General News
9 May, 2025
Third annual Gilgandra Film Festival
The third annual GFF was a great success, and organisers are already refining their ideas for next year’s festival with the youth competition theme yet to be announced.
State president of CWA NSW, Joy Beames said it was a privilege for her to attend the festival to represent the CWA. “I know that the local CWA ladies have had a lot to do with this festival since it started three-years-ago. So, I want to acknowledge the work that they put to into this event.”
Sue also introduced and thanked the festival’s artistic director Simon Target.
“I can’t believe we’ve done three festivals,” said Simon. “You know, whose idea was it – Sue? You know, it was like an accident [that the festival began] and here we are. Look at all these people [the audience]. So, thank you for coming and buying a ticket. Thank you for supporting this festival,” he said.
The 2025 GFF attracted new sponsorship from the NRMA, who along with providing free popcorn and snow cones, also provided the power for the festival in the form of an electric vehicle – a Hyundai ICONIQ 6.
Saturday’s program featured a small recap of the children’s films to open the festival before a showing of a 2024 Oscar candidate for Best Animated Short Film, ‘There are People in the Forest’ (2023) from Polish director, Szymon RuczyÅ„ski. The 10-minute animated documentary shows the journey of refugees lost in a Polish/Belarussian forest, a humanitarian problem which has been happening since 2021.
GFF always has a strong local focus and this year, three local lives were profiled on the big screen. The premier of the documentary ‘The Lives of Gilgandra’ (2025), showed some of the hardships of remote farm living for two of its subjects Barry Chandler, and Will Alison. Barry has been managing his family farm property solo and has never been married. While some might find this concept lonely, Barry, like many of the district’s farmers, insists that the farm is where he would rather be. Will and his two primary school-aged daughters, Bonnie and Rosie, live on property along the Tooraweenah-Mendooran Road. His story is one of challenge and tragedy with the loss of the girl’s mother Kate, when they were young. Will and Bonnie showed parts of their life living on the farm, dealing with the loss of their mother, the challenges of being a single parent while working full-time on the farm and the help of Grannie Annie.
The third story showcased the local newspaper, The Gilgandra Weekly, and featured an interview with Lucie Peart, giving a glimpse into the life of a newspaper editor and the challenges of being a small business proprietor, a mum, and co-parenting two young children.
Several other local identities also had cameo appearances in the film which included the main street and local businesses.
As in previous years of the GFF, ‘The Lives of Gilgandra’ documentary was an unscripted look into the lives of others – which at some points was emotive with small moments of joy and humour.
During the break and after the raffle was drawn, attendees were treated to a vast spread courtesy of the Gilgandra Evening Branch CWA, and volunteers of the ‘Friends of GFF’.
The final documentary of the evening was an excerpt of Simon Target’s 2023 film, Trouble Up River - Mission PNG.
The documentary follows the story of Polish missionaries in remote areas of Papua New Guinea, who battle tribal warfare, lack of medicine and education, and extreme poverty to help improve the overall standard of living.
