Two workshops for aspiring First Nations filmmakers took place in Vincentia recently, thanks to the Shoalhaven First Nations Film Festival. The beginnings of some exciting film projects have begun to sprout and we spoke to some of the people involved to find out what’s next, including an upcoming pilot project.
For Jacob Chant Morris, a workshop with three experienced professional filmmakers was a dream come true. “A lot of us have been talking about this since we were kids, saying ‘this would be a good movie’ and ‘that would be a good movie’. So to have someone come and sit down with that knowledge to help turn them dreams into reality is amazing,” he said.
Jacob and Luke McLeod-Ebsworth, who both work for Gadhungal Marring, one of the South Coast’s First Nations cultural tour operators, already have masses of experience at storytelling that they are eager to develop in film. Also in this workshop was Tolbin Parsons, a recent school leaver also excited to be developing his skills as a storyteller and filmmaker.
“Our culture has always been storytellers. I remember as a kid, hearing them stories and those little things that made the story come alive for me. They’re the things I really focused on and I try to do now when I tell stories,” says Jacob.
“I always ended up telling the stories at the schools, the creation stories and things like that. I love putting a bit in the story where all the kids are leaning in and you do something, clap your hands and they all jump because they’re so involved in the story. It takes me back to when I was a kid, I was the one jumping at every clap or leaning in too much to the story.”
To kickstart their journey into filmmaking, the Shoalhaven First Nations Film Festival helmed by Julienne McKay, garnered support from three incredibly talented people: Sal Balharrie, writer/producer/director from Melbourne who made the film, Like My Brother, that was screened at the SFNFF in Huskisson last February; and two local filmmakers, Jamie Lepre and Phil Crawford.
Sal calls herself a “bridging” person when describing her work as a non-Indigenous person with Indigenous groups, such as the team from the Tiwi Islands who made Like My Brother and Murrup, formerly the Kathy Freeman Foundation, which is finishing up a film for next month’s NAIDOC Week.
In a very short time, just one day, Sal says the workshop created some very clear outcomes for Jacob’s group. “Jacob, Tolbin and Luke have a fantastic idea for a film, but it was ideas and stories loosely linked. Over the course of our time together we were really able to find the spine of the story but most importantly, we got them to feel really confident about what it is you want to say to the world.”
Sal calls the ability to arrange your ideas “story muscle” which needs to grow and flex – whether we are making a film or wanting to be heard within our family group. “How do I communicate what’s inside me to someone else? If it’s a story, you create a beginning, middle and end, you’re trying to create an outcome.”
She says they worked on how to structure the ideas and how to pitch – essential to getting films made – as well as the idea of “circular storytelling”.
“Circular storytelling is very much an Indigenous tradition and the morals of storytelling that are conveyed, because they were quite often like elements of an encyclopaedia, knowledge transfer,” she explains.
“The story they are making is almost like an anthology in some aspects, so there are a few beautiful pieces that could very easily be pulled out of the bigger structure to be shot as a short film, a proof of concept, and that’s what I am encouraging them to do.”
That’s where local filmmaker Jamie Lepre comes into the picture. Also part of the SFNFF workshops, Milton-based Jamie will keep working with Jacob, Luke and Tolbin as they further develop their concept.
“Sal was running the workshops but the idea was to bring in local filmmakers that have the capacity to help carry on these projects,” Jamie says of his and Phil Crawford’s involvement. “So we are working on getting a couple of short films done because the nature of the larger story we’re telling, there’s a lot of different little stories in there.” The first story that will be developed into a short film is Tolbin’s story, The Unexpected Visitor.
Jamie says the first short film will be like a pilot, something made on a shoestring budget that can be used to apply for funding for a feature-length film – something he says would require upwards of $1 million.
Jacob says: “A big thing I found out was how much money is involved in making even short movies. I thought, get a camera, get a couple of people in and have at it, but there’s a lot more than that.”
He was interested to learn just how much goes on behind the scenes of a film. “It’s not just having a good script and a good idea. There’s pitching and shuffling [the script] around and having the right people in on the idea. I was thinking, you write a good story and it all falls into place but there’s a lot more moving pieces to the puzzle.
“It was awesome to have people come in with their expertise and help us tweak our ideas or tell us straight out, that doesn’t work. That was really good as well.”
Why film? Why now?
“For me, a part of it is about legacy and keeping people’s stories alive,” says Jacob of his desire to make films. “That’s another powerful thing about storytelling. We still talk about Cleopatra, Napoleon, Caesar, and they survive through stories.”
