YALLAH! WHAT’S YOUR STORY? MEETS PACIFIC SPECIFIC

Film, music and hip-hop fans are invited to the Auburn Community Development Network (ACDN), Shop P7B, Auburn Central, Auburn, on Thursday 10 December from 6pm until 8pm to celebrate some of Western Sydney’s freshest film-makers and urban music artists, as they unleash their creativity on stage and screen.

The event will be hosted by MC Trey, one of Australia’s leading hip-hop artists, with Verbal Eyes (True Vibenation), and will include performances from special guests Farid Farid (Arab poet) and Nesian styles with flavour (Pacific hip-hop dance group). The local community can witness the digital stories and music acts first hand and celebrate the talent of Auburn and Western Sydney youth.

From August to November 2009, Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE), in partnership with Auburn Community Development Network (ACDN) and Inner West Skills Centre (Auburn), presented two free hip-hop music and digital storytelling workshops for young people from Arab and Pacific communities.

The four-week workshops were facilitated by ICE Urban Music Project Coordinator and ARIA nominated MC Trey and local award-winning filmmaker Fadia Abboud. Participants were introduced to lyric-writing, rapping, script-writing, music recording, production, filmmaking and photography, to produce their very own lyrical/digital story. The creative pieces around issues of identity, conflict and belonging will be showcased online and at various events and festivals.

Internationally, digital stories also called “mini-films” are catching on as the quick and accessible format for documenting and sharing experiences and ideas. Combining film, photography and hip-hop music, which has traditionally been the voice of marginalised young people, the Yallah! What’s your story? and ‘Pacific Specific’ workshops provide a digitally creative recipe for producing real stories in a medium that appeals to young people.

MC Trey says; “Most young people are up to speed with new technologies. Participating in workshops such as Yallah! What’s your story? and Pacific Specific helps to further develop their skills with guidance from real artists and filmmakers, to help bring out their stories.”

“The workshops provide a fantastic opportunity for any aspiring musician or film artist to learn valuable techniques from artists who are currently working in these creative industries. This is also a great way for young people to explore their Pacific or Arabic heritage through contemporary mediums, hip-hop music and film,” MC Trey added.

The Yallah! What’s your story? and Pacific Specific workshops were presented in partnership with Auburn Community Development Network and made possible with the support of funding bodies and partners including Department of Immigration and Citizenship through the Australian Government’s Diverse Australia program; Foundation for Young Australians; Sydney Community Foundation; ArtStart NSW Youth Arts; Arts NSW; Australia Council for the Arts; SWITCH Multimedia and Digital Arts Access Centre; Parramatta City Council; Auburn Youth Centre; Fiji Youth Initiative; NSW Film and Television Office and Parramatta City Council.

Tags: Auburn Community Development Network, Fadia Abboud, Farid Farid, Information and Cultural Exchange, Inner West Skills Centre, MC Trey, Verbal Eyes, YALLAH! WHAT’S YOUR STORY