Jun
28

Wind & Sky Documentaries on the Big Screen at Federation Square

Thanks to our friends at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, two Wind & Sky docos are screening at the outdoor Big Screen at Federation Square in Melbourne’s CBD. Rug up because it’s a wintry week ahead, and come along to see a film before enjoying the Melbourne nightlife!

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Apr
21

Savoy Ladies Group Wins a Sunny Award

Wind & Sky Productions is the proud recipient of a Sunny Award for Best Film Cultural Diversity for the short documentary ‘The Savoy Ladies Group’. The award ceremony was held on Sunday the 17th April 2016 as part of the Setting Sun Short Film Festival at the beautiful Sun Theatre, Yarraville.

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Apr
10

Savoy Ladies in the Setting Sun

Come along to the glorious art deco Sun Theatre in Yarraville to watch our film The Savoy Ladies Group.

Wind & Sky Productions is pleased to announce that ‘The Savoy Ladies Group’ is screening as part of the Setting Sun Short Film Festival at the Sun Theatre, Yarraville, on Saturday the 16th April.

The 10 minute documentary follows Rosa, President of the Savoy Ladies Group, as she tells the story of Italians in the North-East, tobacco farming, women, family and friendship.

Where: Sun Theatre, 8 Ballarat Street, Yarraville

When: 4:30 pm, Saturday the 16th April.

Book tickets online or call 03 3962 0999.

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Mar
11

Exile: Songs & Tales of Irish Australia

Paul Kelly, Exile Concert, QPAC, February 2016. Photograph by Benjamin Knight.

The visuals featured live and still footage, produced by Wind & Sky Productions.

Still from visuals, Exile Concert. Wind & Sky Productions.

 

 

Shane Howard with the 'Eureka' visuals behind him, Exile Concert, Melbourne, February 2016. Photograph by Tim Chmeilewski.

Shane Howard, Exile Dress Rehearsal, Hamer Hall. Photo by Tim Chmeilewski.

 

 

Still from the section An Gorta Mor, the Great Hunger. This photograph of a sculpture by Rowan Gillespie featured animated snow effects by Jary Nemo.

Still from An Gorta Mor visual segment, Exile Concert. Wind & Sky Productions.

 

 

Still from Ned Kelly visual segment, Exile Concert, images produced by Wind & Sky Productions.

Still from Ned Kelly visual segment, Exile Concert, Wind & Sky Productions.

 

 

Exile Visuals, Modernity segment. By Wind & Sky Productions.

Exile Visuals, Modernity segment. By Wind & Sky Productions.

 

 

Shane Howard, Exile Dress Rehearsal, Melbourne. Photo by Tim Chmeilewski.

Leah Flanagan, Exile Concert, QPAC. Photo by Benjamin Knight.

This stirring live musical celebration of the Irish in Australia featured specially commissioned documentary visuals and special effects by Wind & Sky Productions.

A CD/DVD recording of the concert is now available for download or order from ABC Music at the link https://abcmusic.lnk.to/Exile

The Exile Concert

Ireland’s greatest export has been her people and for centuries emigration and exile have been harsh, repeating themes of Irish history.

This live event celebrated the Irish impact on Australian life by bringing together an exciting array of music artists from Ireland and Australia. The enduring influence of the Irish on Australian history, music and politics was recounted through a combination of music, song, documentary film visuals, text and narration.

Almost a third of all Australians claim some degree of Irish descent. Through abundant literature, music, poetry and art, as well as a keen hunger for justice, the Irish spirit has stamped itself on the evolving culture of Australia.

The concert toured Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Queensland in February 2016 with performers Paul Kelly, Declan O’Rourke, Leah Flanagan, Sean Tyrrell, Shane Howard, Lynnelle Moran, Pauline Scanlon, John Spillane and Aine Tyrrell stirring sell out crowds in the largest concert venues in the country.

‘Exile’ was produced by Goanna Arts and Troubadour Touring and supported by funding from the Culture Ireland. The project was a fitting way to commemorate the centenary year of the 1916 Easter Uprising, the catalyst for Ireland’s nationhood.

There is no denying the contribution that the Irish have made to Australian life. It’s certainly varied but rarely dull.

