November 2011, Change Media’s Christie Walk – A Piece of Eco-City wins at the MyHero International Film Festival in Los Angeles
Christie Walk – A Piece OF Eco-City, our collaboration with the inner-city eco-housing community of Christie Walk in Adelaide, has won the first prize in the community film category at the 2011 International MyHero Film Festival in the community films category! Well done everyone – it was a pleasure to working with you all on the sustainability resource kit!
Change Media worked with members of the Christie Walk eco-housing project and Urban Ecology Australia to document and produce an exceptional resource about Christie Walk as an example of sustainable urban development.
Over 4 days Change Media delivered training in digital media and created two inspiring documentaries about one of the only inner-city eco-housing projects in the world.
Congratulations to everyone involved in making this project happen!
And a big thanks to our partners on this project: Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities; Urban Ecology Australia; Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board; CSR Hebel; Tallstoreez Productionz
Murray Bridge, SA, June-July 2011
CHALLENGE: The Change Media Team conducted 4x 1-day workshops with Ngarrindjeri Caring For Country and Heritage Rangers at the Ngarrindjeri Ruwe Contracting Depot.
During the production in Murray Bridge, Raukkan and Meningie members of the Ngarrindjeri Ruwe and the Raukkan Caring for Country organizations learned skills in film narrative, interview and editing techniques.
PARTNERS: Indigenous Cultural Support, Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; Indigenous Coordination Centre SA; Australia Council for the Arts Creative Community Partnership Initiative; Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities; Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority; Ngarrindjeri Land & Progress Association; Ngarrindjeri Ruwe Contracting; Ngopamuldi Aboriginal Corporation Raukkan; Ngarrindjeri Heritage Committee; Tallstoreez Productionz
Ngarrindjeri Ruwe – Working On Country
Click on the image above or the link to watch - Ngarrindjeri Ruwe – Working On Country.
If your device can’t play the clip, click here to watch it on Vimeo.
The team also made several peer-produced training videos, that form part of our Indigenous Media Training online resource.
Click on the link to watch their training clips here.
OUTCOMES:
The project covered storytelling and camera techniques, shooting on traditional heritage locations, interview and event coverage techniques and editing. The resulting 10min film, Ngarrindjeri Ruwe – Working On Country, is available online and will be used by NRC staff for training, recruiting and PR. This project built on the success of the workshops in the last two years.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS: Stay tuned for updates! This film will be used as training and induction tool for Caring For Country projects in the Coorong and also features as part of our online training resource.
IMPACT & FEEDBACK: We have retained several young members from our first groups at Camp Coorong, Meningie, and Talk Kin Jeri in Millicent/Murray Bridge, while gaining new participants from Raukkan and Murray Bridge. All of the team have recorded their own training videos and had hands-on task during the production, including production skills ranging from organizing the shoots, securing interviews with elders and representatives, storytelling, creating digital storyboards, presenting on screen, camera and sound work, uploading and file management, to editing and music production.
Tuesday July 05, 2011, South East Aboriginal Focus Group wins SA NAIDOC Awards for Yuki project
Congratulations to the South East Aboriginal Focus Group working with us on Moogy’s Yuki – (Moogy’s Bark Canoe) – they have won the South Australian NAIDOC Awards 2011 in the Event category! Well done everyone – it was a pleasure to working with you all on the canoe making project!
This is a fantastic state-wide recognition for the project and a big Thank You for all our supporters, funding partners and communities across the South East, who worked with us over the last year.
Christie Walk, SA, November 2010
CHALLENGE: Change Media worked with members of the Christie Walk eco-housing project and Urban Ecology Australia to document and produce an exceptional resource about Christie Walk as an example of sustainable urban development.
Over 4 days Change Media delivered training in digital media and created two inspiring documentaries about one of the only inner-city eco-housing projects in the world.
PARTNERS: Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities; Urban Ecology Australia; Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board; CSR Hebel; Tallstoreez Productionz
Film: Christie Walk – a piece of ecocity

Click on the image above or the link to watch - Christie Walk – a piece of ecocity – 10min documentary.
If your device can’t play the clip, click here to watch it on Vimeo.
You can purchase the documentary together with the 35min guided tour on DVD and companion CDROM [with e-book Moving Towards Urban Sustainability] in our online shop and at Urban Ecology Australia.
