Michael Snowdon, who will shortly head to Spain as a missionary with CMS, has won the coveted ‘Gold Sparky’ for Best Film at this year’s Ignite Film Festival.

Entries into the annual competition must be based on a bible verse or passage that contains a keyword – the keyword for 2012 was HOPE.

Mr Snowdon’s film, Centre, is based on Colossians 1:15-23, in which Paul reminds his readers of the centrality of Jesus in all things, and calls Christians to ‘continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.’

“There were a lot of high-quality entries this year, but Michael’s film stood out to the judges immediately,” said Festival Director Allan Dowthwaite. “Its message is clear and cleverly presented. It’s nicely paced and has high production values – it’s a beautifully crafted film.”

Ignite is Australia’s premier Christian short film competition and Mr Snowdon has been a regular entrant since it started in 2004. This is the first time Michael has taken out the top prize, although he has previously won the People’s Choice Award on two occasions.

The ‘Gold Sparky’ award comes with $1,500 cash from festival sponsors, The Mary Bladon Christian Fellowship and Bible Society Australia.

Other Major Awards

• Peoples Choice went to Queenslander Belle Wolter for Her Name is Hope.

• Students from Sacred Heart College in Perth won the Schools Competition with a film titled, Road to Hope.

• The Bright Spark Award went to a first time festival entrant Hanwook Ryu for his film simply titled, Hope.

To view this year’s winning entries, head to Ignite Film Festival’s website.