Documentary Visuals and Effects

Artistic Director Shane Howard of Goanna Arts commissioned Wind & Sky Productions to produce the concert visuals. The ambitious combination of short documentary film segments, text displays and stills covered the history of Ireland and Australia from ancient times to modernity. Wind & Sky Productions producers Lucinda Horrocks and Jary Nemo worked closely with Shane to fine tune the documentary story segments, adding their signature qualities of simple, powerful visual storytelling combined with solid historical research, to the project.

Core documentary content covered Ireland’s golden age, the English conquest of Ireland, colonisation and oppression, convict transportation to Australia, the impact and devastation of the famine, the contrasting experience of Australian Aboriginal people, migration of the Irish to Australia, the influence of the Irish on core events such as the Eureka Stockade, the union movement, Federation, and World War 1 and the enduring legacy of the Irish on Australian society and politics.

The concert also emphasised the stories of three significant Irish Australian heroes: John Boyle O’Reilly the celebrated American poet and escaped convict, the spirited, rebellious Ned Kelly, and the Sisters of St John of God who fought entrenched government racism towards Aboriginal people of the Kimberley in the 1930s.

Each documentary segment, though short, had, in typical Wind & Sky Productions style, a lot going on under each seemingly simple narrative. The visuals provided a fitting and moving context for the live musical performances of traditional and contemporary songs performed by a celebrated line up of Australian and Irish artists.

These live performances intermingled with documentary to powerful effect to sell out crowds at Hamer Hall Melbourne, the Adelaide Festival Centre, the Factory Theatre Sydney and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane in February 2016.

Screenings/ Events

Port Fairy Folk Festival 2018, Friday 9 March, 2018.

Exile Concert with special guests the QPAC Choir, QPAC, Brisbane, Monday 29 February 2016.

‘A Special evening With…’, Factory Theatre, Marrickville, Wednesday 24 February 2016.

Exile Concert, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide, Sunday 21 February 2016.

Exile Concert, Hamer Hall, Melbourne, Saturday 20 February 2016.

Reviews

John Dexter, The Great Australian-Irish Songbook: Shane Howard’s Exile, The Adelaide Review, February 4, 2016.

Bronwen Caple, Exile: Songs & Tales of Irish Australia @ Adelaide Festival Centre 21/02/2016, Amplify, Australian Music Network, 22 February 2016.

Honey B, Exile: Songs & Tales of Irish Australia, Adelaide Festival Theatre, Sunday, February 21, Entertainment Hive.

Mark O’Connor, Exile: Songs & Tales Of Irish Australia @ The Factory Theatre Review , scenestr, Friday 26 February 2016.

Audience Reactions

“Fantastic concert…worth the drive from Cairns,” Lisa O’Mara, Facebook

“Fabulous show.. Very touching, and such amazing talent”, Suzanne Clark, Facebook

“Wonderful, wonderful show in Adelaide on Sunday night. Very touching, fabulous music, great but sad stories that need to be told. Far more than I was expecting”, Chuck Wainright, Facebook

“Saw Exile last night in Adelaide, loved every bit of it, so interesting as well as great music and all the artists were awesome”, Shirley Snelling, Facebook

“A wonderful event. A revelation of the sadness of the past. And also celebration of the joy, and the music, in the hands of true artists.” Kevin Rooney, Facebook

“It was magical night. Worth every penny! Would go to it again.” Gerard Tuffield, Facebook

Further Information

‘Exile’ concert was produced by Goanna Arts and Troubadour Music with funding from Culture Ireland.

 

EX-Logos-1-01

 

The concert visuals and special effects were produced by Wind & Sky Productions.

EX-Logos-2-01-03-02

 

 

Exile Project Credits

Feature Artists (in order of appearance):
Pauline Scanlon, Declan O’Rourke, John Spillane, Lynelle Moran, Leah Flanagan, Shane Howard, Sean Tyrell, Aine Tyrell and Paul Kelly
Fiddle/Mandolin:
Ewen Baker
Harp/Piano:
Michelle Doyle
Pipes/Whistles:
Nick Martin
Flute/Whistles:
Lynnelle Moran
Drums & Percussion :
Greg Sheehan
Bass/Mandolin/Guitar:
John Hudson
Button Accordion:
Paddy Fitzgerald
Guitar/Didjeridu:
Shane Howard
Mandocello/Banjo:
Sean Tyrrell
Produced by:
Teresa O’Brien, Fran Daly and Alicia Massey
Musical Director:
Ewen Baker
Production Manager:
Sarah Liversidge
Stage Manager:
Brock Brocklesby
Tour Manager:
Austin Fogarty
Audio Engineer:
Brett Doig
Lighting Design:
Matt King
Consulting Historian:
Edward Ryan
Traditional Music Consultant:
Paddy Fitzgerald
Assistant Artistic Director:
Steven Richardson
Original Concept by:
Shane Howard.