OUTCOMES:
During the production in Adelaide’s CBD members of the Christie Walk community, alongside experts from Urban Ecology Australia involved in creating Christie Walk, shared their insights into sustainability, biodiversity and community living, and learned skills in film narrative, conducted interviews and took part in the editing. The result is an inspiring educational resource about one of Australia’s leading eco-housing initiatives.
The project was an overwhelming success. The team collected over 15 hours of fantastic footage, photos and interviews, and together with the community decided to make two different films instead of one: a 10 minute promotional short documentary and a 35-min educational documentary following two resident hosts on their guided visitor-tour through the project as they guide a tour group through the project.
Besides taking part in the production, the workshop participants learned skills in media literacy, production management, screen language and visual representation of ecological issues. The educational sustainability resource DVD featuring both films will be available in January 2011 in our online shop and at Urban Ecology Australia.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS:
An official launch is planned for February 2011, please contact Urban Ecology Australia for further details.
The project is nominated as a finalist at the 2011 International MyHero Film Festival in the community films category. Congratulations! Watch this space for future updates [winner to be announced in November 2011] and for screenings near you.
IMPACT & FEEDBACK:
The production process was a lot of fun and our team felt instantly at home at Christie Walk. Working through a host of issues and talking points to be addressed in the documentary, the team decided to document one of the Christie Walk guided tours. The resulting 35 minute documentary offers a great insight into sustainable inner-city living, covering issues of biodiversity, design, eco-building and community development, including a look into one of Adelaide’s first strawbale houses, the advantages of building with Hebel blocks and double-glazed windows, as well as clever garden design and careful recycling practice.
Kalangadoo, SA, July 2010
CHALLENGE: Change Media worked with Ngarrindjeri Elder Major Moogy Sumner to document the making of the first traditional Ngarrindjeri / Boandik tree canoe on Boandik country in over 100 years. This evocative documentary is part of an educational River Redgum DVD combining Caring for Country best practice with transmission of traditional culture.
During the production in Kalangadoo [Big Trees in Water] and Millicent members of the Tal-Kin-Jeri group, Indigenous students and community members from across South East SA learned skills in film narrative, interview & editing techniques and experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event.
PARTNERS: Indigenous Cultural Support DEWHA; Indigenous Coordination Centre SA; Australia Council for the Arts Creative Community Partnership Initiative; Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities; South East Natural Resource Management Board; South East Aboriginal Focus Group; Aboriginal Sobriety Group; Millicent High School; Tal-Kin-Jeri Performance group; Tallstoreez Productionz
Film: Moogy’s Yuki (Moogy’s Bark Canoe)
Click on the image above or the link to watch - Moogy’s Yuki – 2min trailer for the half hour documentary.
If your device can’t play this clip, click here to watch it on Vimeo.
You can order your copy of the documentary and River Redgum care DVD here.
We also produced an educational mini-doc with additional Caring for Country interviews:
Click on the link to watch - River Redgum Restoration – a 6min clip, also included on the DVD resource.
If your device can’t play this clip, click here to watch it on Vimeo.
OUTCOMES:
This project built on the success of the first workshop in May 2010. The peer-produced content will form part of the educational Caring For Country resource DVD, available in September 2010 in our online shop.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS: Major ‘Moogy’ Sumner has won a Hero Award at the 2010 MyHero International Film Festival, as well as the 2nd Prize for Moogy’s Yuki in the community film category, selected from hundreds of entries worldwide. The South East Natural Resources Management Board is supporting Moogy and Cyril to fly over to Los Angeles to represent the project at the awards ceremonies on November 19th and 20th. Congratulations!
The canoe along with the DVD is on display in Millicent and Mt. Gambier and at the OurMob exhibition, Adelaide Festival Centre. The Age and local WIN TV ran stories about the project and we will present the final documentary to ABC or NITV for broadcast.
Check out also our News section for updates on media coverage.
IMPACT & FEEDBACK: The challenge this session was to shoot and edit a documentary for the South East Natural Resource Management Board, including traditional cultural knowledge about caring for river red gums, making a traditional Ngarrindjeri bark canoe. During the second part of the project, we focused on documentation techniques and the educational narrative after the bark was taken off the tree. Ngarrindjeri Elder Major Moogy Sumner demonstrated how to prepare the canoe, spear-making techniques and then launched the historic Ngarrindjeri bark canoe.
