Five WA Reflections short documentaries launching online today
The State Library of Western Australia and Screenwest are pleased to announce that the five new Western Australian short documentaries supported through the WA Reflections initiative are now available to stream via the State Library’s website.
Now in its second year, the joint WA Reflections initiative supports WA filmmaking teams to produce a short documentary film of up to five minutes in duration. Each film creatively utilises the State Library’s heritage collection items – including letters, diaries, journals, photographs and oral recordings – to bring to life and share unique stories from our State’s history.
The five documentaries include local factual stories about a beloved First Nations local legend, 19th Century British/Russian tensions seen through the eyes of a coastal town, the Chinese migrant community of WA, a sound recordist devoted to capturing the songs of vanishing animals and the longest running LGBTQIA+ nightclub in the Southern Hemisphere.
Each film will also be presented through a series of free community screenings and panel discussions in the State Library Theatre, which will enable the topic of each film to be discussed at length by the filmmakers and experts. The screenings will kick off with The Rules of Mahjong next Thursday, 10 August and continue monthly until December.
“The WA Reflections initiative has provided an innovative way for the State Library’s heritage collections to be unlocked and accessed by the public, whilst providing fantastic opportunities for emerging filmmakers. It has been a pleasure to partner with Screenwest in producing these five diverse and exciting new films.” said Catherine Clark, State Library of WA CEO and State Librarian.
“We’re so pleased to be able to share these unique, real-life local stories with the WA community. Congratulations to the filmmaking teams and a massive thank you to the State Library for partnering with us once again on this wonderful initiative.” said Rikki Lea Bestall, Screenwest CEO.
Dates and registration links to each of the five community screenings are below:
Thursday, 10 August – The Rules of Mahjong
In search of cultural identity through a complex game of Mahjong.
Watch the film here
Register for the screening event here
Thursday, 7 September – The Tale of Mr Kimberley
He is known by the people as Mr Kimberley, but his mates just call him Sam. This is a man who has a tale to tell, he was part of the stolen generation; became a master stockman running cattle in wild landscapes and came to be known as the godfather of tourism in the Kimberley.
Watch the film here
Register for the screening event here
Thursday, 5 October – Russian Spy
A Russian-Australian Cinematographer travels to Albany to find out about the time that a 19th Century town at the end of the world was put on high alert of a Russian Invasion.
Watch the film here
Register for the screening event here
Thursday, 2 November – Connie’s (formerly In the Dark)
Through the eyes of a first-time clubgoer and the mouths of a few regulars, we take a look at the iconic Connections Nightclub through the ages.
Watch the film here
Register for the screening event here
Thursday, 7 December – Sound Twitcher
Tuning in to the legacy of auditory adventurer, John Hutchinson.
Watch the film here
Register for the screening event here
Contact Screenwest
T: +61 8 6169 2100
E: info@screenwest.com.au
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