Matt Kingerlee

Where No Vultures Fly is the tale of a young boy’s fight to rescue his favourite waterhole from the destructive farming practices of his dismissive father.

At dawn and dusk Daniel plays with his toy boat and a pair of snails at the water’s edge. But life on the farm takes a devastating turn when Daniel’s father changes his farming practices. Consequently, Daniel’s waterhole becomes the victim of pollution and pesticide runoff. In a desperate bid to save his waterhole, the determined and passionate young boy takes a stand against his father. What Daniel does not know is the greater war that is being fought and for Daniel, this war is meeting him at his very doorstep.

Set in rural Victoria, Where No Vultures Fly, is the story of the modern day environmentalist and the battle that is occurring all around the world to protect the old growth forests, oceans and wild landscapes that are struggling to survive at the hands of human activity and climate change.

This is a massive topic and the themes that we are covering in this short film are incredibly complex. So Where No Vultures Fly is taking it down a notch to make these themes relatable and tangible to young people as well as older audience members. The story is told through the perspective of 10-year-old country boy, Daniel, so the imagery is incredibly vivid and attention to detail is paramount.



You will only ever see Daniel in full view while the adult characters such as Daniel’s father remain faceless figures within the short film. The other character is the waterhole that will be brought to life with its interaction with Daniel and the animals that come to feed and drink from it. The character of Daniel is a very hopeful figure within the film and in many ways is mature beyond his years.

We will be utilising the iconic Australian visual and auditory landscape in all of its beauty and extremes. This will take audiences back to childhood where we played in our favourite tree or made secret hide outs in our back yard. We all loved those special places in nature and Daniel is the kind of kid who is ready to fight for what he loves. The films ending will leave audiences with a very strong message through powerful imagery and symbolism.

Environmental disaster is one of the most relevant and pressing themes within our current world, and Where No Vultures Fly is an Australian short film that is telling this universal story.

Where No Vultures Fly has already gained festival interest and my team and I are expecting international and national film festival success.

We are not only passionate about natural conservation, but also the conservation of analogue film. It is a medium that has seen a decline in recent years, due to the comparative ease of digital formats, but is absolutely unparalleled in terms of look and image quality.
So we are choosing to shoot on 16mm film, which will also give Where No Vultures Fly an organic look to suit the narrative's story and message. The cost of film stock and processing accounts for $1500 of our budget.

To shoot on such a beautiful medium, such as 16mm film, with cheap lenses would not do the film justice. So we are renting out a set of Zeiss superspeeds, and a macro lens, to give the film a crisp, sharp aesthetic. This will cost us $600.

All of our cast and crew care so much about this project that they are giving their time for free. But that means we need to make it up to them in other ways. So we are spending $150/shoot-day, to keep them all well fed and comfortable.

The location for this film is a stunning property in the hills of Victoria's Gippsland region. I can't understate how pretty this location is, but it can be a bit of a pain to get to. So we'll be spending $700 to transport cast and crew there, and home again at the end.

For some reason, no matter how well you plan and budget to make a film, there are always unexpected costs. So we've allocated 15% of the budget as a contingency, for those unpredictable situations.

Any additional money we raise over $3500 will be well spent, on extra pieces of equipment, and gifts for those people that have given their time, expertise, help, and money without asking for anything in return.

When shooting film there are always doubts at the back of your mind, like 'Am I sure that it's exposed correctly?', 'Was the camera properly loaded?' and 'Am I using too much film?'. The risks are real, and you can't know if everything has worked until you get your processed film back 2 weeks later. But we do have a skilled crew, confident in their abilities, who are genuinely relishing the challenges that analogue film offers.

The other significant challenge is raising enough money to make this film. And that's where you come in.
We implore you to give what you can to make this film a reality, and ensure success on the festival circuit.
Any donation is helpful, and we are so grateful for anything you can give. Spreading the word, and sharing our project with family and friends, is so valuable for making this project a success.

Thank you for your time.