20 years ago, a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teens saved up to go to Hollywood. It took them 18 months, $1 at a time, but that's where they wanted to go and they made it happen. Never in their wildest dreams did they think they could go to Hollywood, yet through their own determination, and on a deeply visceral level, they learned that the world was their oyster.
It takes a visionary to believe that teenagers living a marginalised and isolated existence in a remote indigenous community, could break through generations of hardship, to make a dream come true. Sharon Cavanagh-Luskin (formerly Bonython-Ericson) was, and continues to be, that visionary. Raised in Victoria, of Torres Strait Island origins, Sharon had relocated to the small, seaside community of Yarrabah, where she was working as a community and youth worker, and contemplating how to motivate and inspire the local teens.
On an impulse, Sharon walked into a classroom at the local school, and asked the students "if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?"
The immediate response was Hollywood!
Sharon challenged the teens to stay in school, stay off drugs, and raise $1,000 each, no matter how long it took. Sharon committed to working alongside them, seeking matched sponsorship, and a school to host them in Los Angeles.
This documentary captures this growth through the eyes of those teenagers (now adults) as a transformative part of a new generation in Yarrabah. Now, 20 years later and with 50 hours of film footage capturing their life-changing Hollywood experience, they still talk emotionally and powerfully about how impactful the trip has been, not only for them but for their siblings and upcoming generations in their beloved community for whom they became eminent mentors.
