The Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2018 - Act of Translation
“Which story do you want to hear? The one I tell my parents…or the one I tell my friends?” In this moving and funny documentary 20 international students are propelled out of their comfort zones through theatre workshops and performances. By learning to tell their real stories they challenge and transform the narrative about Melbourne’s international student community.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Irene Metter
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was invited onto the Act of Translation project in order to document a series of theatre workshops with international students, addressing social isolation. We were unsure what the outcome would be, or if students would even show up, but I have worked with theatre director Catherine Simmonds before, and was confident something amazing would manifest. I knew I was in for a shooting ratio that would be a killer in the edit, filming conditions that would be in less-than-desirable neon-lit humming air conditioned spaces...but also some golden and transformative moments.
Through the months of filming, workshops and rehearsals, this proved to be the case - students were committed to the process and there is nothing more satisfying than capturing moments of great personal transformation and courage, alongside students’ day-to-day life within Melbourne.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Firstly it is both funny and also poignant, with a great energy to it, thanks to the quirks and personalities of the students. But more deeply, to understand who these students are - the inter-personal impact international students have on Melbourne and what our responsibilities might be to support this cohort, both as a society and with some duty of care if we are relying on them as our number one most lucrative export in Victoria. All educators who have watched this film strongly recommend it for both students and lecturers.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
That is an interesting question for this film - the personal here is political. Personal issues - huge parental expectations, fear of failure, of coming out, of being included with the locals, of being stereotyped, frustrations with the subtleties and nuances that cannot be expressed in very basic English and so on – these are revealed in the film in interviews and in wonderful iconic moments of theatre. The universal themes of racism (on all sides) and cultural laziness, - but also that we are all basically the same - becomes the overarching universal theme.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Catherine Simmonds asks this question of the participants: If you thought someone would listen, what would you say? And from there on, she worked individually with each participant outside of the workshops and rehearsals to tease out what they have experienced - it becomes an authentic journey of self discovery, and nothing more powerful than watching people with the lived experience enact their story. So the film is observational - it evolved as the project evolved, and for sure, truth can be stranger than fiction!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Audiences have reported their perception about international students has been transformed - “I will think differently,” was one woman’s feedback which encapsulates most feedback. Other feedback is from students in similar situations, who, after watching the film, feel less alone in their circumstances.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
No, because I myself was transformed by this experience! If we bother to engage with these students, there is a great richness there.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Exposure and social impact. Opportunities to screen this film in relevant educational sectors and spaces, with Q and A with the students. The more people who see and share this film, the more accessible this cohort becomes, the better the outcomes for us all.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
An impact producer.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Screenings for staff at tertiary educators who deal with students. Students in Melbourne would also benefit from this film.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What do you think about international students in Melbourne?
Interview: June 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Act of Translation
“Which story do you want to hear? The one I tell my parents…or the one I tell my friends?” In this moving and funny documentary 20 international students are propelled out of their comfort zones through theatre workshops and performances. By learning to tell their real stories they challenge and transform the narrative about Melbourne’s international student community.
Length: 26:16
Director: Irene Metter
Producer: Irene Metter and City of Melbourne
Writer: Irene Metter, Catherine Simmonds
About the writer, director and producer:
IRENE METTER is an independent film maker, creating social impact documentaries which are both observational and intimate. She has a Masters in Documentary Film and Television, VCA.
Catherine Simmonds is a community theatre director who combines the ‘lived experiences’ of communities and the language of art, providing marginalised people with a creative space in which to discover the need to speak, and to speak the unspoken.
Key cast: (Students) Akhtar Ali, Annie Zhang, Bruno Menacho, Cora He, Dalya Arteen, Feifei Liao, Filipe Paiva, Hoang Xuan Doan, Irvan Bastian Arief, Jing Jiang, Jing Yang, Karen Penagos, Lynne Lin, Lydia Liu, Monica Ferreira Rocha, Samantha Scicluna, Sarah Wang, Ujash Patel, Vinayak Ghai, Yiling Huang; (Community theatre director) Catherine Simmonds
Looking for: Impact producer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cityofmelbourneinternationalstudents
Funders: Study Melbourne and City of Melbourne
Made in association with: AFIS, Immigration Museum, and RMIT as part of the Act of Translation project.
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
At the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, July 10 at 7.00pm in the Loop Space