GRIT Short Film Festival (ATOM Study Guide)

GRIT – Tasmanian Spirit on Screen is a series of six short films made by Tasmanians for Tasmania. Inspired by the stories of grit of everyday Tasmanians, award-winning filmmakers tell stories of courage within the Tasmanian community. These highly creative films, made by some of Tasmania’s best filmmakers, tell our unique stories on screen. GRIT is presented by Wide Angle Tasmania with the support of the Tasmanian Community Fund.

Alone Together
Follow Dylan Hesp, a self-proclaimed big deal television actor with plenty of friends, on a comedic quest to understand loneliness. In this insightful and hilariously awkward documentary, Dylan goes on friend dates with strangers, gets offended by expert opinions, and even tries cuddle therapy to understand the true impact of social isolation.

Main Ideas:

• Loneliness
• Social / emotional intelligence
• Societal change / social health
• Comedic techniques used to lighten a serious topic

Grove of Giants
In the Huon Valley, sits the Grove of Giants – the largest stand of old growth blue gums in the world. These towering ancient trees are at once stunning, dramatic and scheduled to be destroyed. Can a passionate team of climbers and scientists prove its worth as a powerful carbon sink before time runs out?

Main Ideas:

• Environmental impacts of logging old growth forests
• Positive action / Community action
• Scientists in action
• Scientific methods / rigour
• Respect and care for Country

Language of the Land
Language of the Land speaks to the power of language. Lutruwita was colonised and renamed Tasmania in the 1800s. Original names spoken for thousands of years were changed. In Language of the Land, we travel on Country with Palawa/Tasmanian Aboriginal people of Lutrawita/Tasmania as they talk about their personal connection to language and place. The film is about the resonance language creates, the power of speaking names on Country and the connection it builds between people, land and time.

Main Ideas:

• The effects of colonisation on language and place names
• Dual naming
• Respect and care for Aboriginal people and country
• How the British concept of terra nullias affected Aboriginal people

Handmade Happiness
A colourful stop motion animated documentary exploring how a passion for craft helps four makers overcome adversity. A carer finds purpose in knitting and making yarn. A health worker starts a men’s knitting circle. A new Tasmanian inspires others by teaching ceramics, and an arts worker sews old textiles to create new items and new hope for a sustainable future.

Main Ideas:

• Health benefits of taking up a craft (relaxation, social activity, sense of achievement)
• Challenging gender roles (examining historical and cultural contexts)
• Sustainability (creative use of found/ everyday objects)
• The difference between craft and art

Grey Power
Sometimes the best way to fight depression, anxiety and guilt is by getting active. Or for some, it’s by getting arrested. Meet four of Tasmania’s retired professionals who are making noise about issues close to their hearts; proving that getting older doesn’t always mean staying safe or slipping into invisibility. In fact, sometimes, it can bring with it great power.

Main Ideas:

• Climate change and industry/banking practices
• People power: overcoming stereotypes/difficulties
• Habitat loss due to logging, agriculture, fish farming, mining
• Pollution created by industry
• Sustainability and economics

The Tea Leaf Reader
Mia has always lived a nomadic lifestyle, never letting anyone too close. Moving around the northwest coast of Tasmania, she has become very good at avoiding her past. When her daughter starts falling behind at school, however, Mia has to face the shame she has been running away from.

Main Ideas:

• Adult literacy: contributing factors and impact on the individual
• Growth mindset
• The vulnerability of single parenting
• Storytelling: oral and written traditions
• Inherited disadvantage
• Homelessness

Parrot People
The story of how a small team of scientists and volunteers are working together to bring a brilliant little bird back from the brink of extinction.

Main Ideas:

• People power
• Fighting animal extinction
• Habitat loss
• Sustainability
• Challenges for migratory birds