Cinefest stars share their stories

On Friday 28th August 2020 Vasse Primary was lucky enough to be visited by two professional actors who kindly shared their experiences from the world of film and TV. Olivia Nardini and Kelton Pell where in the region as part of CinefestOZ but took time out of their busy schedules to connect with our Indigenous students and friends and those from Dance Extension.

Olivia Nardini is currently starring alongside Peyton List and Lauren Esposito, in the Australian Disney feature film Swimming for Gold, playing the zany and upbeat role of Annabelle Shumpert. She explained how the casting process worked and showed a behind the scenes clip of how the movie was made. Students were excited to hear she got her first agent at 11 years old. Olivia can also be seen in the Australian drama television series, The Heights (ABC/Matchbox). Olivia graduated from John Curtin Senior High School, a specialist drama high school in Perth and taught two fun drama games which required a lot of concentration and focus.

Kelton Pell is an Indigenous Australian stage, TV and film actor, perhaps best known for his role as the court liaison officer, Sam Wallan in the SBS legal drama set in north-western Australia. Kelton is from Western Australia and discovered he shares a family connection with one of our students! His  films  include  RedDog:  True  Blue,  Looking  For  Grace,  Bran  Nue  Dae,  Blackfellas, Australian  Rules  and  Three  Summers. In 2019 Kelton became the first Western Australian to receive the Screen Legend accolade from CinefestOZ. Kelton showed his acting highlight reel to students who were most excited when they saw him alongside Red Dog. He spoke of the drive, determination and passion it takes to work as an actor and showed off his musical skills by leading a game of ‘statues’ whilst playing the didgeridoo.