Help, Help Helppppppp….. the bees and the planet.
The bees are protesting against Scomo’s inaction on lowering carbon emissions. The proof: Sussan Ley, federal environment minister approved three new coal projects in September with another 9 waiting for approval. How’s that for sticking it up the bees. Go the bees… and if you have a film about climate change, enter it in the Dare to Struggle Film Festival and be in it for $5,000 1st prize, supporting people making films about struggle. Check it out www.daretostrugglefilmfestival.net.au
Speak Up – Struggle against silence
Urakka Sol (Speak Up) is the name of a short film currently being made by Bankstown Tamil woman, Harshana Manokaran.
The struggle she has overcome is silence. The silence of sexual assault, especially in a conservative, tight-knit community.
I want to capture the pain of silence and the power of speaking up,” Harshana says, speaking of the stigma of being open about childhood sexual assault. In her small Sri Lankan Tamil community she was very much encouraged not to speak up.
“Nobody wants that kind of attention. Culturally it’s looked at differently. You’re told you’ll be excluded from the community, you’ll find it hard to get a husband. No-one wants to hear about this.”
Three years after being sexually assaulted by an uncle, Harshana made a report through school. However serious depression and trauma triggered by the process, led her to drop the court case. Her abuser kept his anonymity.
“At that point I thought I have to end this cycle of abuse, otherwise this will effect me for the rest of my life.”
Harshana then took matters into her own hands. She told her story on a YouTube video – identifying her abuser, warning her community to protect their children, and asserting that it’s OK to speak up.
While she took the video down a day or so later – the impact was huge. She received an influx of messages from women – young and old, married and single and from different cultural backgrounds.
They praised Harshana’s courage to push up against the stigma. Many women messaged her privately about their sexual assaults. Often it was the first time these women had spoken of their experiences.
Personally for Harshana, who is now a provisional psychologist, speaking up gave her the freedom to let go and move on. She also did not have to see her abuser again.
Speak Up, her short film entry to the Dare to Struggle Film Festival, is a conversation between two characters. One is Harshana, going back and remembering her experiences. The other character is Society – played by a number of actors – voicing the often negative commentary to sexual assault victims. @Harsheys_stand
Entries open to the Dare to Struggle Film Festival on December 1.
Jack Mundey Film to screen at Canadian Film Festival
A feature made by DTSFF Committee members Jill Hickson and John Reynolds on Jack Mundey, has been officially selected at the Canadian Labour International Film Festival. Dare to Struggle Dare to Win, The Life and Politics of Jack Mundey will be screened at the prestigious Canadian Film Festival in November this year.
Jack Mundey is the inspiration behind the creation of the Australian Dare to Struggle Film Festival. DTSFF will take place in April 2022, so get cracking on making your short film! Submissions open from December 1, 2021 to March 18, 2022. Keep watching the website for more details on how to enter and register your interest in making a film here. Training support is also available if you need it.
‘Rosemary’s Way’ doco about Rosemary Kariuku: review
“One of the irrepressible stars of The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe is back as the vivacious subject of a new documentary”, writes the Guardian.
Rosemary’s Way captures the various initiatives for migrant and refugee women living in Australia run by or with assistance from Kariuki, who this year won an Australian of the Year Local Hero award in recognition of her ongoing extracurricular work.