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Yet again the WEFF has proved to be a successful & spectacular night for both Australian short film and the local community at the West End. Facilitated by the generous Rumpus Room, filmmakers and their passionate audience were able to enjoy a great selection of very diverse short films.
As a highlight of the evening we were proud to announce this year’s winners of the West End Film Festival:
Best Animation – Teagan
Producer Tim Brown and Directors Igor Coric and Sheldon Lieberman, the directors of ‘Teagan’ Igor Coric and Sheldon Lieberman
Indigenous Filmmaker Award – Old Mate
Producer Skye White and Writer-Director Sam Dixon
Best Film – All God’s Creatures
Producer Taylor Litton-Strain, Writer Jessica Paine and Writer-Director Brendon McDonall
Brendon McDonall wasn’t able to attend the festival. During his video acceptance message he gave the audience a little insight on what inspired him to make this movie.
Thank You!
We want to thank all our generous sponsors, especially the prize sponsors Cr Helen Abrahams and Grill’d West End, as well as:
Steetscape, Taxi Films, Screen Queensland, Brisbane City Council, 2plik8 Studios, Fats Digital and WECA – West End Community Association.
A special thank you to the Rumpus Room which provided us with such an extraordinary location. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the festival, as well as the staff and volunteers who brought it all together. Without all your support the festival wouldn’t exist.
With the closing of the 2014 Festival, the doors are already opening for 2015.
Remember to mark the festival on your calendar and we encourage all aspiring filmmakers to submit films.
Urban Voice also updated the logo of the iconic cafe
Small business seeking to get the most out of a limited marketing budget could do worse than cross promotion said business consultant and Urban Voice director, Geoff Ebbs, yesterday.
He pointed to the recent partnership between the Mattress Gallery and the Three Monkeys as an example of how businesses can buddy up to a non-competiting business and both punch well above their weight as a result.
“Attendees at the South West Chamber of Commerce will recognise certain elements of the Wow Factor presentation given by John Dwyer in February,” he said.
Urban Voice has used its ownership of Westender to leverage a deal that gives both Mattress Gallery and Three Monkeys significantly greater presentation than they would otherwise have had.
Three Monkeys has recently changed hands and is looking to build on the establishment’s reputation as an “iconic” West End cafe.
Ebbs recommended the match on the basis that many newcomers to West End are in the market for a mattress and may not know about the historic West End cafe.
“We’ll know by the end of the month if the pairing was a good one”, he said.
Stranded assets will include mines that can no longer be operated because of international pressure
Insurers and risk assessment agencies are writing down the value of fossil fuels, endangering the value of many business and retiree’s investments.
Ben Caldecott, founder of Oxford University’s Stranded Assets Programme and author of the groundbreaking report “Stranded Down Under? Environment-related factors changing China’s demand for coal and what this means for Australian coal assets”, will shed light on the ramifications of Australia’s fossil fuel addiction and how individuals can help us kick our nation’s dirtiest habit.
He reports that many industrialised nations are now acting to reduce their emissions and shift to a low-carbon future, while Australia plans to invest over AUD $100 billion in new coal mining developments over the next 15 years, including nine mega-mines in the Galilee Basin and the controversial Maules Creek coal mine in NSW’s Leard State Forest.
Whether you like it or not, your savings and superannuation are probably funding the expansion of the fossil fuel industry.
The event will be held at 6pm on Thur 3rd April, hosted by the UQ International Energy Centre at Southbank Tafe, Ernest St, South Brisbane.
A new study says that whether or not we serve vegetables with meals carries significant emotional meaning.
Researchers set out to determine if the addition, or lack of, a vegetable with a meal altered the eater’s attitude towards the meal as well as about the person who made the food. Turns out, there’s a lot to be said about serving vegetables beyond providing a range of health benefits.
The link between vegetables and perception
The two-phased study involved interviews in addition to a national survey involving 500 American mothers with more than two children age 18 or younger. Study participants were asked to describe their feelings about both the meal and the food preparer based on whether or not a vegetable accompanied the meal. Descriptors such as “loving” and “selfish” were among the list to choose from.
When greens were on the plate, not only was the overall meal ranked as “tasty” compared to dishes that did not include vegetables, but the preparer was viewed as “loving” and “thoughtful.” Meals that did not include vegetables were given negative descriptors. People who served meals with vegetables were deemed more capable and attentive while people who did not serve vegetables were considered boring and selfish.
The overall conclusion of the study was that incorporation of vegetables enhances enjoyment of meals and creates positive feelings towards those who prepared them that way.
The psychology of food and why vegetables may make a difference
Several theories can help explain the study’s findings. Clearly raw foodists and those who enjoy whole, organic fresh foods already know that enjoying vegetables is a positive experience.
However, many people also think that enjoyment of foods extends beyond nutritional value.
Appearance can make a difference in food consumption, since reaction to meals and inclination to consume them vary depending on factors like color, or absence of it. Therefore, it’s thought that the addition of colorful vegetables, which are beneficial for health anyway, increases the odds that they will be consumed, as will the accompanying foods. Many suggest adding a salad that includes a lot of raw vegetables.
