Mary Macrae

The Pool

Bondi Icebergs is the most photographed pool in the world. This is where generations of children have learnt to swim, where the diehard have braved the frigid waters of one hundred winters, where the young and beautiful have come to bond and bake in the hot sun. THE POOL is a stunning cinematic experience with a soundtrack that harks back to the 1960s and a cast of characters who each have a story to tell. It speaks to the enduring power of community and our collective longing to find it. No matter your background or where you’re at – everyone is equal in their swimsuits.

The Department

THE DEPARTMENT is a feature documentary which takes us inside the never-before-seen child protection system at work in NSW. Filmed in an observational style, it follows caseworkers across the state as they navigate the complexities of keeping children safe in families experiencing domestic violence, addiction, poverty, mental health issues and intergenerational trauma.

Life After the Oasis

In 2008, feature documentary, The Oasis, shocked Australia with its gritty insight into the lives of homeless teens at a notorious youth refuge in inner city Sydney. An outpouring of social and political goodwill followed, with the then Prime Minister pledging to halve homelessness by 2020. A decade later, with social inequality and homelessness worse than ever, the original participants reflect on where their lives have taken them.

The Final Quarter

Australian documentary filmmaker Ian Darling re-examines the incidents that marked the final 3 years of Indigenous footballer Adam Goodes' playing career. Made entirely from archival footage, photos and interviews sourced from television, radio and newspapers, the film reviews the national conversation that took place over this period.

Suzy & The Simple Man

SUZY & THE SIMPLE MAN is an environmental love story about sustainability and the cycle of life. Eight years in the making, this intimate, funny and uplifting film features Suzy and her adventurer husband Jon Muir who live a simple life off the grid — growing organic fruit and vegetables and caring for their chooks and sheep. But the simple life is never as easy as it seems. When all seems perfect something changes their world and life takes an unexpected turn. With bravery and conviction Suzy and Jon confront perhaps their greatest challenge yet, and consider taking the road less travelled. SUZY & THE SIMPLE MAN is a modest story with big questions at its heart: our relationship to each other, to nature and to other creatures, the care of the planet and ourselves, and confronting our own mortality.

The Oasis

Tough kids from tough backgrounds living dangerous lives - these are the young people of the Oasis, a grimy brick youth refuge in inner-city Sydney. No story is too horrific, no circumstance too dire, no kid too damaged for its tireless director, Captain Paul Moulds. Father figure, counselor, saviour and an orphan himself, Paul is nothing short of a legend amongst those who stumble in at breaking point with nowhere left to go. This raw observational documentary filmed over two years captures Paul's daily battle to save these lost children of the so-called "Lucky Country".

The Twins

Two old school friends, come back together forty years after playing the twins in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, to rework it as a two-hander. The film of the heart-breaking and hilarious new play about trust; remembering and forgetting to remember; loss; regret; love; pain and glory. Their lives took different paths; they are now reunited, but who is playing who? Are they who they say they are and should any of that matter? And once you've let go of your dreams, is there ever really any way back? It's about fathers and the shadows they leave, the labels we give to others and ourselves and the burden and guilt these two friends carry as a result. An achingly honest account that sees privilege and heroin joined at the hip.

Paul Kelly: Stories of Me

An intimate portrait of Paul Kelly, Australia's foremost singer-songwriter. In a career spanning more than thirty years he has documented the history of our country, described its landscapes and cities, and captured the lives and loves of its citizens. Kelly has written over 350 songs, penned lyrics for many other singers, co-authored songs and written for film. But like all great artists Paul Kelly is both candid and reserved. He has lived in the public eye but has remained an enigma.