By Tyler Wright
A community based film production showcasing the work of female creatives in the Dandenong Ranges launched at Burrinja Cultural Centre on Saturday.
‘Creative Ladies in the Hills and Valleys’ showcases the work of artists from Olinda, Sherbrooke, Upwey, Monbulk, Selby, Belgrave and Warburton.
Pearley Jones, Selby-based director, producer and composer, said the idea to document these women germinated from Melbourne’s lockdowns.
“Each participating artist has shared their story in the movie about their love of the arts, the local area and the importance of investing in self-care to live one’s best life,” Ms Jones said.
“I wanted to build up community connections [so] artists would form new connections with each other and with their communities.”
From the moment the former journalist applied for funding from Yarra Ranges Council, the creation of the documentary was a two-year process.
“I met one [artist] at the markets, I found one through Open Studios…I did a bit of research, it was a fairly intuitive process,” Ms Jones said.
“I wanted a broad cross section of artists – women that were committed to the area, passionate about their craft – somehow they all had a positive outlook on life and innate generosity, which has added such tremendous value and warmth to the narrative in the documentary.”
Ms Jones collaborated with Melbourne-based award winning videographer Vanessa White to curate a visual tapestry which highlights the essence of the local arts scene and colourful townships, something the director said forms the “fabric of our community”.
For Olinda-based painter Emma Jennings, the day-long filming journey began at her home studio and trickled outside into a nearby patch of forest impacted by last year’s June storm.
“I’ve had a bit of practice because I’m in my gallery myself selling my work and talking about it directly with people – I did the Dandenong Ranges Open Studios for a few years where I was able to practice talking about my work; so that felt pretty comfortable. I suppose I’m not used to doing that with cameras pointed at me,” Ms Jennings said.
“[The documentary] shows a really good cross section of my work, my ideas and materials with beautiful imagery,” she said.
“It’s really bold, brave and important. Our struggles are very similar. A lot of the women featured have children and that is a very real and important part of our lives which does present a unique set of challenges for us as professional artists, trying to build a career and a practice and a business around raising children. The industry is predominantly dominated historically by men. And so it’s taken a long time for women to break through that mold and find our way.”
Yarra Ranges Council, the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and Regional Arts Victoria were key partners in the project.
Details for the film distribution are being finalised and Pearley Jones has received interest from Yarra Ranges Life TV, The Memo Healesville, Yarra Ranges Council, tourism groups and an Abbotsford creative community called ‘2 Mayfield Street.’
For the director, the courage of each artist was a stand out while creating the film.
“They all excelled on screen and in telling their story; each of them are very genuine stories, they’re very heartwarming. And give real insights into what it is like to be an artist in the modern world, who’s juggling family, children, relationships with other people, and somehow trying to carve out some time for their passion projects and for things that are important to them,” Ms Jones said.
