Paul Kelly: Stories of Me (ATOM Study Guide)

Paul Kelly: Stories of Me is a documentary about the life and career of the acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly. The film explores the relationship of Kelly's art to his life and personal journey, and the hurdles he faced along the way. It also shows the way that Kelly's work has been informed by Australian society and his work has in turn given voice to the experiences of many Australians, and at times the life of the nation.

AFI award-winning director Ian Darling and his Shark Island Productions team have created a multi-layered film that incorporates interviews, concert performance, rehearsal performance, archive footage, recreations and animation to tell a seamless story that covers Kelly's forty years in the music business.

While first and foremost a rock-and-roll musician, Paul Kelly has also acted, written prose and scored film. He is intimately involved, through practice and relationships, with the full spectrum of Australian culture. Kelly has also, perhaps more than any of his contemporaries, been involved in Australian cultural and political life. The film reflects these activities and so, as well as being about the life of Paul Kelly, it is also about our times.

The interview subjects include various members of Kelly's family, many of his fellow musicians and friends including novelists Richard Flanagan and Fiona McGregor, film director Rachel Perkins and musicians Megan Washington and Archie Roach.

Curriculum relevance: Year 11–12 English, Literature, Media, Australian History and Sociology.