Millicent, SA, May 2010
CHALLENGE: The Change Media Team conducted a production workshop with members of the Tal-Kin-Jeri performance group, Indigenous students and community members from across South East SA to train them in film narratives, interview techniques, editing and media management. The aim was to educate students alongside the production of a DVD about River Red Gum Care, which documents the technique of making a traditional Ngarrindjeri bark canoe by Ngarrindjeri Elder Major Sumner.
PARTNERS: Indigenous Cultural Support DEWHA; Indigenous Coordination Centre SA; Australia Council for the Arts Creative Community Partnership Initiative; Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities; South East Natural Resource Management Board; South East Aboriginal Focus Group; Aboriginal Sobriety Group; Millicent High School; Tal-Kin-Jeri Performance group; Tallstoreez Productionz; Apple Australia
Film: Recording Culture
Click on the link to watch Recording Culture - a 6min peer-produced video, also included on the DVD resource Moogy;s Yuki.
OUTCOMES: The project covered an introduction to working with a client on location, intermediate interview and event coverage techniques and editing. The peer-produced content [the peer-produced film Recording Culture and photo slide show] will form part of the educational Caring For Country River Redgum resource called Moogy’s Yuki, to be delivered August 2010.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS: Please watch this space for updates. The plan is to exhibit the canoe along with the DVD at the OurMob exhibition at the Adelaide Festival Centre and in Millicent and Mt. Gambier. The Age and local WIN TV already ran stories about the project and we envisage to present the final documentary to NITV and ABC for broadcast.
Check out also our News section for updates on media coverage.
IMPACT & FEEDBACK: The challenge this session was to shoot and edit a documentary for the South East Natural Resource Management Board, including traditional cultural knowledge of the caring for rivergum trees, making a traditional Ngarrindjeri canoe and shield out of bark, let by Ngarrindjeri Elder Major Sumner. After a great introduction day with over 20 participants, we focused on documentation techniques and educational narrative. Each team member conducted interviews and was part of the canoe-making shoot.
Camp Coorong, SA, May 2010
CHALLENGE: Change Media ran the fifth production workshop with the Ngarrindjeri Media Team to continue their training in film narratives, interview techniques, editing and train-the-trainer methodology. The workshop focused on the editing of the Murrundi Ruwe Pangari Ringbalin ceremonies, shooting of pick-up and and production of training tutorials.
PARTNERS: Indigenous Cultural Support DEWHA; Indigenous Coordination Centre SA; Australia Council for the Arts Creative Community Partnership Initiative; Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities; Ngarrindjeri Land & Progress Association; Ngarrindjeri Ruwe Contracting; Tallstoreez Productionz; Apple Australia
Film: Currently in Post Production.
Available end of July, 2010
OUTCOMES: The training covered editing of multi-camera footage, shooting pick-ups on location, conducting interviews and creating peer-training video manuals. New team members entered the team and participated in a peer-training introduction to camera and editing basics. The shooting of pick-ups for the Murrundi documentary took place at the Murray River barrages and in Meningie.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS: Please watch this space for updates.
IMPACT & FEEDBACK: The team’s challenge for this session was to continue the edit of the ambitious river ceremony and water crisis documentary. They also had to train new members and create bite-sized, hands-on peer-learning tutorials, to share their skills and demonstrate their acquired skills. As a direct result of our collaboration, one of the participants has now commenced a part time position as media officer for the RUWE Ngarrindjeri Resource Corporation to document their Caring For Country processes. Her role as media officer will also support her to continue to train with Change Media over the coming years.
Find the full ABC story and radio interviews from Friday March 26th, 2010, here:
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/03/24/2854810.htm?site=northandwest
Ngarrindjeri documentary to screen at New York film festival
By Petria Ladgrove (North and West morning show producer)
A documentary about the Ngarrindjeri community’s struggle with dropping water levels in the Lower Lakes system will be screened at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2010.
Listen to Edie Carter’s ABC Radio interview here.
