‘Memory Film’ is currently screening on SBS ON DEMAND: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/movie/memory-film-a-filmmakers-diary/2426582595867
The film was completed in June 2023 – thanks to Tom Zubrycki producer, Lindi Harrison editor ASE & Joseph Tawadros, composer. Produced with the assistance of the Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund, Screen Australia (PEP); NFSA and UTS Media Lab, plus generous donors via Documentary Australia and a grant from Lesbians Inc. ‘Memory Film’ has had a great run in local Film Festivals, community screenings and international film festivals.
I was a guest at MIFF 2023 and Antenna 2024, Revelation (WA); Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) March 2024: ‘Memory Film’ closed MWFF with a Q&A; MWFF filmmakers and writers conducted a filmed interview and wrote articles and reviews. I was a guest speaker on several panels: “Remembering, Repeating, Working-Through” – A Conversation with Jeni Thornley & Felicity Collins, MWIFF, ACMI March 2024; ‘Sustainable Futures in Screen and the environment’ with myself and George McClements of Sustainable Screens Australia, ACMI March 2024.
Also at MWFF as a guest filmmaker MWFF allocated a MWFF Critic (Grace Boschetti) to interview me and write about my filmmaking. The interview was conducted in a professional film shoot at ACMI with a women’s crew interviewing me about ‘memory film’. She has since published her in depth article: Memory Film: a Filmmaker’s Diary: In Conversation with Jeni Thornley. Several other film critics associated with MWFF wrote about my filmmaking; this contributes to Memory Film’s distribution as well as to contemporary Film, Women and Gender Studies at a tertiary level; and it also gives all participants scope to develop their skills. These published articles are “Memory Film: Archive of Self and Australian Cinema” by Nadine Whitney and “A feminist filmmaker’s gift to her children.’ by Irene Diakanastasis.
A major Retrospective of four of my documentaries was held at ACMI by the Melbourne Cinematheque, Oct 30 2024: ‘Contested Histories: The Documentaries of Jeni Thornley’. Published with the Retrospective are the CTEQ Annotations on Film, Senses of Cinema, October 2024: Memory Film (2023) by Janice Loreck, Island Home Country (2008) by Sian Mitchell, Maidens (1978) by Jeni Thornley and Film For Discussion (1973) by Jeni Thornley (dir: Ansara and SWFG).
Visible Evidence Conference XXX, Monash University, 17-20 Dec 2024 screened ‘Memory Film’ and I participated on the Plenary on Feminist Filmmaking – this event extends the film into educational networks- the film will also screen online for one week of the Conference for International delegates.
Composer Joseph Tawadros released his new album The Virtue of Signals on Spotify, June 2024, featuring original music composed for ‘Memory Film’.
See my chapter on the film, ‘The enigma of film: memory film: a filmmaker’s diary‘, Constructions of The Real: Intersections of Practice and Theory in Documentary-Based Filmmaking, (eds.) K. Munro et al., Intellect Books Series: Artwork Scholarship: International Perspectives in Education, 2023.
https://intellectdiscover.com/content/books/9781789387438
The Australian Teacher’s of Media (ATOM) ‘Memory Film’ Study Guide is currently in process.
NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
Australian Innovation Award Nomination Black Magic MIFF 2023
Top 10 Australian Films 2023 (The State of Australian Cinema)
Best Documentary Australian Film Critics Assoc., Nomination 2023
Best Sound in Documentary, Tristan Meredith AACTA Nomination 2024
Semi Finalist Madrid Arthouse Film Festival June 2024
Semi Finalist Sacramento Independent Film Festival Summer 2024
Honourable Mention USA Super 8 Film and Digital Video Festival 2025
Honourable Mention Experimental Forum LA 2025
Silver Award Spotlight Documentary Awards Atlanta 2025
Finalist Orion International Film Festival Best Feature Documentary 2025
Semi Finalist Blow-up Arthouse Filmfest Chicago 2025
Cinematography & Photography Awards London Nomination 2025
Semi Finalist Tokyo Women Film Festival 2025
FESTIVALS LOCAL
World Premiere Melbourne Int Film Festival (MIFF) Official Selection 2023 MIFF Premier Fund
Conversations & Connections Documentary Festival ‘Storytelling on the Ground’, Macquarie University SLNSW Dec 2023
Antenna Documentary Film Festival
Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) Official Selection March 2024
Hazelhurst Arts Centre
Revelation International Film Festival
Arc Cinema, National Film & Sound Archive
Melbourne Cinematheque: ‘Contested Histories: The Documentaries of Jeni Thornley’, Retrospective
Visible Evidence Conference XXX, Plenary & Official Selection Monash University Dec 2024
Adelaide Premiere & Q&A Palace Nova East End Cinema 3 Feb 2025
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS
Semi finalist Madrid Art House Film Festival
Semi finalist Edinburg Film Awards
Semi finalist New York International Women Festival
Semi finalist Sacramento Independent Film Festival
Semi Finalist Paris Women Cinefest
Official Selection United States Super8 Film and Digital Video Festival, (Rutgers University Program in Cinema).
Spotlight Documentary Awards Winner Silver Award Atlanta USA 2024
Blow-up Arthouse FilmFest Chicago Semi Finalist 2025
Experimental Forum Los Angeles USA Honourable Mention 2025
Orion International Film Festival Best Feature Documentary Finalist 2025
Experimental Forum Honourable Mention Los Angeles USA 2025
We are now in the exhibition and distribution phase and fund-raising for support to get the film out and about! We welcome your donations for this stage!