Film Production Credits

Produced by:
Shane Howard, Lucinda Horrocks, Jary Nemo and Teresa O’Brien
Directed and Edited by:
Jary Nemo
Written by:
Shane Howard with Lucinda Horrocks
Music Direction and Sound Production:
Shane Howard
Narrated by:
Aine Tyrell and Shane Howard
Irish Translations/Aistriúchán le:
Edward Ryan/ Éamonn ÓRiain
Visual Effects by:
Jary Nemo
Script Editor:
Lucinda Horrocks
Archival Research by:
Lucinda Horrocks, Teresa O’Brien, Edward Ryan
Film Music:
‘Bean Dubh an Ghleanna’Liam O’Flynn feat. Irish Chamber Orchestra © 1998 Tara Music Company Ltd. Traditional & Original songs performed and arranged by Nick Martin, Ewen Baker, Shane Howard.
Featured Visual Artists:
‘My Australia My Journey’ Series (2015), ‘We R You’ Series (2014), Solo Portraits (2014, 2015), Photographs, by Aldona Kmieć. © Aldona Kmieć. ‘Spirit Ark – Navigation by the Stars’, Linocut (2010) by Arone Meeks. © Arone Meeks. ‘Mount Warrenheip and Eureka Stockade’, Acrylic on Canvas, (2013) by Aunty Marlene Gilson. © Marlene Gilson. ‘Famine’, Sculpture, (1997) by Rowan Gillespie. ‘Portrait of Refugee’, Photograph, (2009), by Alex Proimos. ‘Women and children among Syrian refugees’, Photograph, (2015), by Mstyslav Chernov. Additional stills photography by Teresa O’Brien (2015).
Film Footage Featured:
‘Man of Aran’, 1934, directed by Robert Flaherty, written and edited by John Goldman (Monck), produced by Michael Balcon. Gainsborough Pictures. ‘Story of the Kelly Gang’, 1906, directed by Charles Tait, written by Charles and John Tait, produced by William Gibson, Millard Johnson, John Tait and Nevin Tait.
Stock Footage, Photographs and Archival Images Courtesy of:
Adele Howard, Albert Kahn Museum, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Australian War Memorial, Ballarat Gold Museum, Big Stock, Bodlean Library, British Library, Broome Historical Society, City of Sydney Archives, Corey Leopold, Geraldine Ryan, Envato, Flickr, Friends of St Brigids Association Inc., Gareth Wray, Graeme Churchard, Internet Archive, Imperial War Museums, Jamie McKew, The Kelly Family, Library of Congress, Luke Durkin, Lynnelle Moran, The Maggie Diaz Collection, Melbourne Diocesan Historical Commission, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka, Museum Victoria, National Film and Sound Archive, National Library of Australia, National Library of Ireland, Nicolas Raymond, Norman Archive, Northern Territory Library, Oughterard Heritage, Patrick Fitzgerald, Powerhouse Museum, Public Record Office Victoria, Rijksmuseum, Rob Hurson, Sisters of St John of God Heritage Centre, Broome, Sitomon, Sodacan, South Dublin Libraries, State Library of NSW (Mitchell Library), State Library of Queensland (John Oxley Library), State Library of Victoria, State Library of Western Australia, Toby Hudson, TimJN1, Teresa O’Brien, U.S. Department of State, VectorStock, Vecteezy, Views of the Famine, Video Block, Western Australian Maritime Museum, Western Australian Museum, Wikimedia Commons, Wind & Sky Productions.

