Film directors Lindy Hume, Andrew Robinson, Cheryl Davison, David Hewitt, Samwise Seidel, Lee Pemberton, Louise Morris, Kyle Wilson, of the Bega Valley have won the award for the best use of a regional location at the Far South Film Festival held August 19-21.
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Their film 'Home Stretch' combines five short films with creative direction from Lindy Hume. 'Home Stretch' uses five bridges on the road from Tathra to Bermagui as locations for the five artistic short films which incorporate music, dance and performance.
'Down by the Water' at Sandy Creek Bridge, Tanja, 'The Crossing' at Wapengo Bridge, 'Quiet Town' at Murrah Bridge, and 'Walawaani' at Wallaga Lake Bridge are the elements that make up 'Home Stretch' which was produced by Hiromi Matsuoka.
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Ms Hume said the idea began as a performance project but COVID turned it into a film.
"The Tathra-Bermagui Road is iconic to our region and these bridges are beloved, beautiful platforms and there's so much discussion about them."
"The road is a spine that runs along the coastline; I love the percussive noise of my car going across the bridges.
"I wanted to animate them with music, dance and performance, and turning it into short films gave it another layer," Ms Hume said,
She said they had the feeling of "a living, breathing organism" that made travelling along the road such a pleasurable experience.
"The spectre of the threat (to the bridges) is viseral because they are special, magical.
"I don't wan't to sentimentalise but the idea of them changing feels really sad. The film is a love letter to this road and shows how beloved it is," Ms Hume said.
"Home Stretch is part creative celebration, part cultural document, part adventure journey."
For singer Michelle Davison, a member of the Djinama Yilaga Choir, who sang on Wallaga Lake Bridge in the film, it was all those things and more.
The Djinama Yilaga Choir is an intergenerational Yuin choir, established in 2019 and whose members perform songs in Dhurga language.
"Singing on that bridge was an incredibly, wonderful experience," Ms Davison said.
"Our mum and dad lived at Wallaga Lake and left there to move to Bomaderry in 1970 when I was a 6-year-old. I still remember Wallaga Lake where we grew up, walking around, fishing, swimming.
"So going back there was a special moment and to sing with the choir with Gulaga, Mother Mountain in the background, at sunrise was very special," Ms Davison said.
The song was one of welcome, to welcome everyone, she explained.
"The whole thing with the choir, and getting back to the place where you hold childhood memories, as an adult, that is so spirtual and we feel our ancestors' spirits. It's humbling and a beautiful experience."
Ms Davison said the filmmakers had been very respectful and it had been "a beautiful journey".
Producer Hiromi Matsuoka said the project was a great example of the collaborative spirit that was one of the regional community's greatest assets.
"As an evangelist for the continued development of the regional screen industry in SE NSW, I am absolutely thrilled that this project has enabled our screen creatives to work with some of our best local artists and performers," she said.
Far South Film director, Lis Shelley said the award was about where the location shone through.
"For us - as a regional film festival - it is important to emphasise the regional aspect. The idea of location often becomes a character in itself, part of the story," Ms Shelley said.
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