PRESS RELEASE
The Perth International Arts Festival, ABC Television and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) are calling for Super 8 footage of Australia’s coastline for their stunning documentary Girt by Sea.
The documentary team are giving all Australians the chance to have their home movie footage included! They want to see all sorts of adventures -surfing, swimming, fishing, shipbuilding, holidays, industry -everything that captures life on the Australian coast.
Does your family holiday Super 8 footage include great scenes by the Australian shore? Did you work on the ocean and capture some of the coastal industry that played a key role in the building of Australia? If so, Girt by Sea needs you!
Produced by Re Angle Pictures and Digital Jellyfish, Girt by Sea is a documentary project that will present a lyrical interpretation of Australian's relationship to the coast – in work, in play and beyond. The NFSA and ABC Archives will open their vaults to reveal the richness and variety of stories and lives on Australia's vast seaboard. Directed by Shane McNeil, the archival footage will be accompanied by a newly commissioned soundtrack composed by award-winning Australian band The Panics.
Girt by Sea will have its world premiere at the Perth International Arts Festival in February 2014, and will be broadcast on ABC TV soon after.
Perth Festival Artistic Director Jonathan Holloway said, “We are delighted to be a commissioning partner of Girt by Sea, which will feature in the 2014 Perth Festival in an expanded presentation with some exciting ‘special extras’ to be announced later this year.”
“We urge audiences to share their memories of the coast with the rest of Australia by uploading their old footage and taking part in this exciting national story.”
If selected, the audience footage will become part of the film or an ABC online project that will showcase 100 of the best clips. The footage selected by the producers for inclusion in the film will be preserved in the prestigious home movie collection at the NFSA.
Visit www.abc.net.au/arts/girtbysea for more information about the project and how you can submit your footage.
About Girt by Sea
• Commissioned by ABC TV Arts and Perth International Arts Festival
• Funded by ScreenWest, Screen Australia and the National Film and Sound Archive
• Produced by Re Angle Pictures and Digital Jellyfish
• Directed by Shane McNeil
• An original score by The Panics and collaborators
About the team
Heather Croall of Re Angle Pictures has extensive experience as an independent documentary film and interactive media producer and director. Her producing credits include From the Sea to the Land Beyond, the 2012 BBC documentary that provided inspiration for Girt By Sea. Since 2006 Heather has been the director of the Sheffield International Documentary Festival.
Digital Jellyfish is an emerging West Australian film and television production company with Kate Separovich at the helm. Kate has experience in a diverse background of productions from all over the world.
Shane McNeil is a director and writer who has worked across children’s television series, music videos, short features, online games, full-length documentary specials and, most recently, an animated short film written by Shaun Micallef.
The Panics are an ARIA Award-winning indie rock band originally from Perth and currently based in Melbourne. They have released four albums, including their most recent album Rain on a Humming Wire.