Screenwest has announced funding for four new documentaries shining a light on local Western Australian history and celebrating our diversity.
The State Library of Western Australia has teamed up with Screenwest and Lotterywest for the return of WA Reflections, throwing open the doors of the archives for filmmakers to dive into history and tell our stories.
Selected teams will receive up to $25,000 per project to create a documentary of up to seven minutes, making the most of what they found delving through the archives.
Among this year’s subjects are the marriage of religion and rock music, burgeoning space exploration, disability pioneer Dr Arnold Cook, and the life of acclaimed ‘male impersonator’ Effie Fellows.
Love, Rock En Masse, from Mahalia Bowles and Emma Wilkes, explores the groundbreaking collision of rock music and religion in 1970s Perth through St George’s Cathedral, while A Search Beyond The Stars by First Nations brothers Luke and Daniel Riches looks upward to our local history of navigating the stars.
The Road Ahead: A Story of Arnold Cook and the Guide Dogs Movement, by director Claire Ha, producer Kelvin Ha and writer Michelle Tan, remembers the life and legacy of disability advocate Dr Arnold Cook and his beloved guide dog Dreena, and I’ve Never Seen A Straight Banana honours the legacy of drag king extraordinaire Effie Fellows – directed and produced by Marco Noe.
Screenwest Chief Executive Officer Rikki Lea Bestall said WA Reflections was a worthy collaboration that helped unearth new documentary talent and tell important local stories.
“The State Library’s collection is a treasure trove of untapped history,” Bestall said.
“Through WA Reflections, these special pieces of history are serving as inspiration for local filmmakers to create a lasting legacy about distinctly Western Australian people, places and happenings.”
Previous WA Reflections films include a dramatisation of a ballroom murder mystery, an immersive VR look at famous Perth architect Iwan Iwanoff’s designs, and a celebration of the longest running LGBTQIA+ nightclub in the Southern Hemisphere – the one and only Connections Nightclub.
Past WA Reflections documentary projects can be viewed on the State Library’s website or YouTube.
