The Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) is offering a film production camp this summer for Bermuda’s budding filmmakers.

The camp, for seven- to 16-year-olds, will be taught by instructors Katrina Kawaley-Lathan, Jon Legere, and Lucinda Spurling. It will be held at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation, on Jubilee Road, Devonshire, between July 2 and August 31. This new arts facility is located at the junction of Jubilee Road and Parsons Road.

The camps are held under the umbrella of the BIFF Film Academy educational programme, presented by BIFF in conjunction with partners Butterfield Bank. All films made in the camps will be screened at the BIFF Kids Children’s Film Festival in October.

Stage One camps for kids aged seven to nine will be held from July 9 to July 13 (special effects), August 13 to August 17 (acting) and August 27 to August 31 (acting). Stage One camps introduce students to the art of filmmaking. There will be activities that enhance their knowledge of the art. Camps run Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Stage Two camps for kids aged ten to 13 will be held July 2 to July 6 (animation), August 6 to August 10 (camera) and August 20 to August 24 (acting/directing). These camps will illustrate what filmmaking, in its many forms, entails and provide a hands-on approach to this art form. Camps run Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All Stage One and Two camps can be attended individually or in conjunction with others.

A Stage Three Boot Camp for teenagers 14 to 16 will be held weekdays from July 16 to July 27. Each student will make his or her film during the ten-day camp. This camp immerses teens in the filmmaking process. Students will perform all filmmaking roles and each student will write and complete his/her own movie. Boot camp runs Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Participation in the Stage One and Stage Two camps is limited to 16 participants, while the Stage Three Boot Camp will accept ten participants.

Katrina Kawaley-Lathan has studied and taught both theatre and dance, and has acted in a variety of Canadian short films. She majored in drama at Queen’s University in Canada. She combined her love of theatre and teaching in Australia last year, where she completed her teaching certification and performed in Melbourne community theatre. She will teach the acting camps.

Jon Legere, who has a degree in video and sound from the State University of New York, worked in the multimedia area in New York, and now runs his own design studio, Lava Visual Boutique and the event company, Volcanic Productions. He will teach the animation, special effects and boot camps.

Lucinda Spurling is a seasoned producer and editor with more than ten years of experience in the film industry. She specialises in documentary film production and has a diverse portfolio complete with award winning works, such as Rare Bird, which, following its premiere at BIFF 2006, was accepted to international film festivals and will be distributed to international television networks this year. She will teach the camera camp.

The camps are priced at $250 per week. Application forms are available on the BIFF website at www.biff.bm.