General News
30 May, 2024
2024 Gilgandra Film Festival a success
The 2024 Gilgandra Film Festival was met with great support from locals and visitors alike on Saturday, May 25. Part two.
Gilgandra Shire Hall was host to the event, organised by the Gilgandra Film Festival committee, and catered by CWA branches from the region.
Three documentaries were featured on the night, as well as a shorts segment made of clips from several documentaries produced by young filmmakers showcased the night prior. Guests entered the hall to the sound of performances from Janet Cheal on piano and Mitchell Foran on guitar. The hall was filled in minutes by an eager audience.
A Welcome to Country was given by Uncle Ralph Naden to begin the night, followed by an address from Gilgandra Film Festival director Sue Armstrong and Gilgandra Shire Council mayor Doug Batten. “I’d like to congratulate the organisers and the many volunteers who have made this evening possible,” mayor Batten said.
Gilgandra Film Festival 2024’s first showing was highlights of the ‘Early Harvest Films’ screened on Friday, May 24. Each clip was taken from a documentary recorded, edited, and produced by young filmmakers from the region. Student submissions were collected from Eumungerie, Gilgandra, and Tooraweenah Public Schools, St Joseph’s School, and the Gilgandra Shire Library’s Tech Club.
Mrs. Armstrong hopes the Early Harvest Films program can grow to become a larger event next year, extending the local film festival over two days. The festival’s artistic director and filmmaker Simon Target gave high praise to the young filmmakers, and applauded them for their creations. He cherished how open each was, showcasing “real people who really exist”. Certificates of appreciation were given to representatives of each school/group, along with a promise from the festival committee to provide sound equipment in the near future.
For the 2024 festival, Mr. Target returned for the local premiere of two of his films. ‘Warrawong: The Wind still Blows’ explores the consequences of losing a loved one, a sequel to his 2023 documentary ‘Warrawong: The Windy Place on the Hill’. The short film focuses on festival director Mrs. Armstrong after the passing of her husband the late Brian Armstrong, and the difficulties of moving after such a loss, and her making the hard decision to sell her farmland. The shortest of the films, it was a very touching story that did not shy away from the hard moments of loss. “What Sue had to deal with is something we all have to deal with,” Mr. Target said. “We all must deal with losing our spouse…[and in rural Australia] what to do with a farm. What if the kids don’t want it? What if we can’t sell it? It’s a story that gets told over and over again for rural Australians. That’s why I made this film.”
Mr. Target’s second film made its debut at the Gilgandra Film Festival - never seen before by a public audience. The documentary ‘Kozok: Alone across Australia’ focused on the journey of Polish explorer, adventurer, and photographer Michael Kozok. For nine years, Mr. Kozok planned and prepared for a solo journey across Australia from west-to-east. He would walk, swim, and cycle through four deserts, climb the tallest peaks in every state and territory, and visit all four capes. Along the way, he would collect supply drops placed by regional farmers to ensure he had the food and water needed to survive the journey.
Mr. Kozok was in attendance on the night in Gilgandra alongside his wife Eveline Kozok and their son Natan. “I was just a guest [in the outback],” Mr. Kozok said. “I thought that because of my accent the farmers might not be nice to me… but not once was a person I met bad [to me]. I was just a guest for a short time and I could quit without consequences, but outback people have to work there and can’t just quit. I admire Australian farmers.” The journey took 14 months to complete, and spanned an astonishing 14,400 kilometres. Mr. Target’s documentary, produced primarily using Mr. Kozok’s footage, was a dramatic, insightful, humorous, and touching story of human resilience, compassion, and drive.
The third film of the night came from Iranian filmmaker Marjan Khosravi. Titled ‘The Dream of a Horse’ it was also the first ever Australian screening of the film. It followed the life of Shahnaz, the oldest daughter of a nomad family living a modest life in the Iranian mountains. Her parents want to marry her off at the age of 14 to better the prospects of the family, but Shahnaz wants to pursue her dreams of studying and writing books. Several members of the audience voiced their surprise at seeing how the family lived, herding goats up and down their mountain to make ends meet. It was a peek into a much different way of life, where the most advanced piece of household technology is a flashlight. ‘The Dream of a Horse’ was, for most in the audience, a glimpse into the unfamiliar yet still very human; a way of life that was empathetic with many.
A raffle was held after the screenings were finished. Thirteen prizes were given out to lucky audience members including vouchers, platters, linen, and hotel stays. Sue Armstrong closed the festival with thanks. “I’d like to thank the [CWA], Bendigo Bank, our Gilgandra Film Festival committee including Simon and George Target,” she began. “Gilgandra Shire Council for their support and the hall, and all the volunteers who worked behind the scenes. I’d also like to thank all those who supported us, including local businesses and the audience here tonight. Without you, there wouldn’t be a festival.”
Mrs. Armstrong has said she hopes the 2025 festival is just as much a success, with expectations for it to be “bigger and better” than those before it.