Project Acknowledgements

With Grateful Thanks to:
David Anderson, Lauren Bourke, Basil Cook, Steve Cooney, Snjez Cosic, Gwendolen De Lacy, Martin Flanagan, Rowan Gillespie, Aunty Marlene Gilson, James Griffin, Sister Pat Jacobs, Judi Keneally, Aldona Kmieć, Arone Meeks, Ian Lovell, Rachael Naughton, Uncle Bryon Powell, Tracey Manallack, Sarah Mangan, Julie McLaren, Helen Mary Martin, Bernie Ní Mhuirteagh, Stephen Pigram, Simon Raynor, Mossie Scanlon, Jane Smith, Cíaran Walsh, Aunty Joy Wandin-Murphy, Penney and Logan, Melbourne Arts Centre, Adelaide Festival Centre, St Brigids, Crossley, Alphington Grammar , Ard-Chonsalacht na hÉreann (Consulate General of Ireland), An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála, ( Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) , Sisters of St John of God Heritage Centre, Broome, Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation, QPAC and the QPAC Choir. ‘Exile’ production and performances took place on the country of the traditional owners of the land in which we work and live. The producers acknowledge their ancient custodianship and pay respects to their elders, past and present.
Films produced by:
Wind & Sky Productions
‘Exile’ concert produced by:
Goanna Arts and Troubadour Music
Proudly supported by:
Culture Ireland.

 

 

Jul
26

The Savoy Ladies Group

 

This short documentary follows Rosa, President of the Savoy Ladies Group, as she tells the story of Italians in the North-East, tobacco farming, women, family and friendship.

Every fortnight for thirty years members of the Myrtleford Savoy Ladies Group have met to play tombola, create plays, go on excursions and maintain their Italian heritage. The group was founded in 1983 to combat the social isolation of Italian women tobacco farmers in the Ovens Valley. This film takes an observational look at the group’s modern day activities, through the eyes of Rosa, the group president. In the process the film sheds light on the difficulties faced by post-war Italian women migrants in North-East Victoria, their part in the local agricultural industry and their contribution to a distinctive and unique culture.

The Savoy Ladies Group documentary film was supported through funding from the Australian Government’s Your Community Heritage Program.

Screenings

Setting Sun Short Film Festival, Sun Theatre, Yarraville, 14-18 April 2016.

Museo Italiano (Melbourne Launch), 29 March 2014.

Savoy Club Myrtleford (Myrtleford Launch), 13 March 2014.

Online

The film is free to view online and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license CC-BY. To watch on YouTube visit https://youtu.be/NrE-XH_kq3s

Awards

Setting Sun Laurel

Winner, Best Film Cultural Diversity, Setting Sun Short Film Festival 2016

Finalist, Best Documentary Metropolitan, Setting Sun Short Film Festival 2016

Finalist, Best Film Overall Metropolitan, Setting Sun Short Film Festival 2016

Finalist, the Dressmaker Award for Female Filmmakers, Setting Sun Short Film Festival 2016

Credits

Produced by:
Samantha Dinning, Lucinda Horrocks and Jary Nemo
Production Company:
Wind & Sky Productions
Directed and Edited by:
Jary Nemo
Written by:
Samantha Dinning and Lucinda Horrocks
Featuring:
Rosa Volpe
Rosa’s Lunch Guests (in alphabetical order) :
Gabriella Bettio, Franca Cobbe, Silvana Colombara, Pippa Laspina, Kay Maggenti, Anna Elsa Matassoni, Maria Mautone
Camera and Sound:
Jary Nemo
Interviews:
Lucinda Horrocks
Research and Concept:
Samantha Dinning
Images courtesy of:
Rosa Volpe, The Savoy Ladies Group
‘Quel Mazzolin Di Fiori’ (traditional) performed by:
Members of the Myrtleford Savoy Ladies Group, 2013
With thanks to:
Paolo Baracchi, Franca Cobbe, Rosa DiFazio, Linley & Colleen Horrocks, Emily Kocaj, Jan Mock, Alexander Parise, Rick Watt, Alpine Shire, Co.As.It Italian Historical Society, the Immigration Museum, Motel on Alpine and the Myrtleford Savoy Sporting Club Inc. A very special thanks to the members of the Myrtleford Savoy Ladies Group, past and present.
The Savoy Ladies Group documentary film
is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s Your Community Heritage Program.
Distribution License:
This film is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. You are free to share and adapt this work for any purpose under the condition you appropriately credit Wind & Sky Productions, Samantha Dinning Lucinda Horrocks and Jary Nemo as the original creators and copyright owners of the material, include the original film URL http://www.windsky.com.au/savoy-ladies-group/, and indicate if changes were made to the content. For more information visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. All other use requires permission.
Copyright with:
© Wind & Sky Productions Pty Ltd, Samantha Dinning, Lucinda Horrocks and Jary Nemo 2014.

