Heart of Gold won't skip a beat | Gympie Entertainment | Events, Movies and TV Guide for Gympie

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MEMBERS, sponsors and supporters of the Heart of Gold Film Festival met on Saturday and unanimously pledged their full support for the continuation of the festival in Gympie.

The festival's founder and former director Toni Powell resigned on June 20, prompting many locals and supporters to ask what was next for the festival.

“There are certainly some challenges ahead of us, starting with the search for an operations manager for the festival and then a creative director,” HOGIFF board chairperson Indra Boss said.

“But we're in good shape and believe Heart of Gold International Film Festival (HOGIFF) will attract the right people for these positions.

“We look forward to keeping the community informed as planning for the 2010 festival progresses.”

Ms Powell shared her dream and elevated the whole community with her vision of providing a vehicle for uplifting and nurturing media.

Since her resignation, festival board members, sponsors and volunteers have taken on the vision as they plan to take the festival to greater success in 2010.

“The groundswell of support we've received is a testament to the energy and efforts of our former director,” Ms Boss said.

“Members of the board feel bound to honour the legacy Toni has left for us all and it's up to us to make sure the festival lives on and is taken to even greater heights. I really believe we can do that.

“Perhaps the real legacy is that the HOGIFF is bigger than all of us, but only as strong as the team of community members that work so hard on it.

“We look forward to delivering a film festival of international standards in 2010. There is simply no other festival of its kind in the world and we're so proud that it will continue to he held right here in Gympie.”

Ms Boss said Toni left on a positive and amicable note, endeavouring to be of assistance and support in the future.

“It's with great sadness we farewell Toni from the hard working team that brings one of the world's most positive festivals of its kind, but we understand and respect her decision,” she said.