Jamie says he felt a sense of urgency in the project with Jacob and Luke, that it’s time to utilise technology so these stories don’t die.
“As time goes on, even though in many ways [Indigenous] culture is gaining momentum, there’s also a dilution in some ways. So I think it’s to maintain that and add to it. That’s the sense of urgency.”
Jacob says: “Film is the most common media nowadays for storytelling. Around the world, everyone’s storytelling was people telling them or through art. But movies is the modern way to spread around stories to different cultures, different languages.
“I’ve loved movies since I was a kid, and I still sit back and watch movies. I’ve always been the one to say, oh, I didn’t like how they done this or that. So now it’s time to put my money where my mouth is and have a go myself. Take it to the next level.”
Jamie says one of the most important aspects of the project is how these stories are being told differently. “These stories are being made on the country that they unfolded on, that’s something special. Also Jacob and Luke touched on the importance of representing Language, keeping it alive.”
What’s the Story?
There are no spoilers here! But there is a strong flavour of what to expect as the stories told by Jacob, Luke and Tolbin are made into shorts films.
Sal says the stereotypical expectation that First Nations stories are represented in the desert will be disrupted.
“When Jacob said he was interested in sea water stories, not midnight cowboy desert stories, I was like, that’s hilarious and fantastic. Because all we really see on screen is desert mob, we don’t see the ‘sea lads’ as he calls them.”
Jamie agrees that in film we often see the large, arid landscape but not much saltwater country. “Also to show people that you don’t have to go to the desert to have these rich cultural experiences.”
Jamie says we can expect the larrikinism of Aboriginal culture to shine through, too. “Something that ties it altogether on the world stage, how people see stories being told in Australia is that we’re all larrikins and the Aboriginal culture, they’re always laughing, having a joke, making fun of each other and that’s kind of true to the Australian way. Whether you’re Indigenous or non-Indigenous, that’s part of Australia.”
Jacob was about to head off to another brainstorming session with Luke when we spoke this week, so they could continue to work on their framework. He says the pair had been watching YouTube videos about screenwriters for a while before the workshop, and now they have some real momentum.
“We have been watching interviews with screen writers and storytellers and their tips and tricks so I’ve got a little bit of ammo to work with, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of, alright, get up and do it now.”
The High School Group
The other workshop was for a group of Indigenous high school students, aged 12 to 18, who had one day together with the pros to discover their own skills and passion for storytelling.
Sal says the day literally kicked off very well. “One of the young boys came in with a moon boot and I said, what happened to your leg? And he was a natural storyteller so I really hammed it up with him. Then we stopped and I asked the other kids, so what was the story you just heard?
“These kids don’t know about film structure but they know about chapters, so we broke it down into five chapters and gave each one a title, then we gave the whole thing a title, and suddenly you’ve got kids who understand that, if you’ve got five chapters and a title, you’ve got a story.”
Jamie says the high school group were very interested and motivated in the workshop, offering a lot of good discussion and suggestions. “It made me really happy and hopeful, because working with youth can sometimes be a challenge, but it became clear in the first five minutes these kids were quite special.”
Sal wants young people to feel the power of telling their own stories and using their own voices. “At the end of the day, one young girl came up to me and said, I didn’t know I had so much imagination inside my head. I was like, oh wow, that is just beautiful.”
The Community Plays a Part
Sal suggests that, while a film festival is a moment, what the SFNFF has created here is a movement – and one that many people in the community can get involved with. Sal and Jamie both acknowledge that money is the obvious need, but there are other ways everyone can play a part.
For Sal, people in the community can help with feedback for the filmmakers on their project – things like table reads to help with character and narrative development. “If the action of donating is tied to further actions, then that’s a really powerful movement for change.”
Jamie adds: “Of course money is a no brainer but turning up, bottoms in seats, sharing, being open, going… the more anyone goes to these Indigenous events that are happening on the South Coast, the more groundswell and the more a movement gets created more promptly.”
Jacob says all the participants acknowledge the role of the South Coast community in creating these projects. “It was something purely done from community and love, not just the Indigenous community but from the Shoalhaven community. There was no agenda, it was, how can we get people coming down to help us develop our film and stories, which is something we all enjoy and love and can bring a lot of people together.”
Make a Donation
If you want to follow the Shoalhaven First Nations Film Festival, check out their website or Facebook page. If you want to make a donation, you can do so online.
