Bright new spark in filmmaking

Filmmaker Anh Koa 'Johnny' Tran has won the Bright Spark Award at the 2008 Sony Tropfest with his black-and-white film, My Brother, My Sanctuary. This award follows his success at the Golden Eye Awards at UTS, where he won best editing for his film Reminiscent Cliff, and the Reel Deal Film Festival, where he was a finalist for his film Cupcake.

"My three films have a similar theme: they look at how someone's past affects them in the present. I'm interested in how people view historical events, or relationships, with nostalgia - making them sweeter than they really were. Or, alternatively, more bitter," said Johnny.

His winning film is a family drama that looks at violence in school, focussing on two warring sets of siblings. The Bright Spark prize is a 12-month scholarship valued at $6000 and allows 50 people to join together and make a feature film.

A graduate of the Masters of Media Arts and Production, Johnny originally started making films as a hobby but his early success has made him take the art form more seriously. Over the past few years he has been working as a freelance filmmaker, largely in the community sector.

"In the years to come I'd like to be directing films and writing - I enjoy directing other people's work," said Johnny.