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Media Release: Thursday, September 17, 2015

Foxtel Street TV celebrates youth film talent

This year’s theme: Factual Story Telling, creates inspirational short films from young people in crisis

Foxtel will today screen a series of short films created by disadvantaged young people from the Salvation Army’s Oasis Youth Support Network as part of Foxtel’s Street TV program. Street TV is an intense three month TV production course run annually to enrich and inspire young people as part of Oasis’ Street Media Program.

Street TV has been run in collaboration with Foxtel for 13 years and serves as a motivating and creative outlet for self-expression. The program helps to build confidence while helping to nurture a new set of skills in TV and film making. Each film is inspired by the personal experiences of the program’s participants.

Street TV participants were exposed to all aspects of television and film production from conceiving an idea, script writing and sound editing to location planning, direction and post production. Foxtel staff volunteer their time and professional skills to help guide and mentor the young people through all elements of the design and development process. The final cut of all films will screen tonight at a special gala event at Foxtel. This years films include:

· Ipseity: Explores themes of: Who we are, how we know and how we define identity.
· Gender Lines: Shares the importance of giving a voice to artists who are underrepresented in our community.
· Blue: Reminds viewers that while one in five people suffer from a mental illness, you are never alone in your struggle. We follow Lucy Neville’s personal experience of ‘music as therapy’.

Bruce Meagher, Foxtel’s Group Director of Corporate Affairs, said, “This year our students have worked hard to produce their short films and the results are nothing less than extraordinary. In fact, one short film will be screening at this year’s Queer Screen and Foxtel will offer an internship to another of our students. We are thrilled to have been a part of empowering young people through our 13 year history with Street TV.”

Captain Darren Kingston, Director of Oasis said “The quality of the films that are produced in Street TV each and every year leave me in awe. They are considered, they are thought-provoking and they demonstrate just how important this program is for the young people at Oasis. It represents all of the things we want our young people to achieve or aspire to achieve.”

Street TV is part of Foxtel’s commitment to the community, which, since 2002, has supported youth, including long-term unemployed and those living on the streets. The program represents a longstanding partnership between Foxtel and Oasis and provides a supportive environment for young people to work alongside Foxtel employees to learn the art of film making.

By the end of this year’s program, Foxtel employees will have volunteered around 2000 hours helping the students create their films.

-Brad