Kirsten Bacon

Kirsten Bacon and Mike Sampey don’t live a conventional life, and they don’t tell conventional stories.

On a small, wind-shaped island in the Huon River, where access depends on tides and weather, their days are already full. Caring for family, maintaining a home that sits closer to nature than infrastructure, navigating the quiet, constant logistics of island life that most people never see.

And yet, in the spaces between all of that, they create.

Not for funding, not for recognition, but because the stories matter.

Together, they are independent filmmakers documenting the kinds of stories that often go unseen. Environmental stories, community stories, human stories. The quiet work of Landcare groups restoring fragile ecosystems, the lived experiences of marginalised communities, the deep connection between people and place.

Their work stretches from Tasmania to remote regions, including films like Larapinta End to End, currently showing on SBS, each piece grounded in respect, truth, and a deep sense of responsibility to the people and environments they film.

But here is the reality.

Every film they create is built around passion, not funding. 

They work mostly unfunded, fitting filmmaking around caregiving, advocacy, and the realities of earning a living. Often, they capture extraordinary footage in difficult, remote conditions, only to return to Huon Island without the tools needed to edit efficiently. Stories that should be seen now sit waiting, not because they lack importance, but because they lack capacity.

And that is where something as simple as a laptop becomes powerful.

Not a luxury, not a personal indulgence, but a tool.

A mobile editing studio that would allow them to turn raw footage into finished films, from the island, from the coastline, from wherever the story takes them. 

Because for Kirsten and Mike, it is simple. More films means more awareness, more awareness means real change.

They are raising $X to purchase a reliable laptop that will allow them to edit, store, and produce films wherever they are. This is not just about equipment, it is about impact. It is about ensuring that stories of oceans under pressure, fragile island ecosystems, and communities on the margins are not delayed, diluted, or lost.

By supporting them, you are not just helping two filmmakers.You are helping bring unseen stories into the light.

As our work requires an industry-grade, top-tier setup, we are seeking a professional-level workstation capable of supporting high-end filmmaking.

This means an apple  system designed for 8K workflows, advanced colour grading, and large-scale projects — the kind of capability needed for studio-level production.

Estimated cost: AUD $5,500 – $7,000+

This level of equipment will allow us to:
• Edit and process 8K footage
• Undertake advanced colour grading
• Manage complex, large-scale film projects
• Produce work to a professional, broadcast-ready standard

The bottom line is this:
This isn’t just a laptop , it’s our editing studio, the difference between footage sitting unseen and stories that can change how people see the world.