THE STORY

When five young adults - Dominic, Lisa, Jeremy, Charlie, and Brooke - come together for a private wake, to mourn the loss of Nan, a woman who fostered dozens of children, including them, over the years, what was supposed to be a quiet moment of grieving quickly becomes more.  Around a campfire, tensions rise as they reflect on their relationships with Nan, regrets harboured,  and the impact of an incredible woman. As secrets are unveiled, and resentments brought to the surface, the five must decide if they will remain united as a family, or go their separate ways.

The WA Screen Academy is collaborating with the WAAPA Aboriginal Performance course to create a short film, devised with the students.

THE CAST

The cast is the 2018 Aboriginal Performance class at WAAPA. The cast has been working with writer, Corey, and director, Adrienne, to devise a story over the past month. 

THE CREW

Corey Booth // Writer

Corey is a directing and screenwriting student at the WA Screen Academy. Prior to his studies, Corey completed a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Film & Video) at Edith Cowan University and graduated with First Class Honours. At the Screen Academy, he directed the short drama When Harri Met Salma, the documentary Someone Cares, and wrote the screenplay for the short film Spiral. When he graduates his Master's Degree, Corey hopes to further develop his writing and directing craft.

Adrienne Cobbs // Director

Originally hailing from Seattle USA, Adrienne has lived and travelled all over the world. She counts studying filmmaking in Perth as one of the greatest experiences in her life. She completed an Advanced Diploma in Media Studies at TAFE, where she was nominated for Vocational Student of the Year Award by her film lecturers. She came to the Screen Academy to study directing. She pitched the idea for the short film Raw based on he sister’s experiences in Afghanistan and enjoyed every moment of directing the short film. Adrienne hopes to continue to make the most of her learning experience at Screen Academy and to transition into the industry that she loves so much.

Melanie Julien-Martial // Producer

Having always loved film and theatre, Mel abandoned her ‘practical’ science degree to complete a Bachelor of Creative Industries in Film and Video at Edith Cowan University. At the WA Screen Academy, Mel has delved into her areas of interest; producing and screenwriting, and during this time, has also developed a passion for directing. She had the pleasure of producing the short film When Harri Met Salma and the short documentary The First Astronomers (Working Title), as well as gaining experience in other crew roles. 

Morgan Maclannan // Associate Producer

Morgan graduated with a Bachelor in Film and Screen Production from Notre Dame University in 2016. She then worked at French Woods Festival, an American summer camp where she taught kids of all ages how to make short films. After being left to edit the films for the kids, and editing the live theatre shows, Morgan fell in love with the post-production process. She returned Perth to pursue editing at the WA Screen Academy in 2018. She edited Filch and the documentary Radical.

Brendan Joel // Cinematographer

Brendan is passionate about sharing stories on screen. For the past eight years, he has worked as a freelance filmmaker on a wide variety of projects across Australia including promotional and music videos and short films as well as a multi award winning audio/visual show with vocal loop artist Sam Perry. He joined the WA Screen Academy in order to refine his skills and learn more about the craft of cinematography. Working as cinematographer on the short films Noah and Spiral, he has thoroughly enjoyed his time learning, exploring and collaborating with fellow creatives. 

Saba Tsegay-Gidey // Editor

Saba left her hometown in Sudan to live to Perth with her family so they could have a better future. She has always found the entertainment industries both exciting and challenging. She completed her undergraduate degree in media and communications at ECU, where one of her documentaries was broadcast on channel 9. She also worked as editor on one of the Revelation Film Festival’s City of Vincent films.  Saba is currently undertaking her Masters at the WA Screen Academy specialising in editing. She edited the short film Raw and documentary The Plastic Challenge.

James Brock // Sound Recordist & Sound Designer

James is a Perth based sound recordist. He has worked professionally for the past three years in both film and live broadcast. This year, he has been assisting the WA Screen Academy out of a desire to increase his range of skills and wanting to push himself to his limits.

To make this short film to a high standard, we require funds for equipment which we do not currently have access to. This includes the following:

$1,200 - Lighting kit hire at approx. $300 per day, for 4 days. Lighting will be especially important for this film, to create mood. Additionally, night shoots will be required, and we will also need to light campfire scenes.

$800 - Camera department and lighting truck hire and unit van hire. There is a lot of equipment to move from location to location, and we require hired vehicles to achieve this.

Any additional funds raised will go towards extra equipment, unit and catering, cast and crew transport costs, and film festival entry fees.