To begin, may I firstly recognise the Barramattagul of the Dharug people as the traditional custodians of this land and acknowledge their culture that flourished for thousands of years. And I also recognise the successive waves of migrants who have come to this, our great continent home, and along with our Aboriginal Australians, helped to make Australia this great nation of ours. 

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to join with you today, representing the Lord Mayor of Parramatta Councillor Paul Garrard, to launch this Short Films Youth Festival Harris Park.

It is a privilege to witness a home grown youth film festival emerge from Harris Park - from budding local film artists; telling the local stories that we can all relate to – stories that were inspired and filmed “just around the corner”.

I understand that the genesis of this Short Films Youth Festival was born out of the Harris Park Community Centre, the NSW Police Force’s Multicultural Community Liaison Officers and Parramatta City Council’s Community Place Development Officer for Harris Park. And so to these community leaders, would you please join me in thanking them for their vision and support.

To many young people, becoming a film maker is one of the most exciting dreams to have. Emulating world renown filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, or Steven Spielberg, or George Lucas, or Peter Weir, or George Miller. To turn an idea into a story and then have it immortalise forever in film, those are just some of the reasons which attract our young people to harness their vibrancy and creativity. To make our lives more insightful, more interesting, and more meaningful to one another.

To demonstrate the point, only a few years ago, a young Vietnamese refugee who came to Australia as a baby, thought that he could become a filmmaker. With only the money in his pocket, a bit of in-kind help from his mates, roped in his family members and friends who have never acted before, he produced a runaway success called “Footy Legends”. Soon after, he was recognised in 1995 as the Young Australian of the Year. His name was Khoa Do, who comes from Western Sydney, and has now made a series of other films since that are close to his heart.

This Youth Film Festival provides for the rest of us with a valuable opportunity, not to just chill out and enjoy watching your films, but more importantly to ‘tune in’ to what, and how, our young people are thinking, experiencing and aspiring towards. And for the rest of us, this leads us to help support our young people in helping them fulfil their dreams, whatever they may be.

As the Deputy Lord Mayor of Parramatta, I am particularly impressed by the technical and creative skills that have helped produce these short films. I am also appreciative of the fact that this Festival has also helped strengthen the bonds of friendship between our local organisations, our schools and community groups, even crossing the divides of languages and cultures. These are the actions and results that render projects like this so very worthwhile.

Parramatta City Council is committed to building up our creative muscles, to provide and support opportunities for our performers, our writers, our artists. But more importantly, to help nurture all of you not just for Parramatta or Harris Park’s sakes, but for the world to go “wow!”

The short films we see today are incredibly powerful – they convey stories and messages that enable us to understand, to think, to laugh, to cry, to connect, to create empathies, to break down prejudices, and to act.

I congratulate everyone involved in the making of these films, particularly the film makers and the youth steering committee.

Enjoy the film festival - I look forward to my bucket of popcorn and drink!

Thank you.

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