Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2020 – Leaving Allen Street
After years of living an institutionalised life, 30 intellectually disabled adults move into homes in the community and discover what it feels like to be free.
Interview with Director Katrina Channells
Watch Leaving Allen Street on Vimeo on demand
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We were invited by OC Connections (formerly Oakleigh Centre) in Melbourne Australia to document their accommodation redevelopment project, which meant the end of institutionalised accommodation for disabled residents and the beginning of independent living in the community. Oakleigh Centre accommodation was one of the last institutions for disabled people in Melbourne. Some of the disabled residents who lived at the Oakleigh Centre had been institutionalised for most of their lives. This meant locked facilities, shared bathrooms, scheduled eating times, no say in who you lived with and very few independent choices in life. We made the film to document the journey of the residents' who had always dreamt of their own houses in the community and now finally, that dream was coming true. Their brand new houses were being built and we were capturing the move from the old to the new ways of doing things.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This is like home renovation show The Block for people living with disabilities. 30 disabled adults are helping to design their own brand new homes in the community. For years they have been locked away and now they have the chance to a new life and new opportunities, something many of us take for granted. Melbourne has a long and dark history of institutionalising people with disabilities. Very few people would have seen this side of Melbourne's history. In particular what it was like for adults with disabilities who lived within these institutions. But this is a story of empowerment and freedom from the old ways to the new ways of doing things for the disabled residents. They are the agents of their own story, and staff and families are supporting them. It's very rare to find a film in which disabled people are the heroes but in this case, they very much are and they are tellers of their own stories. The best reason to watch Leaving Allen Street is because of the characters. The residents are incredibly strong, funny, clever and surprising! They will make you laugh and cry and rejoice. Follow the ups and downs of moving to your dream home for the first time!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The universal theme of basic human rights to live a life with choice, freedom and opportunities. Everyone wants to make decisions about how they live their lives, and people with disabilities are no different. People living with disabilities have been hidden from the world for too long. There is a revolution taking place around how to treat people with disabilities, how to hear and see them, and how to support them to let them live their life the way they want to. The themes are around freedom, respect, love and dignity.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
In the beginning, we had no idea how big the project would be but the film kind of evolved as time went on. The more we hung out with the residents, the staff and the families, documenting their lives and getting to know them, the bigger the project became. The length of the final film is a testament to the people involved in the Oakleigh story and the history behind the place. We’d arrive to do one story and then ten other stories would pop out so as filmmakers we had to follow as many as we could. I don’t think we had any idea the project would last three or four years even five years, but we have absolutely no regrets. We’re extremely proud to have created what became Leaving Allen Street on behalf of all the residents who may have limited opportunities to share their story otherwise.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Quite a few people have cried in response to the film which is always an indication that you've moved people, this is a great response. People learn a lot from the archival footage, of what disability care used to be like.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We're looking to be part of a wider community of filmmakers and get our story out there to journalists and press.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Distributors, Sales Agent or Buyers. We want the film to have a bigger audience reach. We'd love the film to be picked up by a broadcaster or distributor in Australia or overseas. We want the film to be an educational resource in Australia and globally.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We'd love the audience to think differently about people with disabilities. We'd love to have an impact on the disability sector and the wider public. We want to raise awareness for people living with disabilities.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do we need to do more to support people living with disabilities?
Are people with disabilities able to make choices about who they want to live with and how they want to live their life?
Should disabled people be more visible in the community?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We're developing a Virtual Reality project in collaboration with the Yuin Nation people, a First Nations group from Australia.
Interview: June 2020
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
Leaving Allen Street
After years of living an institutionalised life, 30 intellectually disabled adults move into homes in the community and discover what it feels like to be free.
Length: 1:10:00
Director: Katrina Channells
Producer: Bridget O'Shea
Writer: Katrina Channells
About the writer, director and producer:
KATRINA CHANNELLS is a Melbourne-based writer/director working across factual and fiction. Katrina is the director behind the three-part series Stingray Sisters. The series screened in Vancouver and London was released on SBS On Demand. Her most recent Virtual Reality series Speak of Country/Yuin Djama Dhugan was created in collaboration with Yuin Nation storytellers from the coast of NSW and will be exhibited at Sydney Carriageworks and Melbourne Museum in 2021.
BRIDGET O'SHEA is a producer based in Melbourne. Bridget works across film, television and commercials. She produced the Tropfest winner We’ve All Been There. In 2013 Bridget founded production company We Are Yarn with director Katrina Channells. Yarn's documentary series Stingray Sisters screened in London and Vancouver. Bridget's feature documentary Leaving Allen Street was selected in competition at this year's Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. Bridget continues to develop a slate of cross-platform projects.
Looking for: distributors, sales agents, buyers
Facebook: Yarn
Instagram: @weareyarn
Hashtags used: #LeavingAllenStreet #documentary #disability #independence #NDIS #film #Melbourne
Website: www.weareyarn.com.au
Other: Vimeo
Made in association with: OC Connections
Funders: Funded by disability organisation OC Connections (and families)
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Melbourne Documentary Film Festival - The online festival will run from 30th June 2020 till 15th July 2020. Location: www.mdff.org.au