Taking us on a journey through the forested hills of the NSW Southern Highlands (Australia), poet and Gunai woman, Kirli Saunders, reflects on the special place the endangered Glossy Black Cockatoo holds in her heart and culture.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Tim Brown and Michael Portway

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

TIM: We were really enamoured with the Glossy Black-Cockatoo after filming them in far East Gippsland. At that time, we had also come across Kirli Saunder’s beautiful writings about Garrall, the black cockatoo. This led us to reach out to Kirli about making a film together, which ended up becoming Cry of the Glossy.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

MICHAEL: If you are interested in or care about environmental matters, Aboriginal Australia, birdlife, or poetry, then there is something in this film for you. And we think getting to spend ten minutes in the world of Kirli Saunders is a pretty special experience.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

TIM: Cry of the Glossy is about the big themes of environmental destruction and colonisation, and what this means on a species, cultural, and personal level. For the Glossy Black-Cockatoo, land clearing and bushfires have devastated their habitat and pushed these birds to the brink of extinction. This loss is experienced personally by Kirli Saunders, who talks and writes about the significance of Glossies for her and other Aboriginal Australians in the film.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

MICHAEL: After capturing footage of the rare and threatened Glossy Black-Cockatoo, we knew we had something special on our hands. We hoped this footage could be used in a way that might help bring Glossies into the public consciousness. Our initial idea was to produce a series of short documentary ‘vignettes’ about different people working to protect Glossies along Australia’s East Coast. Ultimately though, it was Kirli’s story that really spoke to us and the one we decided to focus on.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

TIM: The film has not had a wide release yet, but from the limited number of people who have seen it, the feedback has been very positive so far. We think that anyone who sees it won’t be able to help but fall for the Glossies, not to mention Kirli.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

MICHAEL: We’re looking forward to more people seeing the film and certainly welcome feedback and discussion, challenging or otherwise. We hope the film inspires conversations about the urgent issue of biodiversity loss in Australia, and about the broader effects this has on First Nations people.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

TIM: wearemovingstories.com is an amazing platform for independent films, especially by and featuring First Nations people, and so we hope the site connects Cry of the Glossy with an array of audiences it may not have otherwise reached.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

MICHAEL: We are keen to work with any sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, and/or journalists who could help get word of the film out there.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

TIM: If Cry of the Glossy inspires even one person to do something to help protect Glossy Black-Cockatoos then we’d consider the film successful.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

MICHAEL: Are we okay to watch irreplaceable species and cultures slide into extinction?

Would you like to add anything else?

TIM: We’d just like to say thanks for the opportunity to talk about our film and for helping us to share it with new audiences.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

MICHAEL: Kirli is an incredible and prolific writer and visual artist. Please check out her website kirlisaunders.com

As for Grassland Films, we’ve recently finished production on another documentary called Shadow in the Reeds which is also about peoples’ connections with an endangered bird - the Australasian Bittern. Shadow in the Reeds will be screening at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival as well.

Interview: May 2023

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Cry of the Glossy

Length: 10:17

Director: Tim Brown and Michael Portway

Producer: Tim Brown and Michael Portway

Writer: Tim Brown and Michael Portway

About the writer, director and producer:

TIM BROWN is an award-winning ecologist-turned-filmmaker. He is passionate about combining his love of the environment with filmmaking to create positive change for the natural world.

MICHAEL PORTWAY is an acclaimed Melbourne-based filmmaker. His directorial work has been screened at local and international festivals, including the Berlinale and the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Looking for: film festival directors and distributors

Twitter: @GrasslandFilms_

Instagram: @grasslandfilms

Website: www.grasslandfilms.com.au

Other: Vimeo

Made in association with: Kirli Saunders

Funders: South East Biodiversity & Conservation Division, NSW Department of Planning & Environment

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Melbourne Documentary Film Festival/Melbourne – Late July (exact date TBC)