Edie is the Ngarrindjeri media officer at the Ngarrindjeri Land & Progress Association.
Listen to Carl Kuddell’s ABC Radio interview here.
On the ABC News website today, March 26th 2010, as part of our interview with ABC Radio earlier this week:
Indigenous struggle gains US screening
A film documenting the cultural struggles for Indigenous groups due to a shortage of water in the lower lakes and Coorong of South Australia will screen at an international film festival in New York.
The film Nukkan.Kungun.Yunnan explains some of the difficulties faced by the Ngarrindjeri people, including a shortage of reeds for their traditional basket weaving.
Meningie youth worker Edie Carter worked with young people to make the 22-minute film and says it has a role in efforts to retain local culture.
“Because of what’s happening with the drought we need to document our cultural history for our next generation so … our young people can see what we’ve got now and what we had back in the past,” she said.
“What my mum and dad done with me, I can’t do that with my children and it’s very sad.
“So I’m crossing my fingers and if we can make other states aware of what is happening in the lower lakes, especially around Meningie, you know, just hoping and praying that we get that flow back.”
Nukkan.Kungun.Yunnan screens on National Indigenous Television, February 2010
In January 2009 the Ngarrindjeri Youth Media Team formed and in four days they created their first documentary; Nukkan.Kungun.Yunnan, a 22 minute film about the water crisis. Congratulations to the team, their film has had an incredible impact across the globe and within a year it has screened on National Indigenous TV. This is a huge achievement and really demonstrates how we can all make a difference.
Cherry Gardens SA, November 2008
CHALLENGE: Horse SA commissioned the Hero Project team to work with a group of teenage girls to produce a film about horse and land care. During the workshop the youth team met the challenge head on: in only 3 days they created Horse TV!
PARTNERS: Australia Council for the Arts Creative Community Partnerships Initiative; Arts SA Partnerships for Healthy Communities; Horse SA; Horse Owners of the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges; the Melbourne Water Corporation; the Evironmental Protection Agency; the Adelaide & Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board; Tallstoreez Productionz; Apple Australia
Film: Horse TV
Welcome to Horse TV: This series of funny TV ads and soap spoofs raises awareness about environmental issues around horse ownership and addresses 5 key messages:
Healthy Pastures all year round spells healthy horses
Cheap Cheap Cheap: reduce dust and mud, horses hate cheap pastures
Purer Trough: safe, clean, easy water for your horse that doesn’t impact on creeks and waterways
Silver Service – A Ladies Companion to Classy Compost: Horse manure management 101
Horse CSI: Control your weeds before it is too late…
OUTCOMES: The workshop focused on training teenage girls and in the brainstorming session they decided to create a series of TV Advert spoofs as an upbeat way to share land care messages for horse owners. During the workshop the young filmmakers learnt all basic skills required for video production, including scripting, story-boarding, camera + sound work, acting, directing, editing and music production.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS:
The final film was screened 4 day after the workshop to over 50 people in the Cherry Gardens community hall.
The film was distributed online through the Australian Pony Club to over 10.000 members.
Horse SA have presented it at several conferences.
Read the rest of this page and add your comments »
Quorn SA, January 2008
CHALLENGE: The Hero Project team worked with 6 students at the Quorn Area School, supported by the Southern Flinders Ranges Health Service, the Quorn Area School, the local council and the Quorn Caravan Park, as a direct result of the 2007 Document Your World competition.
PARTNERS: Arts SA; Country Arts SA Regional Arts Fund; Southern Flinders Ranges Health Service Inc; Quorn Caravan Park; Tallstoreez Productionz, Apple Australia
Film: Every Drop Counts
OUTCOMES: To create a short documentary that addresses environmental concerns arising from the ongoing drought in north SA.
The participants identified a number of relevant interviewees, great locations and found fantastic archival footage about a flood. This was the final production in a series of 4 workshops with the Quorn community; as a result the local school has taken up digital media as part of their curriculum and the community has a great team of young documentarians and upcoming journalists.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS:
The film screened at the Screen Australia outback touring program in Quorn.
IMPACT & FEEDBACK: Their films screened as part of the Screen Australia outback touring program at the Quorn caravan park, to an audience of over 200. Read the rest of this page and add your comments »








