This December, Hamilton Island will join the fight to protect the Great Barrier Reef by screening films from GetUp’s #ReefReels short film competition.
With its positioning at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Hamilton Island will screen the Tropfest Short Film Festival live with a selection of #ReefReels entries focused on the Whitsundays region. The screening will take place on December 7 at the picturesque Outrigger Lawn at Catseye Beach with an evening of live music, food stalls and markets to celebrate the occasion.
#ReefReels is a short film competition launched by advocacy group GetUp that seeks inspiring stories about the Reef to motivate people to save one of the world’s most unique ecosystems.
GetUp National Director, Sam McLean, said, “This extraordinary ecosystem is under serious threat. We have to do everything we can to win this campaign. It’s too important not to. It’s inspiring to see local communities, environmentalists and major attractions like Hamilton Island able to work together to turn it around.”
Hamilton Island CEO, Glenn Bourke, said, “As the largest inhabited island of the Whitsunday Islands, Hamilton Island acknowledges we have a responsibility to play our part when it comes to protecting the Great Barrier Reef for future generations to come.
“We’re proud to be screening the Tropfest Short Film Festival on Hamilton Island and honoured to get involved in GetUp’s plight to conserve our Great Barrier Reef. We see the event as a fun and engaging way to show our support while providing a unique experience for our guests on island at the same time.”
The #ReefReels competition is open to filmmakers across the globe and will see amateurs and professionals share their stories about the Reef. Entries in the short film competition will be curated by the world’s leaders on online content, Upworthy, with the best selection of films making it online. A selection of the top films will also be screened live at Tropfest 2014 on December 7.