The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival Explained

The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival is an Australian film festival held annually in late June in Winton, Queensland.[1]

The nine day Festival is held in Central West Queensland, which has provided the setting of film and television productions such as The Proposition, Gone, Mystery Road, Goldstone, Texas Rising and Total Control. The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival focuses exclusively on Australian films and is promoted as Australia's only outback film festival.[1] [2] [3] [4]

A proposal for a film festival in Winton akin to the Sundance Film Festival was first put forward by local publican Clive Kitchen in 2012 who saw the film industry as beneficial to Winton's economy.[5] The idea received support from Winton Shire mayor Butch Lenton, Screen Australia's Gina Black and Mystery Road producer David Jowsey.[5] Festival director, filmmaker and academic Dr Greg Dolgopolov was appointed the inaugural festival creative director. Mark Melrose was Festival Director from 2014 to 2022 before stepping down to take a position at Screen Queensland. Ash Burgess has run the Kolperi Outback Filmmaking Bootcamp every year of the Festival with students from Griffith Film School, UNSW, Beijing Film Academy and film schools from around the world. 

With Lenton as the founding chairperson, The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival was established as an incorporated not-for-profit organisation with the objectives of boosting cultural tourism, encouraging film production and investment and offering a curriculum for film students.[1] [6] Lenton died in 2017.[7]

Plans for the inaugural festival were announced to the public in Winton in September 2013 at the Royal Theatre following the sold-out premiere Queensland premiere of Mystery Road, which was mostly filmed in the area.[5]

Commencing on 27 June 2014 with a screening of The Slim Dusty Movie, The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival was held for the first time over ten days, featuring 50 Australian films, many of them screened in the Royal Open Air Theatre which is one of two surviving open air theatres in Australia.[8]

Since the first festival in 2014, The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival has been held each year, usually during the winter school holidays in late June and early July.[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

In 2015, daytime screenings of films were relocated to the Winton Shire Hall following a fire just days before the festival which destroyed the Waltzing Matilda Centre where movies were scheduled to be shown in the Sarah Riley Theatre.[14] [15] With fears the fire could discourage people from attending the festival, Australian actor Michael Caton issued a plea for people to continue with their planned journey to Winton.[16]

Although it was postponed until later in the year, the festival went ahead in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland and is believed to have been the only film festival held in Australia that year.[17] [18]

The 2021 event also proceeded despite the closure of state borders at short notice due to COVID-19 clusters forming in several states.[19]

With the festival's success combined with the amount of productions shot in the area, there have been proposals to establish permanent filmmaking facilities in the town.[20] [21]

Winton's Walk of Fame

Each year, the festival honours a person involved with the Australian film industry by revealing their name on a star on Winton's Walk of Fame located in Elderslie Street.

As of 2024, nine people have been inducted onto the Walk of Fame - Roy Billing, Ivan Sen, Margaret Pomeranz, Butch Lenton, Steve Le Marquand, David Gulpilil and Leah Purcell, Clive Kitchen and Simon Baker.[22] [23] [24] [25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Our Vision. . The Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival. 1 July 2021.
  2. News: Moore. Blythe. 20 March 2015. Outback Queensland town of Winton to provide backdrop for historical American mini-series. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 March 2015.
  3. News: . We uncover 'the outback film capital'. Travel Insider . Qantas. 11 April 2018. 1 July 2021.
  4. News: Campbell. Samantha. 27 February 2019. Hollywood comes to outback town as filming takes place for Black Bitch. The North West Star. Australian Community Media. 1 July 2021.
  5. News: Moore. Blythe. 6 October 2013. Winton's Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival: Who's saying what. ABC Local. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 July 2021.
  6. News: Crossen. Louise. 22 June 2017. When Hollywood meets the outback. Griffith News. Griffith University. 1 July 2021.
  7. News: Gall. Sally. 2 October 2017. Winton mayor remembered as a visionary . Queensland Country Life. Australian Community Media. 1 July 2021.
  8. News: Moore. Blythe. 30 June 2014. Outback Winton 'perfect environment' for film festival. ABC Local. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 July 2021.
  9. News: Crothers. Andrea. 24 June 2015. Roy Billing's saving himself for Outback Film Festival. Queensland Country Life. Australian Community Media. 1 July 2021.
  10. News: Moore. Blythe. 25 June 2016. Winton's Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival opens to full house. ABC News . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 July 2021.
  11. News: MacIntyre. Esther. 19 June 2017. Vision Splendid outback film festival arrives in Winton. limited. The North West Star. Australian Community Media. 1 July 2021.
  12. News: Bhole. Aneeta. 4 July 2018. Outback cinema faces uncertain future as it celebrates 100 years with film festival . ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 July 2021.
  13. Web site: Winton's Vision Splendid film festival starts this month. . 18 June 2019. The North West Star. Australian Community Media. 1 July 2021.
  14. News: Cripps. Sally. 18 June 2015. History lost in Winton blaze . Queensland Country Life. Australian Community Media. 18 June 2015.
  15. News: . Stars to descend on Winton . IF Magazine. 22 June 2015. 1 July 2021.
  16. News: Moore. Blythe. 27 June 2015. Australian film star Michael Caton urges travellers to visit Winton following devastating fire. ABC Local. 1 July 2021.
  17. News: Barry. Derek. 29 July 2020. Winton Vision Splendid is Australia's only film festival this year. The North West Star. Australian Community Media. 1 July 2021.
  18. News: Grounds. Ellie. 21 September 2020. Winton film festival headed for best year yet as movie buffs flock to 'Hollywood of the outback'. limited. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 July 2021.
  19. News: Prosser. Dan. Grounds. Ellie. 25 June 2021. Big Red Bash, Vision Splendid Film Festival to go ahead despite COVID-19 border closures. ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 July 2021.
  20. News: Moore. Ash. Moore. Blythe. 13 July 2016. Film studio set for 'Hollywood of the outback' in Winton . ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 July 2021.
  21. News: Jarrett. Vanessa. 19 July 2018. Hollywood of the Outback: Plans to build studios in Winton. The Morning Bulletin. News Corp Australia. 1 July 2021.
  22. News: Gall. Sally. 26 June 2017. Vision Splendid film honour for Margaret Pomeranz. limited. The North West Star. Australian Community Media. 1 July 2021.
  23. News: Barry. Derek. 1 July 2019. Winton honours Steve Le Marquand in Walk of Fame . limited. The North West Star. Australian Community Media. 1 July 2021.
  24. News: Booth. Kristen. 30 June 2021. David Gulpilil has been given a star on Winton’s Walk of Fame. subscription. Central Queensland News. News Corp Australia. 1 July 2021.
  25. News: Kornits. Dov. 25 June 2022. Leah Purcell receives star on the Winton Walk of Fame. FilmInk. 2 August 2022.

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