5:00PM SATURDAY 15 JUNE
Showcasing regional filmmakers’ work, our LOCALS program has grown into a beloved Festival fixture. It invites filmmakers of all experience levels to submit a non-fiction work of up to six minutes’ duration and of any style or genre. Between this Festival and last year’s, filmmakers had the opportunity to hone their films through a series of workshops with local filmmakers Tony Jackson, Leonie Van Eyk, Bergen O’Brien and Kyla Brettle. Special guests included Kate Pappas, Sam Dinning and Rob Buttery.
This year’s result: a fresh and wonderful mix that includes films from both first time and experienced filmmakers. The evening will be MC’d by Suzanne Donisthorpe and Tony Jackson.
PRIZE
All screening filmmakers are in the running for one of two Black Magic Design DaVinci Resolve Studios, worth $500 each.
PRESENTED BY
The Mill Castlemaine
LOCALS 2024 Program
Macapella
Singing does amazing things for individuals and even more when you sing in a group. It reduces stress and brings people together. This film is about The Macapella Choir and how singing in a group connects participants to the divine.
CREDITS
Lucy Armstrong, Fred Farquhar, Richard McLeish
20/70
This is a film born out of the projection project for the Castlemaine Art Museum whereby Michael Wolfe made a series of portraits of artists who were 20 in the 1970’s and are now 70 in the 2020’s.
CREDITS
Suzanne Donisthorpe, Michael Wolfe, Rob Burke and Clare Hall
Castlemaine Billy Cart Challenge 2023
The Castlemaine Billy Cart Challenge has a long history that dates back to 1949, drawing old and young alike to build carts and race or cheer them on. Who will win the fastest time bombing the hill? Or is it the whole community that wins?
CREDITS
Lisa Mills, Kerry Anderson, Damon Girbon
Pennyweight Flat
On the outskirts of Castlemaine an exposed, sandstone reef clutches the remains of hundreds of children. They perished, 170 years ago, in misery and gloom.
This languid film grasps at memories and finds beauty amidst the melancholy.
CREDITS
Elizabeth Geddes, Lucy Armstrong. Gus Read-Hill
A Bunch Of Noise
Local musician Jem talks about his process of discovering music in found objects and how some people turn their nose up at what he creates.
CREDITS
Sam Loy, Jem Ponussamy, Jace Rogers, King Bean
Get Up and Dance
A one-hit-wonder 70s band provides an absolute banger of a forgotten soundtrack for Castlemaine’s amazing population of dancers, who don’t need asking twice.
CREDIT
Cate Kennedy
A Muddy Drop
A Muddy Drop is about healthy soil, hidden worlds and finding a new perspective on the earth we share.
CREDITS
Kyla Brettle, Mikaela Beckley, Richard Wynn, Rob Law
Asma
Asma is an 11 year old Rohingya girl living in the world’s largest refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh. We gave her a camera and asked her to film her life.
CREDITS
Asma Khanom, Navida Ameen Nizhu, Ian White
Myrteza Blue
Myrteza Blue is the intimate portrait of Graeme Myrteza — a once multi-generational farmer and now celebrated Australian landscape painter. Filmmaker Eren Besiroglu chronicles Myrteza through his meditations on artistic exploration, evoking Myrteza to explore the question: “Why did I embark on the journey of painting at the age of 60?”.
CREDITS
Eren Besiroglu, Lawrence Phelan, Austin Paley, Adrian Eppel, Lewis Coleman, Lucy Cawood, John Blyth, Ryan Granger, Danielle Blyth
How I Fell in Love with Grass
How I Fell in Love with Grass describes a growing relationship with something I once took for granted. A musing on life, love and growing older.
CREDITS
Sam Downing, Tim Ratcliffe, Romy Ratcliffe
QUEER QAPITALISM@CANNES
A micro-documentary that explores Queer perspectives on Capitalism using original veritae footage and interview of an an award winning Queer director live at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
CREDITS
David Farrington
The Making Of The Remake Of Jurassic Park
An observational documentary following a group of Castlemaine locals with little filmmaking experience as they attempt to make a shot for shot remake of Jurassic Park.
CREDITS
Tim Davis, Al Moore & John Roebuck.
The Festival at a glance
Friday 14 June
Theatre Royal
5:00pm
Music from Brazazul
a beautiful moment
Ag Fab: From Paddock to Catwalk
7:30pm
Acknowledgement of Country
8:00pm
WINHANGANHA and Q&A
9:30pm
Drinks at Love Shack
Saturday 15 June
Theatre Royal
11:00am
Obsessed with Light
2:00pm
Starring Jerry as Himself
5:00pm
LOCALS
8:00pm
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande
9:30pm
Party with The Afrobiotics at Theatre Royal
Sunday 16 June
Theatre Royal
11:00am
The Gullspång Miracle
2:00pm
The Koalas and Q&A
5:00pm
Apolonia, Apolonia
8:00pm
The Road to Patagonia
9:30pm
Drinks at Love Shack
FILMS & GAMES IN THE YURT
On the Western Reserve
SATURDAY 15 June
11:30am
Kids on the Silk Road: Girl away from home {film} and The Monkey King {film}
1:00pm
Werewolves {game}
4:00pm
a beautiful moment {film}
7:00pm
Werewolves {game}
SUNDAY 16 June
11:30am
Kids on the Silk Road: Bird Boy {film} and Girl with goals {film}
1:00pm
Werewolves {game}
4:00pm
Ag Fab: From Paddock to Catwalk {film}
5:00pm
Werewolves {game}