Great Southern Grammar students win Cinesnaps category with a horror parody and a bovine banana boat

Five children from Great Southern Grammar have spell-bound Cinefest judges with their entries into the annual Cinesnaps competition, earning the title of winners and runner-ups for their age categories. The competition invites regional students each year to submit a three to five-minute film as part of CinefestOZ’s Schools Program, which has engaged more than 50,000 regional students since its inception in 2008. Menari Deegan, Finn Thomas, Maxwell Cruse, and Thomas North won the Year 7 to 9 category with their film entry The Switcher, a parody horror film. “Our film was a parody of the classic shapeshifter-type movie where four kids go into an old abandoned building to look for a missing person, and little did they know only one of them will be coming out alive,” Mr Cruse said. It took the group almost six months to film and pull together to enter their entry, spending around 10 weeks alone editing the footage. “We spent a very long time on this film and we thought a horror film would very much fit the theme,” Mr Cruse said. It is the third year entering the film competition for Edward Baker, who was a runner-up for the Year 7 to 9 category. His film entry, Noah’s Banana Boat, was a twist on the biblical tale of Noah’s Ark and included the eventual transformation of a cow into a banana boat. “My film was about these cows, and one cow was getting bullied,” he said. “Then he gets hit by a banana and turns into a banana cow, and then he gets bullied for it. “But then there’s a big flood and all the cows come to him to save them because he’s a banana boat. “They all get saved and then they’re all friendly again. “I was kind of surprised that I actually got in at all because the film didn’t really make too much sense. “But obviously they liked it, and I was sort of going for Noah’s Ark because I thought it would be funny.” The winners for the Year 10 to 12 category scored a $1000 cash prize, while the competition winners for the younger age categories scored themselves cinema tickets of their choice. Cinefest chief executive Cassandra Jordan said the substantial prize for the young winners goes to show the growth of the creative program. “The quality of entries is inspiring,” she said. “Film is always about strong visual storytelling, which regional youth seem to have a true talent for. “Having young regional students step into filmmaking through Cinesnaps and then using their knowledge to pursue a career in Australian film or transferring these skills to other creative and technical industries is wonderful to see.” The 2024 Cinesnaps theme is ‘Frame’, and Mr Baker is hoping that his fourth year of entering the competition will earn him a win.