In many instances, it boils down to food psychology and is reason why some restaurants add the artistic flair of a curled lemon peel near the entree or decoratively sprinkle parsley flakes on the perimeter of a plate. Even food photography is big business where once again, the importance of colorful extras come into play and resonates favorably with others. There’s even such a thing as food stylists.
Meals that have more color and vegetable content make for more positive perceptions. Not only does a meal feel more thoughtfully prepared, but is more apt to be considered tasty and exciting,which reinforces these findings. Once again, all the more reason to eat raw, organic fresh vegetables!
Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general.
Waiting to take your call, with a wealth of good advice for the small business owner
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s small business helpline has responded to more than 50,000 calls from small business operators since it was launched in December.
The priority service was created to provide reliable and credible information to the small business sector in recognition that many small business people are time-poor.
“Small business operators engage in a wide variety of tasks every day, and sometimes they need extra assistance with payroll and human resources issues that arise in their workplace,” Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said today.
She said 3000 calls a week was a positive response to the initiative.
Ms James says most of the callers had sought advice on wages, employee leave entitlements and dismissal processes.
“Small businesses often don’t have the benefit of in-house human resources and payroll staff, so we place a high priority on assisting them to get the information and advice they need as easily as possible,” she said.
“I acknowledge small business people are juggling a multitude of tasks – and this helpline allows them to get the information they need in a fast and convenient way.
“This is a priority service that has been designed to help people who want to do the right thing. It is an education and advisory service, not a compliance tool.”
Ms James says her Agency has expanded – and will continue to expand – its suite of free tools and resources to assist businesses ensure they are getting things right.
A guide to hiring new employees has recently been produced to aid small business operators with straight-forward advice about recruiting staff.
It gives plain-English advice about the best way to employ new workers and outlines workplace obligations in simple terms.
“We want to assist small business recruit the right people and grow their business by understanding the process of hiring staff,” Ms James said.
The guide, which has step-by-step processes and best practice recruitment tips, can be downloaded at www.fairwork.gov.au/hiring.
The resource is complemented by a free interactive online learning course employers can use to improve their skills in hiring and inducting new staff.
The course includes an interactive tool to help employers build a profile of the employee they want to hire and a video activity to help them practice their interview skills.
The course is available at the Online Learning Centre on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website at www.fairwork.gov.au/learning.
Feedback was sought from a number of representative bodies and business groups when creating the guide and online learning course.
“We’re serious about getting input from those who are part of the small business community, and tailoring our services to be of genuine help in day-to-day operations, so consultation is a really important part of our work,” Ms James said.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has a particular focus on assisting small businesses to understand and meet their obligations to employees.
In March, the Fair Work Ombudsman met with members of the small business community at a Roundtable in Melbourne to discuss how the Fair Work agencies can better assist small business.
The discussion was co-hosted by the Fair Work Ombudsman, Fair Work Commission General Manager Bernadette O’Neill and Director of Fair Work Building and Construction, Nigel Hadgkiss.
The Commonwealth Small Business Minister, the Hon. Bruce Billson, also attended the forum, spoke to participants and fielded questions.
Ms James says the aim of the Roundtable was to hear first-hand how the small business community could be further supported to make their interactions with workplace laws as straightforward as possible.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has recently established a dedicated Small Business Strategy Team that has been tasked with responding to the needs of small businesses.
Employers and employees seeking further information and advice can visit the website or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94. A free interpreter service is also available on 13 14 50.
The South West Chamber of Commerce is holding its next Breakfast with Benefits at The Loft in West End at 7am on Thur April 3rd. It features Mathhew Snelleksz, author of “Break the Entreprenurial Struggle. Two copies will be given away as benefits to those attending. More details at www.chamber.org.
Matthew Snelleksz, is a CPA, business owner and founder of Snelleksz &Co., Velocity Accountants and Velocity Venture Capital.
He has studied at Harvard Business School in Boston and makes money for their clients by inspiring them to achieve success. He has over 20 years’ experience in helping business owners, large and small, all over the world “Fix” their businesses – giving back the money and lifestyle they had always wanted and deserve.
He is author of the ground-breaking business book “Break the Entrepreneurial Struggle” and is much sought after keynote speaker and business and financial commentator.
Most businesses are broke and you will learn from Matthew Snelleksz what to do about it. Matthew is “The Business Fixer”. Hundreds of business owners have attended his Success Seminar Series and the Break the Entrepreneurial Struggle Master Class. In these Matthew reveals specific tools and strategies so you can implement these immediately to “Fix” your business and “Break the Entrepreneurial Struggle!”
So you will hear some war stories of broken Businesses and how he turned them around.
Matthew’s book “Break the Entrepreneurial Struggle” a roadmap for business owners on how to earn more money, work less hours and get the lifestyle they deserve.
He will donate two books to the morning breakfast.
Yet again the WEFF has proved to be a successful & spectacular night for both Australian short film and the local community at the West End. Facilitated by the generous Rumpus Room, filmmakers and their passionate audience were able to enjoy a great selection of very diverse short films.
