focus is on food, with our Sharing the Bounty Action Session looking at the exciting opportunities for sharing the bounty of Tasmania's  fine food within Tasmanians of all types and with tourists and export markets. At the end of the day you are invited to celebrate Tasmania's best food and wine from 100 kilometres around Launceston with our Share the Bounty dinner at Drysdale House.

One of the most successful features of BOFA 2014, was our Regional Innovation Action Session which has led to amazing results in just 6 months. Our Regional Innovation survey now has  well over 550  responses at Regional Innovation Survey. Make sure you complete it if you haven't so far. The results are fascinating and come out shortly.

Dr Kriz will be back to facilitate this year’s Action Session which will assess the past year’s activity with our very own documentary which has followed the progress, plus a new  plan for a prosperous Tasmania through regional innovation.

The 2015 Innovative Tasmania Awards  are now launched  seeking and celebrating the very best innovations from past and present. If you know of innovations that have had an impact on Tasmania in any sector of life from past to present day then encourage nominations www.bofa.com.au/innovativetasmaniaawards/ 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

Proudly founded by Big Picture Tasmania,  Australian Innovation Research Centre and BOFA in Action. Partners are federal Department of Science and Industry, Tasmanian Department of State Growth, Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Eaglecrest Technologies, Slow Capital, Anglicare and Red Cross.

The June long weekend saw BOFA at the Beach on the east coast with sell outs of films like Swellchasers, featuring massive waves at Shipsterns in Tasmania and the Right in Western Australia, feel-good family hit ‘Paper Planes’ and that winner from BOFA 2014 Advanced Style, which was a dress up event second to none with funds donated to the St Helens Neighbourhood House.
Last month we said we'd be running mini-festivals at Saint John Craft Beer’s expanded venue dubbed ‘The Barrel Room.’ (Located at 133 St. John Street, Launceston). Due to the success of our Sunday screening of The Girl who Walks Home Alone we've been asked to continue the Sunday approach over a 6 week season.

So join us each Sunday at 7pm for the BOFA at the Barrel Room Mid Winter Season on 21 June (Snowpiercer), 28 June (20,000 Days on Earth), 5 July (Chef), 12 July (Skeleton Twins), 19 July (Swellchasers) and 26 July (Frank). More details at www.bofa.com.au/festival-programme/

Tickets are $15 per session and will be available at the bar before the time of screening. Meals will also be on offer at  the onsite gourmet food van, ‘Eats with Beats’.