Writing

No matter what people say, no one can deny how important the festival circuit is for short films. Festivals give exposure to shorts, opportunities for distributors to see your work and that generates buzz.

I have often been asked, how has, essentially, a community film, been able to win over thirty international film festival awards, gain distribution across 5 territories, and go viral in Europe? My answer is this: the power of a universal story.

I’ve been totally blown away by my recent selection as one of Westpac and Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence for 2014. It’s very humbling to see my name listed amongst so many other incredible Australian women doing great work and achieving unimaginable heights. My dear friend and mentor, Wendy Simpson OAM nominated me for the honor and just to be thought of as worthy was so encouraging on it’s own. To have actually made the list – is just… wow.

As a director I have discovered that, making great work doesn’t come down to me, at all, it comes down to the team around me and I think that the sooner a creative leader can realise that their ‘genius’ alone can’t produce mind blowing work, the better – for your blood pressure’s sake.

I am on the creative journey of writing a script and have found that it’s called a journey because it’s definitely not a ‘creative stroll’.
There are many landscapes to cross through on this adventure, one of which is a desert.

My reflections on how storytelling, within the media and cinema, has the ability to either heal or hurt the diverse and marginalised communities of Australia.