Westender Docs

15/10/2022

Opening this evening is a short film that came out of Jonno's office after the 2022 floods.

The February floods had a significant negative impact on inner-city Brisbane neighbourhoods that have undergone so-called ‘urban renewal’ via new high-density development. This film touches on the implications of building high-density apartments on a flood plain. It captures just a snippet of what our peninsula, and more broadly the whole of Brisbane, if not so much of Australia experienced last year, and is facing as we speak.

6PM TONIGHT! SEE YOU THERE

15/10/2022

VEIL is a special film we are absolutely honoured to be screening TONIGHT at Stories From Our Neighbourhood

VEIL tells the story of a spirited young woman in Tehran who faces losing her education over a party, a photo, and an absent hijab.

"When you swim against the stream, it makes you tired."

VEIL is made by Sarah Hope, who has a particular interest in social justice and in telling stories about and for women and the LGBTIQ+ community, often in intercultural contexts.

Sarah's work combines stylistic, hybrid concepts with non-fiction storytelling.

We're looking forward to seeing this film tonight - amongst the others.

FREE ENTRY - starts at 6pm - we'll have popcorn, lemonade, samosas, spring rolls and cups of daal for sale.

13/10/2022

We're super excited to share this beautiful and informative piece at Stories From Our Neighbourhood.

READY FOR RAIN takes us to the landscapes in Queensland's South West. For 150 years they've been trashed by unsuitable farming practices and now have a chance to make a comeback with new massive low-tech landscape rehydration projects. Within 12 months, the transformation is radical as dustbowls once again become wetlands.

This film is by Mark Doyle, who's been documenting people and landscapes at the forefront of climate change in Australia for the last decade now. Mark's always doing something pretty interesting in this space and we're really excited to have him share this film along with talk about the projects he's got in the pipeline.

BRING YOUR BEANBAGS! We'll see you all tomorrow!

13/10/2022

Another film we are looking forward to screening at Stories From Our Neighbourhood is Javvé Sévvom. This short film is a homage to Devina Saberi's grandparents who grew up in Iran, moved to India, and migrated to Australia. The film explores the concept of the third space, and how Hurieh and Hassan have fused their cultural backgrounds and experiences into the backyard of their home in Goonellabah, New South Wales. It’s an intimate look into the space they have created for themselves in a predominantly white, regional hub of Australia.

Devina made this award-winning film back in 2015 and while she took a bit of a break from filming to study Law, she's currently back in the true story-telling world and working on some pretty exciting film projects. You'll get to hear her introduce the film and why she's passionate about stories like this.

Free entry, beanbags welcome or bring a rug and cushions to sit on!

Save the date for Saturday!

11/10/2022

Part of the program this coming Saturday for Stories From Our Neighbourhood is Mycelium - An Urban Food Uprising, which is a film about resilience in the face of crisis, a community challenging state ownership of land, and how growing and giving away fresh food is an act of resistance.

It features the prominent landmarks and folks of Growing Forward, Jane Street Community Garden, Jonathan Sri and his office staff, and Community Seedling Hubs- Brisbane among others.

Westender Docs is an offshoot that sprouted from Christine Schindler making this film.

It's managed to make waves around Australia and the world, notably winning best film at our very own West End Film Festival in 2021 along with somehow managing to get screen time at festivals in both the USA and the UK.

It also comes with an incredible informational zine!

11/10/2022

In 2020 protests erupted around Kangaroo Point around the 120 refugees and asylum seekers being held in indefinite detention in a hotel on Main Street.

Let Them Hug Film is a film about one family's fight to reunite and a whole community that got behind them. Currently working towards a feature-length documentary, Jemma will be sharing a 3-minute version.

There are still many ways we as a community can continue to support and build awareness around the implications of one of the world's harshest policies toward people simply seeking safety and refuge.

SAVE THE DATE! 15 OCTOBER Stories From Our Neighbourhood

10/10/2022

INSTANT CAFE AKA NO BOUNDARIES ON BOUNDARY is a short we are magnificently excited about to screen this Saturday night.

SAVE THE DATE! 15 OCTOBER!

Instant Cafe, No Boundaries on Boundary is an anti-gentrification arts action short, and is a part of the formation of West End’s social history. A new franchise cafe opened up on Boundary St in 1996. It wasn’t just the appearance of a chain cafe that signified gentrification, but of the role of emerging tech and its overt use - people talking on their mobile phones rather than speaking face-to-face and showing off their wealth and privilege.

We’ll hear from some of the people involved in putting this together - while we’re not sure what they will talk about, we are sure it will be worth hearing. They have been just a couple of the movers and shakers of this neighbourhood.

See you there!I

06/10/2022

We are thrilled to announce that JACKIE MARSHALL, will be playing and sharing some of her tunes at Stories From Our Neighbourhood.

SAVE THE DATE! 15 OCTOBER!

Jackie spent formative parts of her life around the sharehouses of West End and makes an appearance in Instant Cafe. She is about to hit the road for an Australian tour in November and has a film coming up at the Brisbane International Film Festival. Very excited to have her drop by!

