Another first for the Victoria Film Festival this year is the introduction of a new summer camp. Targeted at youth ages 11-14, Shoot the Write Stuff aims to take camp participants filmmaking skills to the next level with mentoring and feedback from professional filmmakers. Day one, students shoot a short film. Throughout the week, they receive mentoring and feedback on their work from real world professionals to hone their skills. By the end, students will reshoot their work implementing what they’ve learned and screen it to the class and their parents.

“We are thrilled to have local filmmakers come on board and help us with this new initiative,” says MaryAnne Dieno Outreach and Development Coordinator for the Victoria Film Festival. “For the full five days, Barbara Hager of Arrow Productions will be facilitating the class with three other mentors assisting the students.”

Hager, an award-winning filmmaker, has amassed a long list of film credits. Among many of her projects, Hager produced, directed and hosted The New Canoe, an Aboriginal arts and culture series which aired on CHUM, CTV's A-Channel and APTN for eight years as well as two seasons of Down2Earth (APTN, NITV), an Aboriginal environmental series that airs on APTN (Canada) and NITV (Australia). The series won the 2011 Environmental Media Award for best green documentary series in Canada. Currently, Hager is developing a one-hour documentary about urban deer titled Jane Doe: The Tale of an Urban Deer, with support from KCTS9 (PBS Seattle).

Along with Hager will be award-winning screenwriter BD Young, CineVic’s own Executive Director and independent filmmaker, Bryan Skinner and local cinematographer Karl Schoepp.

The Festival introduced the camp this summer as a new initiative to keep youth involved and interested in film throughout the year. “The Victoria Film Festival's mandate has always included education and by launching our first Summer Camp we will directly support youth in using the tools to create and understand the medium,” says Kathy Kay, Victoria Film Festival Director. To further support this mandate, Arrow Productions and the Victoria Film Festival will also be awarding a scholarship to a First Nations youth to participate in the week long camp.

Shoot the Write Stuff will be held at the St. Michael’s University Senior Campus (Richmond Street). The camp runs July 29^th to August 2^nd from 9:00am to 4:00pm and participants are asked to bring a lunch. The camp is open to ages 11-14 and no previous film experience is required. Cost is $225 per student. Please call 250-389-0444 for more information, or visit www.victoriafilmfestival.com to register online. Space is limited.