The $30,000 2010 Kit Denton Fellowship was awarded at the 43rd Annual AWGIE Awards to George Catsi for his project I Want to be Slim. George has a diverse background which includes his time as co-owner/Executive Producer of FLICKERFEST International Short Film Festival.

How does it feel to be the 2010 Kit Denton Fellow? Have you come down from the clouds yet?


As my work is about searching for answers and inspiration up in the clouds then no, I haven’t come down and probably will spend as much time as possible up there. Besides the view is great. Winning the Kit Denton Fellowship is like a window opening that blows warm air and gives sunshine to your work and your career.  
 
Your project is called I Want to be Slim, who is Slim?
 
This multi-platform project creates a satirical evangelical organisation that mimics performance and cross media platforms of real evangelical churches. The Church of the Holy Cowboy is headed by the fictional character, the Rev Slim Limits who, using his literal and interpretive doctrine, seeks you to be part of his congregation. He is a sharp suited, fast talking cowboy preacher with dubious evangelical qualifications who wants what every evangelist worth his weight wants, success. Success means numbers. Numbers give you rewards both heavenly and earthly. 


What inspired you to enter the fellowship?
 
I have been developing the work and doing test showings and the response was that it was a difficult area that made an audience unsettled even though they were laughing / enjoying. It was not a project that fit comfortably in to what our perceptions of entertainment are. So I was drawn to the word ‘courage’ in the criteria of the fellowship and felt that of all the funding and other agencies this may be a place that could go to where I wanted to go. The fellowship truly is a great opportunity for ideas that sit on the edges to find a voice.

How will the $30,000 fellowship help you to develop the work?


Time is the short answer here, which is a privilege as most writing occurs around other work. I’ll also use it to start pulling together a team of people to infuse their contribution to the work.