Local short film premiers at the Pivotonian Cinema tonight

Locally made short film Barwon Mansion will premiere tonight (Thursday, September 15) at the Pivotonian Cinema, before making its way to short film festivals around the world.

Shining a light on the region’s talent, the film was produced by a local cast and crew, and shot at the Barwon Mansion in Winchelsea.

The premiere screening, hosted by Geelong Waterfront Film, will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s scriptwriter, director and producer Mia de Rauch, director of photography Pete James and lead actor Clare Hayes, giving local filmmakers the opportunity to meet other creators based in Geelong, and a Q&A session.

De Raunch said she wanted to premier the film locally given its significant ties to the area and its local cast and crew.

“We’re a completely Torquay-based, Bellarine-based crew, so it’s been amazing to have Barwon Mansion involved in it.

“It’s been so nice to have such support from Geelong Waterfront Film, from the Barwon Mansion and the National Trust and so many other people in the industry down here, so I really wanted them to be the first to see it.

“I don’t know if I could have made this film without the support of Geelong Waterfront Film, Claudette at Barwon Mansion, and the industry down here, so I really hope it goes well.”

De Raunch said she wrote the script immediately after a visit to the mansion.

The story was particularly inspired by the stories of Elizabeth Austin, one of the mansion’s previous owners, who offered up her home to servants who had lost their jobs after becoming pregnant as well as taking in terminally ill patients that nearby hospitals couldn’t care for.

“I went to the house and absolutely fell in love with it, and the whole story came to me then and there,” de Rauch said.

“It speaks to people about what homes can do, and what place where you are feeling safe and secure can be.

“It’s about the house being that space that calls for somebody who needs it, and you end up showing up at the house with no idea why and it.”

“You can walk into a place and there’s a warm feeling, or a cold feeling, and it’s amazing that a place that has the history of Barwon Mansion can do for you.”

She said the script was also shaped by working with the two main characters, local actors Hayes and Alice Howell.

“Really for me it was very much a collaborative project, because the story of it being through trauma and dealing with the psychological part of it, it’s not just something that’s come out of my mind and my thoughts.

“It was nice to be able to have that open space to contribute them and add to the script, in rehearsals and on set we really got in there and explored it.”

“And in the film, you do really spend a lot of time with the two main characters and get to know them as much as you can in 11 minutes.”

The premiere will take place tonight (Thursday, September 15) from 6pm at the independent Pivotonian Cinema in South Geelong.

To purchase tickets, head to https://bit.ly/3RIqSTt