Griffith Film School celebrates the Australian outback at their upcoming Festival in rural Winton. But the event is more than just an appreciation for all things Ocker.

Teagan Matthews reports.

TRANSCRIPT

Australians making their mark.

Griffith Film School’s sizzle reel for this year’s Outback Film Festival is filled with famous faces and familiar landscapes.

Mark Melrose, Festival Director: “It’s a unique event and a unique part of the world and something that I think is very exciting.”

Winton has played host to the festival and a boot camp for filmmakers for five years.

The outback town is notorious for a lot of things but the spirit of locals is what keeps the film industry coming back.

Ash Burgess, Head of Special Projects Griffith Film School: “We find the town of Winton really friendly so we went out the first year with four students and basically it was so successful that we took out more and more and basically all because the town was so friendly and accommodating.”

And Winton gets a lot from the annual event too.

The Festival not only showcases Australian filmmakers, but the local region and the added tourism has been a Godsend for the drought-hardened area.

It also brings in much needed money to a local economy that can use every cent.

Mark Melrose, Festival Director: “The festival alone drops, you know, about a million dollars of economic benefits and dollars into town.”

Gavin Baskett, Mayor of Winton: “It’s great for the local economy, a lot of people come from Brisbane, Sydney, all over the place.”

With Winton’s Royal Open Air Theatre turning 100 this year it’s hoped there’ll be another boost for the town.

Teagan Matthews, QUT News.