Exploring Australian women with Screen Australia’s Doco180

Screen Australia and News Digital Networks Australia’s whimn.com.au have announced the five recipients of the second series of Doco180. With a maximum 180 seconds, the winners must create documentaries designed to make viewers ‘do a 180’ on topics important to Australian women.

“We know there are a million ways to be a woman today, so naturally there are so many topics and issues that tug the heart strings, jerk those tears and fire up women to press for progress,” said Melissa Shedden, Editor whimn.com.au. “We were hugely impressed by the insightful and compelling pitches from this year’s Doco180 entrants, which made it hard to select the final recipients. We’re very proud to be able to offer these talented female storytellers the chance to share these important issues with the whimn.com.au audience. Based on the success of Doco180 in 2017 achieving over 1.8 million views across the series we’re keen to see what 2018 has in store.”

Each team has addressed a range of universal female issues, ranging from body hair and body image, to the reality of gender parity in small business ownership. The Doco 180 season two documentary makers are:

  • Blue Lucine and Mariel Thomas’ (NSW) project Asking For It aims to investigate the fear, shame and intimidation that prevents most sexual assault victims from ever taking legal action.
  • Can you be a solo mum and still have it all? Director Erin McBean and writer Holly Zwalf (NSW) will create Mother/Lover looking at what exactly it means, these days, to truly ‘have it all’?
  • In A Hairy Problem director Rebecca Thomson (TAS) will address women’s body hair and how it is still a topic of much public discussion, judgment and shaming. The documentary intends to question if it should be anyone else’s business whether a woman chooses to mow or grow.
  • As a female business owner and filmmaker, Laura Clelland (QLD) believes the fight for gender parity has seen the rise of a ‘girls’ club’ where women support other women. In Together She Succeeds, Laura’s putting her beliefs to the test to discover if there is a darker reality to acknowledge.
  • Filmmaker and social worker Hawanatu Bangura (NSW) will direct Inner Demons, unpacking whether being a curvy woman is a blessing or curse. Hawanatu’s film will follow her subject Rosaline, depicting her tug-of-war story and how she banished her demons to become a celebrated mixed race plus size model.

Each team will receive $6,000 to bring their project to life and will be supported by a Screen Australia Investment Development Manager through the entirety of the process.

“We’re proud to partner with whimn.com.au for a second year on this important initiative to encourage female storytellers in the documentary field,” said Liz Stevens, Senior Manager of Documentary at Screen Australia. “Now more than ever we need to see informative and passionate content by Australian women to shed light and challenge gender stereotypes. These three minute documentaries have the potential to reach a large online audience through the Whimn platform.”

The Doco180 selected projects will be housed on whimn.com.au and its associated social channels exclusively for 12 months from October 2018.

DOCO180 SEASON TWO (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

A HAIRY PROBLEM
Producer Rebecca Thomson
Director Rebecca Thomson
Synopsis Women’s body hair is still a topic of much public discussion, judgment and shaming. But why is it anyone else’s business whether a woman chooses to mow or to grow?!

ASKING FOR IT
Producer Mariel Thomas
Director Blue Lucine
Synopsis Fear, shame and intimidation prevent most sexual assault victims from ever taking legal action. How is it that the phrase “asking for it” still seems to have a place in society today?

INNER DEMONS
Producer Taylor Litton-Strain
Director Hawanatu Bangura
Synopsis We all have our inner demons, but is being a curvy woman a blessing or curse? We see Rosaline’s tug-of-war story and how she banished her demons to become a celebrated mixed race plus size model.

MOTHER/LOVER
Writer Holly Zwalf
Producer Erin McBean
Synopsis Can you be a solo mum and still have it all? And what exactly does it mean, these days, to truly ‘have it all’?

TOGETHER SHE SUCCEEDS
Producers Sam Weingott, Sascha Shipley
Director Laura Clelland
Synopsis As a female business owner and filmmaker, Laura Clelland believes the fight for gender parity has seen the rise of a ‘girls’ club’ where women support other women – but she’s putting her beliefs to the test to discover if there is a darker reality to acknowledge.

Season one of Doco180 can be viewed for free here 

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