 

 

Apr
10

The Howard Family – M.A.D.E Digital Stories

 

Info

Client: Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka

Produced: 2014

Length: 4.07 minutes

Shane Howard The Eureka Flag Ballarat Reform League Charter, Bakery Hill Meeting

Ella Hancock is 98 years old and she is one degree of separation from Eureka. Her grandfather Patrick Howard fought in the stockade. Patrick Howard was arrested after the uprising, but escaped trial because his gun wasn’t loaded. Celebrated musician Shane Howard is Patrick Howard’s great-grandson. In this short film Shane and Ella reflect on Patrick’s involvement at the Stockade, the factors which drove Patrick to migrate from Ireland and fight for his rights on the Ballarat goldfields, and they discuss the legacy of the Eureka Stockade today.

Wind & Sky Productions produced four short digital stories for the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka as part of the commemoration of the 160th Anniversary of the Eureka Stockade. The films are on permanent display in the Museum touchtable exhibition.

Screenings

On permanent display, Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka, Ballarat.

Credits

Produced by:
Jary Nemo and Lucinda Horrocks
Production Company:
Wind & Sky Productions
Directed and edited by:
Jary Nemo
Written and researched by:
Lucinda Horrocks
Featuring:
Ella Hancock and Shane Howard
Camera and Sound:
Jary Nemo
Interviews:
Lucinda Horrocks
Archival images courtesy of:
Ballarat and District Irish Club, Ella Hancock, J J Harrison, Gold Museum, Ballarat, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, The Public Records Office of Victoria, The State Library of Victoria.
With thanks to:
Catriona Banks, Clare Gervasoni, Adele Howard, Clair Muir and Teresa O’Brien.
Commissioned by:
Jane Smith, Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka.
Funded by:
Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Acknowledgement:
We give thanks to the Wathaurung people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional owners of the land where the Eureka Stockade took place, and pay respect to their Elders past and present.
Copyright with:
© M.A.D.E. Ballarat 2014. All rights reserved.

 

 

Mar
31

The History of the Savoy Ladies Group

By Samantha Dinning.

Rural women in Australia have a long history of collectivity, of joining together to face problems, to offer support and to provide service to their communities.

In a small sub-Alpine pocket of North-East Victoria, among ancient gum forests and granite rock, a group of women have offered vital friendship and support to each other every fortnight for the past 30 years. Comprised of women with Italian heritage based in the Myrtleford district, The Savoy Ladies Group, has been, and today is, an important part of a community that has faced both prosperity and hardship. Their story is one of friendship and solidarity and is an example of the strength of both migrant communities and women in rural Australia.

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Mar
31

The North-East Victorian Migration Story

By Samantha Dinning.

The fabric of contemporary Australia is layered with many cultural threads, some of which have greatly shaped our regional and rural histories. Migration in North-East Victoria has transformed the region’s industry and culture, bringing with it a richness and diversity that tells its story through food, wine, festivals, language and the many stories that new and old migrants share. These stories speak of struggle, persistence and community – of the joy of possibility and reward and the hardship and pain of leaving family and friends; of the strength of newfound friendships and of settling in a sometimes-unforgiving environment. They relate the difficulty in learning a foreign language and the growth of unique cultural identities, such as the Italian communities of Myrtleford and the King Valley.

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Feb
25

Savoy Ladies Group Film Launch – Media Release

25 February 2014

The Italian heritage of the women of North-Eastern Victoria is celebrated with the launch of a short documentary film produced by Wind & Sky Productions.

The ten minute film ‘The Savoy Ladies Group’ follows Rosa Volpe, the group’s president, as she tells the story of Italians in the North-East, tobacco farming, women, family and friendship.

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