Reel Shorts
Saturday 25th February, 12:30pm
Cinema 2, ACMI
This session is Unclassified 15+.
The Melbourne Women in Film Festival is proud to showcase the work of women and gender diverse filmmakers and storytellers. This means that we sometimes include films or panel topics that may explore difficult subjects and be confronting for some audiences. Our aim is to ensure our audience has a safe and enjoyable experience when coming along to our festival and so we have included content warnings, classification and cultural information throughout the program.
Please take the time to read the film synopses below to determine whether the session is suitable for you.
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Taonga An Artist Activist
Mike’s life story is a journey of art, his connection to artistic expression in all its forms is what wakes him up in the morning and sees him retire to bed late at night. This short documentary seeks to capture Mike’s connection with art and teaching. How he experiments and pushes boundaries when others will remain cautious. How he provokes and questions the status quo always seeking knowledge and answers to questions that others may be too conservative to ask.
2022, 15 mins, English
Director: Glenda Tuaine
Producers: Leanne Ferrer, Cheryl Hirasa
Director of Photography: Raed Teariki Ra -
More Than Cute
A Seniors Bollywood dance class in Melbourne is the perfect intercultural setting to discover new friendships and to unpack misconceptions about ageing. Through the lens of the traditional costume, stories are uncovered and shared. At the same time and underneath all the fun, colour and laughter, a miraculous healing is taking place on many different levels.
2022, 15 mins, English
Director, Writer, Producer: Joshinder K Chaggar
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Our Mob
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this film may contain images, voices and videos of deceased persons.
Brenda Saunders' Nan lived in a tiny workers cottage next to the boot factory near the Redfern station. Perplexed by the twists and turns of family life, the ties that seemed to grow more complicated year by year, she learnt her Nan was part of the Stolen Generation, constantly looking for family members, with a tangle of knots too sad or too hard to undo.
2022, 5 mins, English
Director: Lliane Clarke
Writer: Brenda Saunders
Producers: Lliane Clarke, Kaye Tuckerman, Otgadahe Whitman-Fox, Sally Paridis, Laura Patkinkin
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Scratched: Erin Baker
When triathlete Erin Baker couldn’t remove a punctured bike tyre during a race, she pulled it off with her teeth. This is the story of a world champion who dominated the international multi-sport circuit in the 1980s and 1990s, and was prepared to do whatever it took to succeed.
2022, 15 mins, English
Director: Natalie Wilson
Producers: Amber Easby, Natalie Wilson -
Aloha Soul Food
Merging personal memoir and photojournalism, Aloha Soul Food nostalgically explores decolonial foodways through the family life stories of six Pacific Island women. A transnational story set in Los Angeles, California, the documentary embodies an intergenerational love story to working class women deeply rooted in Hawai’i while skillfully examining a century of how they navigated through the Chinese exclusion Acts, the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, 1960s school cafeterias, the United Public Workers Strike in 1979, and the Women’s Army Core. The film shows how generations can reclaim identity and historical spaces through recipes while reminding us of the deep ties that bind our families and communities together.
2022, 12 mins, English
Director, Writer: Lani Cupchoy
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We’ll Always Have Dance
A day in the life of five extraordinary ballet dancers, interviewed by six passionate, neurodiverse filmmakers with something to say about passion, inclusion and the pursuit of perfection.
2021, 13 mins, English
Director: Martha Goddard
Producers: Tracey Corbin Matchett, Kristen Hodges
Editor: Brodie Rocca
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My Uterus is Trying to Kill Me
CW: visual suggestions of blood
My Uterus is Trying to Kill Me is a short documentary looking to spread awareness about endometriosis. Due to the invasive nature of the diagnostic process, endometriosis can have profound effects on an individuals life. The documentary tells stories of various people living with endometriosis and their unique journeys, from diagnosis to coping with a chronic illness daily. By showing people casually and confidently talking about their experiences, we hope to normalise the discussion around what is currently a taboo topic.
2022, 20 mins, English
Directors: Emily Michelle Eilers, Hannah Louise Ranger
Producer: Hannah Louise Ranger -
The Golden Rollers
A group of friends aged 69 to 99 refuse to hang up their skates and give up on fun.
2021, 7 mins, English
Director: Jennifer 'JP' Piper
Writers: Jennifer 'JP' Piper, Katy McClean
Producer: Jennifer 'JP' Piper
Associate Producer: Pia Husbands
Editor: Taleah O'Rourke
Composer: Avery Hutley