A three-minute film inspired by Fabriani Putri’s relationship with her mother has been accepted to screen at the Visions Film Festival & Conference in North Carolina, USA at the end of this month.

Fabriani graduated with a Bachelor of Screen Arts (Animation) from the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) last year.

She produced the short film, “My Mother Mawinei”, during the final year of her degree. It will screen alongside 20 other short films at the festival at the end of this month.

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“It’s loosely inspired by my own relationship with my mother. The story is about a little girl who wants to pursue a tertiary education, but because her family is working class and comes from a rural area, tertiary education is a luxury. 

“In the film, the Mother tries her best to secure this education for her daughter by working as a palm oil labourer. Overall, the film explores the unconditional love a parent has for their child, and the sacrifices they make in order for their children to have a bright future," Fabriani said.

“It’s really exciting – I did submit to other film festivals but have had no replies yet, so this is the first one”.

The annual Visions Film Festival is based in Wilmington, North Carolina, and screens from March 24 to 28.

It is hosted by undergraduate students from the University of North Carolina Wilmington Film Studies Department. 

The area has a thriving film industry and is known locally as “Hollywood East”. 

The event provides an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the best in undergraduate filmmaking, and to connect filmmaking enthusiasts with each other.

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SIT arts faculty leaders Rachel Mann and Hamish Small are singing Fabriani’s praises. 

They say her talent and creative nous was apparent during her three years at SIT, where she also won the Reading Cinemas Award for Best Digital Short Film – Bachelor of Screen Arts.  

“We are so proud of her, she worked so hard last year and absolutely deserves this recognition and praise,” Animation and Game Design team leader Rachel Mann said.

“Our BSA programme only served as a platform for her to excel and we are delighted Fabriani has utilised her education experience so well. We wish Fabriani all the very best in her future endeavours,” New Media, Arts and Business faculty head Hamish Small said.

Fabriani said she felt personally invested in the project due to the story subject and by involving her peers.

“I learned a lot from making it, a lot about filmmaking and collaboration with other people – which is why this one’s been a success. I would not have been able to receive this recognition without the help of my peers, who collaborated with me and gave me feedback during the production”.

She is now applying for jobs in the creative industries within New Zealand.

“This film is personal to me. It is my love letter for my parents' unconditional love. I hope I can make other films like this in the future,” she said.