The Hunter’s annual Real Film Festival will screen true stories from Australia and around the world this weekend, including documentaries by young filmmakers from Newcastle.
Ben Fearnley, 20, and Rebekah Jenkins, 23, students at the University of Newcastle, both directed short films that will premiere at the festival on Saturday.
The budding filmmakers said they were inspired to tell stories from their home region.
Mr Fearnley’s Beyond the Red Zone returns to Williamtown two years after residents were notified about PFAS contamination.
“I live on campus, half-an-hour away. I know a lot of people who just don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
“We really wanted to do something that would be of interest and have purpose.”
Ms Jenkins’ Hey Honey follows the creation of a successful honey farm from a backyard beehive in the Hunter Valley.
“It’s really exciting. We put a lot of work into it,” she said.
The Real Film Festival opens on Friday night, and is hosting screenings and workshops in Newcastle, Port Stephens and Lake Macquarie.
The full program is available on the Real Film Festival website.
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