Diva – The Nellie Melba Story

This is a film for lovers of art, especially lovers of classical music and opera but Melba’s story also serves as a timeless and powerful reminder of the systemic struggles that women have faced throughout history. It is a film for those who care about advancing women in the arts and business. We will show how Melba’s life resonates with modern sensibilities in a range of areas – celebrity, fame, power and, in particular the barriers to women of talent succeeding in a male dominated industry. We will expose how Melba battled against domestic violence and the double standards of that time (and ours) and how a woman might respond. As the filmmaker works with modern day divas to eke out not only Nellie’s story but more importantly the intergenerational nature of Nellie’s experience, the film will shed new light on an old story, and highlight the enduring truth behind one of our most iconic figures in history.
Here is a story of female empowerment in all its complexity.

Through celebrating Melba’s glittering career we will not only promote a love of opera and fine singing but by digging below the surface we will heighten understanding of a range of issues she confronted, many which still haunt us. Our central theme is female empowerment. We’ll see the way Melba dealt with the barriers she faced has lessons for today. It begins with her recognising and nurturing her gift. She teaches us that great courage is required to reject doubters to fearlessly pursue and promote a gift in the face of adversity. She rejected the notion of a woman’s place of subservience, dealt with marital violence that stalked her, confronted the systemic misogyny and double standards of her era and stared down the barriers preventing women of talent succeeding in their chosen careers. She took control of her own life, not just in her singing but with her merchandising, studio recordings and forming her own opera company. Truly a 21st century woman in a 19th century world.

By revealing how Melba’s life resonates with modern sensibilities in a range of areas – celebrity, fame, power and, in particular the barriers to a woman of talent succeeding in a male dominated industry, we hope to encourage and empower emerging artists, especially girls and women to take control of their careers and forge pathways that give them the greatest possible chance to flourish.

We are in the process of researching organisations who champion emerging artists in a range of fields and artistic endeavours. This will include opera companies but we will look very broadly and seek out those groups who provide support for talented performers. In addition we will research organisations that focus on women’s rights, mental health and education.

The calls to action will be refined during development after discussion with impact partners in order to align the content and themes of the film with their requirements. But we will focus on bringing about change by empowering a younger cohort of artists, skewing female and the organisations that champion them, who will be emboldened by exposure to a sublime talent who paved her own way despite myriad obstacles.