Hiroe, the Monk and Me

One of the most remarkable collections of Hiroe’s work is held by a private collector in Canberra, a collection that goes back to Hiroe’s 1972 exhibition at the Japanese Embassy—the first exhibition of work she had made in Australia. Justine and I went to film this collection on 31 August. The collector was very unwell, but she and her daughter wanted us to go ahead with this time-sensitive filming because they understood how important it was to capture the collection for our documentary. This project continues to be surrounded by people with such warm and generous hearts.

Another time-sensitive shoot was capturing the wattles in flower around Queanbeyan, expressing Hiroe’s deep connection to Country. As Hiroe says: “Whenever I see wattles, I feel I’ve come back home.”

Sincere thanks to those who have made donations towards such time-sensitive filming. We’re truly grateful!

I’m thrilled to share that Hiroe, the Monk and Me has been selected to pitch at Tokyo Docs, Japan’s largest international documentary pitching forum, this November. This is an exciting opportunity to connect with international broadcasters, distributors, and funding partners who can help bring Hiroe’s remarkable story to audiences around the world.

The last time I was in Tokyo with Hiroe was to celebrate her 90th birthday. Over lunch, she told me that her disabled hands had become too weak for her to continue making ceramic works. I was devastated. I thought it was the end of the documentary.

But Hiroe still had a new dream. The following week, I travelled to Kyoto to meet the Zen monk at Daitoku-ji Oubai-in Temple. I had no agenda other than to share my heartfelt wish to make this film. That meeting unexpectedly opened a new window for both Hiroe and me, giving the documentary an entirely new direction.

Now, being invited to pitch at Tokyo Docs feels like another new window opening. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and hopeful that it will help us find the partners who can bring Hiroe’s inspiring journey to audiences across the world.

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who has generously supported our documentary through your donations. We truly couldn’t do this without you.

We’re delighted to share that we’ve now completed our 23-page pitch deck, which will be sent to marketplace partners across Australia and internationally alongside our latest sizzle reel. A special thank you to Andrew Pike of Ronin Films, our Australian distributor, for his unwavering confidence in Hiroe, the Monk and Me. Andrew has been incredibly generous with his advice, guidance and encouragement throughout this journey, and we’re deeply grateful for his support.

We’re also enormously thankful to Screen NSW, Screen Australia and Documentary Australia. Thanks to their development support, we have now reached the important milestone of becoming production-ready. Our biggest challenge now is securing the remaining production finance while continuing strategic filming to capture those irreplaceable “Once Only, Only Once” moments that simply cannot be recreated. Your donations make this possible. They allow us to keep filming these precious moments while we continue building the finance needed to complete the film. Thank you for believing in this project and for being part of its journey. Your support means more than words can express!

We’ve just completed our latest sizzle reel with talented trailer editor Veina Yang, made possible through development funding from Screen NSW. When Veina first viewed the footage, she remarked, “I am already greatly enjoying Hiroe’s nuggets of wisdom!” It was wonderful to hear such an enthusiastic response from a young Australian, echoing the reaction of a young Japanese cameraman who worked with Hiroe in April. Her wisdom clearly resonates across generations and cultures. We invite you to watch our latest sizzle reel and share it with anyone who may be interested in supporting or following the project.

Our next filming will take place at the end of August, when the wattles are in full bloom around Queanbeyan. Hiroe often said, “Whenever I see wattles, I feel I’ve come home.” Capturing these landscapes is important to the film, as they reflect the country that inspired her creative journey and became her home for 57 years. To bring these scenes to life on screen, we are seeking donations to engage a cinematographer and sound recordist who can sensitively capture the beauty, atmosphere, and spirit of the Australian landscape. Your support will help us preserve not only Hiroe’s remarkable story, but also her deep connection to the place she called home.

Thanks to your incredible generosity, I was able to film the first major interview with Hiroe Swen in four years.
It was deeply honest and moving—so much so that the local Japanese cameraman said he had never been this touched by a story in his entire life!
We also had the rare privilege of filming at Kontai-ji Temple in Kyoto—the very place where Hiroe married her late husband, Cornel, 60 years ago. To capture her story in such a meaningful location brought a powerful sense of time, memory, and continuity to the film.
My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who has supported this journey.

On Hiroe’s 92nd birthday today, we signed the Development Investment Agreement with Screen NSW, who will contribute $23,800 towards producing a high-quality cinematic sizzle reel and pitch deck to help us reach national and international markets and secure production finance.

We are delighted to share that Sony is supporting the feature documentary Hiroe, the Monk and Me by providing filmmaker Mika with a Sony FX3 camera, along with three professional lenses and microphones, for her upcoming filming trip to Japan.

We are deeply grateful to Sony for continuing to support us in bringing this film to life. Stay tuned for updates from Japan!