Film-maker Pat Fiske writes:
How did the film, Woolloomooloo, come about...
In 1973, Denise White, Peter Gailey and I were struck by the potential life
changing impact of the actions of the various community groups, the NSW BLF and their Green Bans were doing. We began work on our first 16mm feature film. The section about Woolloomooloo and Victoria Street was originally intended to be about 10 minutes in the completed film about the history of the BLF and the Green Bans. When we came to the editing, we had such a bounty of footage our planned 10 minutes had turned into a two hour rough cut. So, we decided to make a film about Woolloomooloo first. When Woolloomooloo was finally completed in 1978, I went back to tell the broader BLF and Green Bans story, creating the film, Rocking the Foundations (1985), which has already been beautifully restored by the National Film and Sound Archive. Sadly, the NFSA can only restore a few films each year.
We have commenced a Fundraiser to RESTORE this 16mm film to a very high quality digital product.
Donations to this Project are 100% Tax Deductible through Documentary Australia
Completion Goal: $45,000 + Outreach Goal: $25,000
About the Film
Woolloomooloo is a landmark documentary tracking the fate of the 1969 scheme to
redevelop Sydney‛s old portside area of Woolloomooloo and its notorious neighbour,
Victoria Street, Kings Cross, overlooking the sparkling harbour. When the local
community are faced with the plans to replace working-class homes with high-rise
towers and busy expressways, they enlist support from the Builders‛ Labourers‛
Federation (BLF). Led by Jack Mundey, the BLF‛s Green Bans propel the issue into the national spotlight.
Woolloomooloo captures the historical combat whose players include local, state and
federal governments, the State Planning Authority, the National Trust, the developers,
the residents‛ action groups, the Builders Labourers‛ Federation (BLF), and the police.
Through to late 1977, when a radically reconfigured Housing Commission Project is
completed, it‛s a story rich in human drama.
To make a donation and to be kept informed of the progress of fund-raising CLICK HERE
What's going to happen...
Woolloomooloo is now 47 years old and much of the footage is even older. It needs
urgent and tender loving care to survive and to carry this excellent history of
Woolloomooloo and Victoria Street into the future. It will be time consuming to restore this film because of its age. Ray Argall of Piccolo Films, who recently did the gorgeous restoration of my film, For All the World to See, a Portrait of Professor Fred Hollows (1992), will be restoring Woolloomooloo and will do a spectacular job.
Restoration includes digitising the 16mm camera original - over-scanning every frame at a very high quality (4K). An exacting and time-consuming task. The audio will be remastered from the original 16mm mix master. Ray will carry out and supervise the Restoration in consultation with me. The restored Woolloomooloo will be available as a much more pristine and clear-viewing experience on all screens, big and small, and will be able to be transferred to any formats in the future and will have a very long life.
Woolloomooloo is an important part of Australian history and remains highly relevant. It has been screened by interested parties, universities and organisations since 1978
although in poor quality. When restoration is completed, it will be launched in cinemas. And an impact and screening campaign will follow to promote it far and wide.
For any questions or further information, please contact:
Pat Fiske pat@bowerbirdfilms.com +61 407 813 255
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.