This new short film in Three Sides of the Coin’s Recovery Gamble series, introduces us to an indigenous man who struggled for many years with a gambling addiction. In his words:
“All my life growing up I dreamt of being a famous musician, putting my Torres Strait Island Community on the world map. Once I was introduced to the bright colourful lights of Poker Machines I was hooked instantly. From my mid 20’s through to 48 I wasted all those years chasing the major jackpot train, which never stopped for me. Pokies led me to becoming homeless, couch surfing and living in men’s shelters. In Cairns I met a Gambling Help counsellor from Uniting Care who gave me tools to help with my addiction, yet once I became employed I found myself back at the pokies again, gambling more heavily as I became bolder. I hit rock bottom, getting hand-outs for food, and feeling great shame. Eventually I self-excluded from most pokie venues in and around Cairns, and wrote a song Poker Machine Blues”.
His story is brought to life by Catherine Simmonds OAM, Australia’s leading community cultural development theatre maker, along with animation and original music scores. The story captures the roller coaster of gambling, the back stories, escalation into addiction, seeking help, and finding direction and connection in life again.
His video story will enable 3SOC to reach out to indigenous communities to ignite conversations about the harms of gambling, with the storyteller himself always present for QandA (either online or f2f).
Irene is Three Sides of the Coin (3SOC) film-maker, collaborating in creative partnership with 3SOC artistic director Catherine Simmonds OAM and the lived experience core group, to deliver powerful stories and messaging about gambling harm.
Irene has an MA in Documentary Filmmaking from University of Melbourne, and focuses on films that create change for marginalised groups. Irene is also the Media Director of Story Is Connection (SIC), a not-for-profit company bridging cultural diversity http://storyisconnection.com/
Catherine Simmonds OAM is one of Australia’s leading community cultural development theatre makers. As an artistic director, her focus is the space between the ‘lived experiences’ of communities and the language of art. For three decades she has provided marginalized people with a creative space in which to ‘discover the need to speak and to speak the unspoken’. The community become the actors, the devisors, the consultants and protagonists of their own and each other’s stories. Her work has powerfully addressed some of most pressing issues of our time.
