The star-studded event at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta was hosted by TV personality Toni Pearen and featured special guests from the Australian film industry.

More than 200 primary and secondary students from across the country attended which aimed to recognise the future stars of Australian film.

Lithgow High School was awarded the National and NSW Secondary School Winner for its short film called Wind Girl, which stars a local wind farmer and his daughter Alex.

Alex and her father highlight the importance of wind energy and how it ensures we have a sustainable world for the future.

The students at Lithgow High School were also recognised for their technical excellence taking home two National Spotlight Awards in the Videography and Sound categories.

Valley View Public School was crowned the NSW Primary School Winner for its short film entitled Who killed the cockroaches?

The film features the school’s crime scene investigation team, who examine the high number of cockroach deaths around the school.

According to Toni Pearen, the KWN Ambassador, competition judge and MC for the evening, the students enjoyed their walk down the red carpet.

“More than 650 primary and secondary students have been working for over six months on their short films and it is great to see them get the chance to hit the red carpet and be recognised for their hard work and dedication.

Lithgow High School and Valley View Public School have proven to have a real flair for filmmaking and this proves they could be the next big thing in Australian film.

“I would like to congratulate all the students involved in the 2009 KWN program.

“You should be extremely proud of what you have achieved.

“Not many people can say that they have produced and been awarded for their very own film.

“I hope to see you all back next year.”

The KWN program encourages students to work cooperatively with their peers and apply a variety of skills to communicate with others.

It challenges students to work together to develop a five minute video, involving all aspects of film-making including determining the subject matter, script writing, and filming and editing footage using equipment provided by Panasonic.

To view the award-winning short films, visit: http://www.panasonic.com.au/kwn/