Some of the BackTrack crew came along to the gala event to answer questions and talk about how the Armidale-based youth program depicted in the film was changing their lives.

The gripping, funny and at times heartrending doco by independent director Catherine Scott follows three troubled teenagers over two years after they join a unique youth program in Armidale.

BackTrack has become famous for its unusual methods and extraordinary results, and its founder, a former jackaroo and wild boy himself, Bernie Shakeshaft, says as an organisation they’ve got three KPIs.

“Keep the kid alive; keep him out of jail and help him chase his hopes and dreams.”

The program has multiple strands but one of the best known is Paws Up, which began when Bernie decided to pair the kids with dogs, who love unconditionally and don’t judge you for your past mistakes, and started carting them all around the countryside on weekends to compete in dog jumping shows.

It’s hard to tell who does most of the teaching – boys or dogs – but the combo has proved amazingly successful, not only in the competitions but also in the fact that 87 per cent of the BackTrack boys veer off their previous path, headed straight towards prison, and end up in work or education.

Juvenile crime in Armidale has also dropped 50 per cent in the decade that BackTrack has been running.

BackTrack Boys screens in Bellingen Memorial Hall on Saturday January 12 at 4.30pm.

This year’s SWIFF line-up includes more than 60 feature films from 20 countries, with 21 of them to be shown at Bellingen Memorial Hall over the weekends of January 11-13 and January 19-20.

Locals might want to make the journey to the Jetty Theatre in Coffs to catch Bellingen Bluegrass Band The Mid North playing a live soundtrack to accompany the Coen Brothers’ classic O Brother, Where Art Thou? 

The festival’s artistic director Kate Howat said it’s a real doozy and like last year’s SWIFF Live, the two shows on January 17 and 20 are likely to sell out fast.

Another one not to miss is the surf doco with soul Emocean “a salty blend of stories by an eclectic assortment of people sharing tales of adventure, adrenaline, inspiration, love and loss and their relationship with the ocean”.

Filmed over three years, it has been independently produced by Tony Harrington, who is a frequent visitor to Bellingen as his parents live here.

You’ll also want to catch the premiere of the top 20 finalists at the Nextwave Youth Film Awards (formerly REC Ya Shorts),  on Friday January 18 at C.ex Coffs Auditorium.

Bellingen finalists are Blaise Borrer, Willow Driver, Tallulah Remond Stephen, Paloma Terrades, Poe Black and Maeve Forest.

For more information about the 2019 Screenwave film festival, go to https://swiff.com.au/