Short Session 5
Holy Duty
By Sarah Marcuson
If there is one topic most people are afraid to confront, it is that of death. Many of us, if not most, spend our lives avoiding talking about death. Certainly, not many of us willingly welcome death into our lives.
Yet, there is always an exception to the rule - and that exception is the "Chevra Kadisha", or "Sacred Society". This group of Jewish volunteers do not just briefly confront death - but spend years of their life preparing, sanctifying, and burying Jewish bodies.
What would bring someone to face death head-on? And ultimately - what does it do to a person?
Inner Portraits
By Christian Berzi
A profile of photographic artist R J Poole, who formerly served in the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SAS)
Free Riding Iran
By Alec Wohlgroth
A look behind the curtain: In the West, one knows above all the Iranian moral rigor and war rhetoric, the Enduro professionals Anita and Caro Gehrig experience open-minded people, hospitality, a great interest in the West and last but not least an unconditional passion for mountain biking. There is a reason for this: The bike is a vehicle for freedom, because on the trails, no moral guardians exist. Freeride, or better Free Ride, gets another dimension in the land of mullahs. Altough you might not be able to understand each others words, on a bike you always speak the same language. Free Riding Iran is a movie about courage, passion and mutual inspiration on two wheels.
The Art in Healing
By Stella Dimadis
‘The Art In Healing’ is a half hour documentary by award winning director, writer and producer, Stella Grammenos-Dimadis. The film explores the role that creativity and art
plays in people’s lives, particularly when personal trauma occurs or when people are afflicted by natural disasters.
The inspiration for the film came about by contemplating the questions; ‘Why is art such an important aspect to civilisation and our society’? and ‘Does the human brain benefit from interacting with art, and if so, how’? From these questions a number of people offered their experience and research, especially in describing brain plasticity and the ability of the brain to rewire after an artistic experience.
‘The Art In Healing’ showcases a number of professionals, ranging from art therapists Simona Weinstein and Cornelia Elbrecht, therapist Richard Hill, musicians, Merelyn and David Carter, artist, Dr Anne Riggs, street artist, Amanda Newman, arts facilitators: Brad Quilliam, Marilyn Gourley, Scotia Monkivitch, to people navigating traumatic events with arts driven healing: Matt Breen, Allara Ashton and Lisa Schaeffer.
Each person interviewed has been able to impart and show the effectiveness of creativity in a person’s life and well being. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of the facilitator and client on a one to one basis, but also on a much larger scale within a community post the Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday Fires as relayed by Brad Quilliam. The Pandemic has exacerbated and exhausted people world wide, but closer to home in Australia, street artist, Amanda Newman, is sending hope to people via her public art on Melbourne’s public walls.
Cornelia Elbrecht who started practising Art Therapy in the 70’s describes the struggles of this type of therapy to be taken seriously, but through the years there has been enormous progress made in recognition of art as providing healing for people on their personal journeys. Melbourne’s Dax centre is an attestation to that, consequently art was sourced from the Dax Centre, the Museum of Victoria, Private collections and Public collections to enhance the importance of art, but also, for the viewer to experience the artistic richness whilst watching the film.
It is this same art that “give(s) people the chance to smile again, in a lot of cases, that's what the art therapy and the art healing are able to do”. -Brad Quilliam
‘The Art In Healing’ was filmed in Apollo Bay, Various locations in Melbourne, Cobram, Kinglake and Sydney.
Crew were all sourced from Victoria.
Rat Tail
By Chad Sogas
Rat Tail explores director Chad Sogas’ battle with depression in this short autobiographical documentary. What begins as a comedic story about the rat tail he had for nearly ten years (that his parents still keep in the storage room of their basement) transcends into a journey of unexpected self-discovery and healing.
RAT TAIL World Premiered at the Hot Docs International Film Festival May 2021.
Hags (Have a Good Summer)
By Sean Wang
I don’t know how I feel about adulthood, so I called my middle school friends
Memory Lanes
By Brian Gersten
A short, slightly personal, slightly experimental, archival documentary about the history of bowling in America (or perhaps the history of America in bowling). The film interweaves our established perception of this innocuous all-American game with the pervasiveness of cultural racism, sexism, and violence by showcasing nearly 100 years of archival bowling footage from newsreels, instructional films, commercials, home movies, and mainstream films & television
Short Session 5
Holy Duty
By Sarah Marcuson
If there is one topic most people are afraid to confront, it is that of death. Many of us, if not most, spend our lives avoiding talking about death. Certainly, not many of us willingly welcome death into our lives.
