To all the filmmakers, speakers, Carriageworks staff, DestFest audience, blog contributors and friends of DestFest –

A GIANT thank you again for your participation in the very first Destination Film Festival this year. It was a big success; the films and panel discussions were incredibly well received by the audience, media and wider arts and film community, and I think it achieved its objective to show there is an alternative way to engage with film and screen culture in Australia - to shake things up a bit in the regular (sometimes a bit jaded) industry-dominated film culture… To create a renewed sense of community that doesn’t include competition and the mandatory talking about funding and how to get it at all costs..!

Film culture is about so much more and it’s such an exciting time to be a part of it and talk about it. Destination was proof of that.

The signs are good for next year too - Destination Film Festival will happen again in 2008. The great folk at Carriageworks - a massive thanks to them also!! - are working towards making DestFest a yearly event. We’ll update you on the exact dates for the next festival but right now it’s slated for next November 2008 with the blog and DestFest website continuing to be active in the lead up.

The program will pick up where right where we left off this year, looking in depth at contemporary filmmaking and screen culture, how the arts and pop culture intersect with film and how aestheitcs, production, exhibition and distribution is evolving via digital practise and the web. We’ve got massive plans for keynote speakers, panel discussions, workshops, screenings and projects streamed online

The blog will stay active at www.destfest.com.au - please feel free to contribute to it with anything you care to share about making art, media and films - anything that’s on your mnd, you want to get off your chest, or to let the community know what you’re up to, any exciting projects you think our ‘mob’ might like to know about. That’s what this blog is all about - a free exchange of ideas. The aim is to build up the community around DestFest in preparation for next year’s Festival.

Stay tuned - stay active - stay inspired - and have a great New Year and 2008. See you next November.