Ffresh Festival announces record number of entries

The organisers of Ffresh, the moving image festival for Welsh students, have announced that the total number of entries for the 2004 Festival has risen 55% on last year.
As the 275 entries for the 10 categories flooded in from hopefuls attending colleges and universities in Wales, it is evident that the Festival’s importance is becoming firmly established.
“We have been really encouraged at the number of entries received this year,” said Elain Dafydd, coordinator of the Festival at Sgrîn Cymru Wales. “It is really important that students in Wales are using Ffresh as a platform, on what has already proven to be a great breeding ground for ideas, and an event that identifies and celebrates new talent.”
Berwyn Rowlands, Sgrin’s Chief Executive, said: “Ffresh is still only three years old. But since 2002 we have seen a steady increase in the number of entries. We believe that the increase from 139 entries in 2002, 180 in 2003 to the fantastic 275 in 2004 confirms that students in Wales are creating masses of quality moving image content.”
A panel of industry experts from film, television and interactive media will now judge the entries. The shortlist will be announced in August, with the winners announced during the event on October 7-8 at the Arts Centre in Aberystwyth.
The Festival itself will also have a number of sessions that will appeal to the general public and the organisers Sgrîn are promoting the event to all those who would like to meet the talent of the future, or find out more about a career in the media.
“The students participating in Ffresh are the talent of the future and we see the event as an effective way for media professionals from Wales and beyond to meet new talent in a friendly and informal environment,” added Rowlands.
(GB)