For some official info:
No two Jackie Marshall shows are alike; her knack for in-the-moment flights of improvisation keeping even the most experienced band member on their toes. Jackie’s performances brim with energy, warmth, presence and all the experience of a complicated life distilled into song, reaching far into the hearts and minds of intrepid music lovers at home and abroad.

Jackie is releasing new singles "You Know What I Mean?" and "Chop Wood Carry Water" from her forthcoming album "You're Not Too Much & You Are Enough" ahead of an Australian tour in November 2022.

All-new Australian independent film "Three Chords And The Truth" starring Maisie Owens and Jackie Marshall, directed by Claire Pasvolsky and produced by Academy Award nominee Steve Pasvolsky, music and lyrics by Jackie Marshall will have its World Premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival red carpet gala on Wednesday 2nd November at Newmarket Reading Cinemas.

05/10/2022

This month Westender Docs features Sarah Hope, a documentary filmmaker with a community arts and theatre background. She spent eight years living and working in Northern Territory communities where she found and fostered her passion for community arts into documentary filmmaking.

Peace Crimes is one of Sarah's shorts. In 2016, a group of peaceful protesters entered the secretive US army base Pine Gap near Alice Springs. The Peace Crimes is a short film made to coincide with and support the book launch of Peace Crimes: Pine Gap, National Security, and Dissent by Kiaren Finnane.

Westender Docs is proudly supported by the Westender.

https://vimeo.com/446341013 In 2016, a group of peaceful protesters entered the secretive US army base Pine Gap near Alice Springs. The Peace Pilgrims is a short film made to coincide with and support the book launch of Peace Crimes: Pine Gap, National Security, and Dissent by Kieran Finnane. About....

28/06/2022

Dylan Nicholls takes us on his own journey of discovering how he went from talking about films to making them. A Yuwaalaraay man who grew up in Dubbo he now works as a psychologist in Brisbane and also runs Wandarra Media. Re-Ride is Dylan Nicholls’ first short documentary and was produced with his friend and associate, Mark Sturmer.

Re-Ride is a short film about Peter Halpin's inspiring journey in overcoming alcohol addiction, showing that recovery is possible. One day at a time, Pete overcomes his alcohol addiction through the help of family, friends, and the rodeo culture that embraced him. The rodeo lifestyle helped Pete reign in his alcohol addiction, disciplining his mind and body, to improve his mental health and physical health, and maintain sobriety.

Westender Docs is proudly published through The Westender.

WATCH BELOW!

https://youtu.be/pc36x3idcu4 Re-Ride is a short film about Peter Halpin's inspiring journey in overcoming alcohol addiction, showing that recovery is possible. One day at a time, Pete overcomes his alcohol addiction through the help of family, friends, and the rodeo culture that embraced him. The ro...

19/06/2022

Just completed the interview for June’s column and before posting it up this week, thought to drop another call for submissions.

Always wanting to discover aspiring, emerging, and established filmmakers passionate about documentaries in our community.

This column is published through the Westender.

31/05/2022

Featuring "Change Makers: The Documentary", we explore collaborative documentary story-telling this month with Navin Sam Regi, one of the filmmakers.

Navin is a multimedia journalist who focuses on long-term mixed media stories. His work incorporates deep collaborative elements with the people central to the story and theme. Change Makers: The Documentary was a formative project for him, particularly in the unique story-telling approach that empowered the school students who told it.

His latest work - My Little Sunshine - mixes documentary photography with audio storytelling and is now exhibiting at KEPK space.

A great read for doco filmmakers wanting to deepen their understanding of story-telling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlDSmjZvTGA&t=1s Change Makers: The Documentary tells the stories of hope, pride, and inspiration from the students of Woodridge State High School. It was a collaborative project between the students of Woodridge State High School and the journalism school at the Univ...

18/05/2022

Getting ready to vote? If you are located in the Griffith electorate, our very own editor of the Westender gives a succinct seat report.

https://nofibs.com.au/will-griffithvotes-go-green-seat-report-by-jan-bowman/

WHEN I FIRST reported on the Queensland electorate of Griffith as a citizen journalist for Margo Kingston’s No Fibs in 2013, I hadn’t done any journalism and had to learn quickly & #8216…

28/04/2022

We dive back to the ’90s this month to showcase an anti-gentrification arts action short - Instant Cafe, No Boundaries on Boundary, as part of Westender Docs.

We talk with Ann McLean about her experience and part in the making of the film, encountering gentrification in the suburb at that time, and the loose collection of arts and philosophies that weaved around the integral culture of share houses in West End.

REVISED ARTICLE: Kim, a co-creator, editor, and collaborator, jumped in to include her thoughts in the making of the film a couple of days after its initial publication. Kim and Ann still actively collaborate on projects together!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SjWnnLWn7c Instant Cafe, No Boundaries on Boundary is an anti-gentrification arts action short film and a part of West End’s social history. In 1996, a new franchise cafe opened up on Boundary St. It wasn’t just the appearance of the franchise that signified gent...