EFFA presents: Home Grown

Saturday 1 June | ACMI, Fed Square.

A one-day exploration of Australia on screen. Passes & tickets available now.

From Werribee Gorge to the Northern Territory, traversing the tops of Mt Kosciuszko and all the way down to Bruny Island, EFFA presents: Home Grown invites audiences to journey across our coastlines, mountain regions, desert landscapes, cities and ecosystems.

Join us for a day of uniquely Australian perspectives on the environment, connection to country, and the fight to protect our home.

Designed to spark conversation and demand action, the program includes documentaries, animation, irreverent comedy and experimental visual art, alongside filmmaker panels, Q&As and community gatherings. 

We'll finish the fest in ACMI’s Cameo Café Bar with a plant-based canape reception; meet our volunteers, filmmakers and partners and discuss "what's next". With drinks from ReWine, Naarm's refillable, sustainable wine merchant. 

Spend the day with us, with an All Day Pass available (includes entry to our evening reception).

Presented by | Environmental Film Festival Australia, Australian Environments on Screen, Monash University, ACMI and DocPlay

Supported by | Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network, ReWine, Carbon Positive Australia, Rock Posters and Art Disrupt

14:00 - 15:45 | Australian Shorts, with panel

Purchase tickets via ACMI online

Celebrating Australia’s finest environmental filmmakers, this shorts package and panel takes an honest, poetic and irreverent look at what it means to live in our unique environs, capturing the power of community and how ‘home grown’ stories can lead to action.

With animation, comedy, dance, documentaries and even a seagull falling in love with a drone, this specially curated shorts package highlights the joy and power that can come from connecting with the world around us.

  • Bird Drone | Radheya Jegatheva, Australia, 2023
    A heartfelt story of unrequited love between a seagull and a human-operated drone with a limited battery life.

  • A CALL TO ARMS | The Samaya Wives, Australia, 2023
    A dance film that traverses the landscapes of Takayna; from rugged coastline to the deep ancient temperate rainforests, exploring through movement, the embodied effects of its landscapes and the sensation of its contrasting strength and fragility.

  • No Distance Between Us | Vera Hong, Australia, 2018
    Exploring the history and cultural significance of the Willandra Lakes Region in far-west NSW, the largest human fossil footprint site in the world.

  • Stories from the Smoke | Daniel Merson, Australia, 2020
    A gut-punching reflection of a grandfather living in bushfire country, inspired by a First Dog on the Moon cartoon. 

  • An Island Off An Island | Guido Pezz, Australia, 2023
    An intimate portrait of life in Bruny Island, away from the distractions of the outside world.

  • Petrichor | Shirin Shakhesi, 2019
    A vibrant sensory experience drawing you through a vivid, jewel-toned ecosystem of insects and nature.        

  • Outpicker | Le Luo, Australia, 2023
    A queer immigrant finds a sense of belonging in the Australian landscape through litter-picking.

Screening is followed by a panel of selected filmmakers.

16:15 - 17:35 | Where The Water Starts (2021)

Purchase tickets via ACMI online

Australia's Snowy Mountains are the birthplace of some of our most iconic rivers - including the Snowy, Murray and Murrumbidgee - but the delicate alpine ecosystem that supports these vital water sources is being threatened. 

Hard hoofed animals are trampling and endangering the viability of the headwaters of three iconic rivers. After seeing the destruction of the fragile alpine ecology first hand, Richard Swain, with the support of his wife Alison, decides to speak out. 

Where The Water Starts brings together respected Aboriginal community leaders, as well as business people, a local farmer, a scientist, a former parks officer and a social historian, highlighting the importance of connection and country when it comes to protecting our planet.

Director: Mandy King, Australia

Join us after the screening in ACMI’s Cameo Café Bar for a community gathering with free plant-based refreshments to discuss the film. 

18:15 - 20:00 | Double Feature: Water Is Life (2018) & RIVERTREE (2023)

Purchase tickets via ACMI online

Environmental Film Festival Australia, Australian Environments on Screen, Seed and ACMI are thrilled to invite you to this special double-feature presentation of RIVERTREE and Water Is Life.

Highlighting the resilience of community and the importance of our river and water systems, RIVERTREE and Water Is Life both offer unique perspectives on the fight to protect home.

  • Water is Life | Seed, Australia, 2018
    Aboriginal communities fight against fracking plans in the NT, learning from First Nations brothers and sisters in the US who are suffering from the impacts of greedy gas companies.

  • RIVERTREE  | Matty Hannon & Gary Parker, Australia, 2023
    When lifelong mates Hayley Talbot and Dan Ross set off on a long-distance paddle from the headwaters of the Clarence River to the surf, they find astonishing landscapes, eccentric locals and epic river time adventures. They also discovered some big bad plans to mine the hills behind their home. A story of friendship, community and the fight to save the mighty Clarence River (Biirrinba, Boorimbah), set on Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl Country and narrated by Aunty Lenore.

Screening followed by an 'In Conversation' with representatives from both films. 

Get a Reception Ticket and join us in ACMI’s Cameo Café Bar for our Home Grown Reception. Meet EFFA's volunteers, filmmakers and partners and discuss "what's next", with sustainable wine from ReWine and plant-based canapes.

Tickets.

Single tickets: Standard $18, Concession $14, ACMI members $12 

Session 3 with Reception: Standard $35, Concession $29, ACMI members $31

All day pass with Reception: Standard $60, Concession $49, ACMI members $45

5% of all ticket income goes to Pay The Rent.

Tickets available via ACMI.

Venue.

ACMI, Fed Square
Flinders St, Naarm (Melbourne)
VIC 3000

Venue details (including Accessibility information) are available at the ACMI website.

 

Thanks.

Environmental Film Festival Australia is a 100% volunteer-run festival. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event happen.

EFFA Team | Charlie Macfarlane, Cathy Rodda, Chi Ngo, Darren Saffin, Freyja Gillard, Matt Bray, Phuong Nguyen & Tyson Wils

Special thanks to | Amy Stephenson, Lee Farrell, Matthew Jukes, Simon Linskill & Stefan Raabe

Presented & supported by.