Stories to Sing

Blackfella Films has been working with Brian Hill, the creator of reality TV show Sylvania Waters, which captured on film the lives and melodramas of a nouveau rich Sydney family living in "the Shire".

'Brian Hill pioneered this musical doco form, and we wanted to use it to look at the past as well as the contemporary lifestyle in Redfern," producer Darren Dale of Blackfella Films said.

The film, Redfern the Musical, will catalogue the people, places and stories of Redfern and then tell them through song.

"Rather than telling a story through interview, people will have songs written about their story and they then sing their story," Dale said.

The film crew is currently researching various leads and working out what will be included in the final cut. "Interestingly there is no comprehensive history of the area and I am gathering info from all sorts of people," researcher Genevieve Grieve said.

"We are casting a wide net be-

cause the stories, people, culture and history are so rich."

The documentary will aim to expose the realities of life in Redfern, she said. "It's aiming to celebrate a lot of the positive stories that happens here, there's so many characters and talent and good things happening yet the suburb gets a bad rap."

To find out more or get involved visit www.blackfellafilms.com.au or phone 9380 4000

Source: Central 18 February 2009