Part of a Bigger World

One of the more unexpected aspects to come from working with the SLQ film program is the fascinating range of people that I've had the privelege of meeting along the way. On the surface of it, the idea of putting together a weekly movie program (sometimes six months in advance) is the type of job that one might find isolationst. Surely the very act of screening a movie is a passive one, where all elements are pre-determined, and the spontanaeity of a genuinely live eventfalls by the wayside?  The audience pretty much knows what they're getting, we sit in the dark, and it's over.

For the last two years we've been privelleged to play host to this event, and we're certainly richer for it. The show is a testament to the fact that every person that arrives in our country brings a new skill-set with  them, and a celebration of this new age where the tools to create movies are more accessible than ever before, allowing local "film scenes" to flourish in much the same way the local music scene in Brisbane evolved from the notion of anyone being able to get on stage and do their thing.  It has been not only a platform for the exploration of social issues, but equally important, it's a day when people from the most diverse origins and life experiences can just get together and go to the movies.   I can't wait for next year.