Dream Time Quick Sand

My days were long and tiring. Filming key writers like Sharon Olds, Thomas Keneally and Tracy Farr for my "journey" documentary turned ever quickly into bitter sweet quick sand.

My partner and I would be spending late nights planning out our days and interview questions, with days spent honing into presentations to start filming at the right time to capture the topic of conversation that would work with our film. The spirit was there, willing and fighting, loving so much of what these writers were painting all over the audiences faces. Smiling. But, we had a broken smile. Working off minimal sleep and almost 98% work time. Exhausted. 

What I took away from these lectures was an SD card of footage, a memory of inspiring stories, unclear of who they belonged to and a deep desire to sleep. It was all a blur, really. I didn't think that much about what the writers said or who said it. Until I slept.

I dreamed. Every night in Mildura. I dreamt about stories and places, living out my dreams. Every morning I woke excited; inspired to write scripts and screenplays. I also woke up exhausted, every day. Unfortunately I forgot all my ideas. 

I cannot remember who exactly said it, but I am so sad that I didn't practice it. "Just write, get all your ideas out onto paper and don't think". 

If I had done that at least my dreams would still be real and not lost in a dream time quick sand. 

Underneath the Orange Rind

Red dirt, deceiving sunshine. Home soil of the Mildura Writers Festival.

When I arrived, I didn't expect what I found. Beyond the heart of Mildura's intimate world; the nature, thriving community and small town feel, the roots were intwined and connected, linking the people (both writers and locals) to the festival.

As days rolled in due course, crops began to grow in the lecture rooms and our minds, revealing eye widening citrus and lip curving content when I slowly peeled back the orange husk.

The sweet juicy centre of ripened writers blew my mind. I'm not saying that every writer was my taste. I harvested from those who spoke to my essence, taking the fragments that were sweet on the ear, unknowingly walking into a feast of knowledge in each lecture.

The writers that stood out for me, I interviewed alongside my partner. Thomas Keneally was one subject, vibrant of colour and wisdom. He over most branched out of the writer line up, as I set my eyes on palatable potentials.

For a man so wrinkled and ripe on the outside, is so full of life on the inside.

He gave me a taste of his journey, telling stories about "residing back into a child like state", a technique he grasps to structure his writing. He has grown so long in the literate sun that he has absorbed the rays of wisdom, now glowing from his essence. It is no wonder he is an amazing writer.

Tom has grown and planted idea seeds in many, making him a obvious meal for the mind, ripe for the picking.

Stefano's Roots

Intimate. Connected. Organic. Closeness. Community. Familiarity. Natural.

These are the words used by Stefano de Pieri today in an interview to describe his connection with Mildura and the land it settles on. It is home for the people who live here, and a home away from home for the writers of the Mildura Writers Festival, visitors or even passers through.

There is definitely a energy here that is busy a connected; whether it be people to other people or people to the land. Despite the isolation, there is also an abundance of what Stefano describes that you will never get in any major city.

Day One; Writers in ACTION was not a lie.

Energetic. 

It's my word for the day. From the moment I slid into my new friend Liz's car this icy morning, the adventure energy was already flowin'. In her passenger seat riding 'shot gun' was a guy who enthusiastically introduced himself as Lewi (Lewis). I was so looking forward to see the rest of the people who have cascaded themselves into the Writers in Action: Mildura Writers Festival goodie bag.

Greeted with a warm smile and quirky charm, I finally met Sue who I had spoken to on the phone about my drive to create a documentary about the 'Adventure of Writing', using the festival as a case study, but thats another post. I could tell that her warm and bouncy attitude would make taking this subject a rewarding and exciting experience to learn more about writing.

Gradually, the class piled in. It was really nice to be meeting fresh faces in a new location. Everyone seems like a great character and I look forward to seeing them over the next 4 days. The room had great energy that just grew as the day progressed. It was a comfortable and inspiring atmosphere that I think great connections and creativity will fly.




Tonight, Vincent and I had the privilege of filming the Thomas Keneally interview, guided by Mildura's very own Stefano. You could just tell by his long stories that Tom is a story teller/writer. We made some great connections also, like Paul who has said he will help us organise the interviews or anything we need. As did Danata.

The whole day was action without a pause.
It felt nice, but now, I am exhausted.

Pre- Writers Festival Excitement

Photography by Getzal Photography Australia  

I have heard about the Bendigo Writers Festival from other students at La Trobe which got me excited about the subject, so I looked into it. Much to my surprise I enrolled into the festival held in Mildura, a small town on the edge of the Australian desert. Because I am primarily a film and cinema student, this idea in itself that got me jumping out of my seat in pure joy as it is a great location for film and filmography opportunities.

During the festival, Im hoping to gain a lot of inspiration from texts that interest me, from writers like Alexis Wright that focus a lot on Indigenous Australians and non-fiction script writes like Thomas Keneally. I wonder what it is that has drawn these writers to Mildura. I really want to find out the connection between the meanings between a page and words for these writers; the words and the narrative; the narrative and the image; the image to the moment. The connections between locations and events that inspire the words of a writer, helping them to create a deep and meaningful message conveyed in a piece. To me, these are the important layers that help me with a story, however different, are intwined.

"A picture is worth a thousand words". But how many words worth was the moment in time, or the motion of inspiration derived from the world, that these writers sought from. This intrigues me the most.

Photography by Josie Cosgrove