Meeting acting legend Jack Thompson was a boost for young filmmaker Holly Trenaman

Holly Trenaman's short film Dating Violet has been doing the rounds of film festivals and most recently was screened in Byron Bay at the end of October, with its maker nominated for Young Australian Filmmaker Award.

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While Trenaman didn't pick up the top award, she said the experience was still incredibly valuable and was able to speak with industry heavy-weights like actor Jack Thompson.

"He said to be happy with nomination as only one person can win the award so in this industry, the nomination is the award," she recounted. "I really appreciated his advice."

The 22-year-old also attended a special lunch with Simon Baker, the CEO of Madman Entertainment Paul Wiesgard, plus organisers of the film festival and other nominees for the award she was nominated in.

"After my film screened, a local lady from Byron Bay, who was familiar with Wollongong, took us to dinner to offer development advice and discuss the next steps for the project," Trenaman said.

"It's nice to ... acknowledge that this is a stepping stone towards making something bigger ... and it's exciting to think of the film as a stand-alone piece that I can now take ideas from for a longer form project, whether that be writing it as a feature film or TV Series."

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Overall Trenaman said it was an "emotional" experience as Dating Violet is a "summary" of her teenage years in the Illawarra.

"I wrote the film [in a stream-of-consciousness style] during lockdown, as an ode to my upbringing in the beautiful coastal town of Coledale, and the film is all about hating the town, but I've since grown to love it, and watching it back just makes me love it more," she said.

"The film had a very good reception, and lots of praise after the screening ... I love celebrating my regional small town upbringing in this way, by making connections, and sharing memories of that time."

The film had its World Premiere at Flickerfest in Bondi, and won Best Director for Trenaman's efforts at Far South Film Festival.

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