Yet, there is always an exception to the rule - and that exception is the "Chevra Kadisha", or "Sacred Society". This group of Jewish volunteers do not just briefly confront death - but spend years of their life preparing, sanctifying, and burying Jewish bodies.
What would bring someone to face death head-on? And ultimately - what does it do to a person?
Inner Portraits
By Christian Berzi
A profile of photographic artist R J Poole, who formerly served in the Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SAS)
Free Riding Iran
By Alec Wohlgroth
A look behind the curtain: In the West, one knows above all the Iranian moral rigor and war rhetoric, the Enduro professionals Anita and Caro Gehrig experience open-minded people, hospitality, a great interest in the West and last but not least an unconditional passion for mountain biking. There is a reason for this: The bike is a vehicle for freedom, because on the trails, no moral guardians exist. Freeride, or better Free Ride, gets another dimension in the land of mullahs. Altough you might not be able to understand each others words, on a bike you always speak the same language. Free Riding Iran is a movie about courage, passion and mutual inspiration on two wheels.
The Art in Healing
By Stella Dimadis
‘The Art In Healing’ is a half hour documentary by award winning director, writer and producer, Stella Grammenos-Dimadis. The film explores the role that creativity and art
plays in people’s lives, particularly when personal trauma occurs or when people are afflicted by natural disasters.
The inspiration for the film came about by contemplating the questions; ‘Why is art such an important aspect to civilisation and our society’? and ‘Does the human brain benefit from interacting with art, and if so, how’? From these questions a number of people offered their experience and research, especially in describing brain plasticity and the ability of the brain to rewire after an artistic experience.
‘The Art In Healing’ showcases a number of professionals, ranging from art therapists Simona Weinstein and Cornelia Elbrecht, therapist Richard Hill, musicians, Merelyn and David Carter, artist, Dr Anne Riggs, street artist, Amanda Newman, arts facilitators: Brad Quilliam, Marilyn Gourley, Scotia Monkivitch, to people navigating traumatic events with arts driven healing: Matt Breen, Allara Ashton and Lisa Schaeffer.
Each person interviewed has been able to impart and show the effectiveness of creativity in a person’s life and well being. Emphasis is placed on the interaction of the facilitator and client on a one to one basis, but also on a much larger scale within a community post the Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday Fires as relayed by Brad Quilliam. The Pandemic has exacerbated and exhausted people world wide, but closer to home in Australia, street artist, Amanda Newman, is sending hope to people via her public art on Melbourne’s public walls.
Cornelia Elbrecht who started practising Art Therapy in the 70’s describes the struggles of this type of therapy to be taken seriously, but through the years there has been enormous progress made in recognition of art as providing healing for people on their personal journeys. Melbourne’s Dax centre is an attestation to that, consequently art was sourced from the Dax Centre, the Museum of Victoria, Private collections and Public collections to enhance the importance of art, but also, for the viewer to experience the artistic richness whilst watching the film.
It is this same art that “give(s) people the chance to smile again, in a lot of cases, that's what the art therapy and the art healing are able to do”. -Brad Quilliam
‘The Art In Healing’ was filmed in Apollo Bay, Various locations in Melbourne, Cobram, Kinglake and Sydney.
Crew were all sourced from Victoria.
Rat Tail
By Chad Sogas
Rat Tail explores director Chad Sogas’ battle with depression in this short autobiographical documentary. What begins as a comedic story about the rat tail he had for nearly ten years (that his parents still keep in the storage room of their basement) transcends into a journey of unexpected self-discovery and healing.
RAT TAIL World Premiered at the Hot Docs International Film Festival May 2021.
Hags (Have a Good Summer)
By Sean Wang
I don’t know how I feel about adulthood, so I called my middle school friends
Memory Lanes
By Brian Gersten
A short, slightly personal, slightly experimental, archival documentary about the history of bowling in America (or perhaps the history of America in bowling). The film interweaves our established perception of this innocuous all-American game with the pervasiveness of cultural racism, sexism, and violence by showcasing nearly 100 years of archival bowling footage from newsreels, instructional films, commercials, home movies, and mainstream films & television