Emily Stratten, 22, established the Kiama Actors Studio in 2012.

The studio was previously based at Kiama’s CWA Hall, until the venue was temporarily closed last month due to asbestos rehabilitation. 

The studio is now based at Kiama Baptist Church.

“The new studio has a stage, lights, an auditorium that seats 200, a waiting area and is a great place for my green screen, with which you can be walking on water, flying, they can literally do anything,” the Kiama resident said. “The popularity has always been there, but all the new features and space (has helped the studio).”

Ms Stratten also attributed the Kiama studio’s recent boost in profile to success at film festivals.

This included a film, The Other Side, made about cyber-bullying by 13 and 14-year-old’s from the studio.

It won the Spirit Of REELise Award at Sydney’s REELise Film Festival in April. 

“That won out of thousands of films from throughout the world, and really put Kiama on the map,” she said. 

Also, on Friday the studio performed strongly at the environmentally-themed Green Flicks Illawarra short film competition.

Titanic: An Inconvenient Truth won the 15-17 age category, and Last Hope was runner-up in the 12-14 age category.

Ms Stratten said students were currently auditioning for a television series based on Anne Of Green Gables shooting in Canada, and the new Diary Of A Wimpy Kid film shooting in Los Angeles.