Malcolm McKinnon - The Farmer's Cinematheque director's exclusive interview

McKINNON: My discovery of the Teasdale film archive was the inspiration for the film, a rich collection of beautifully made amateur films that stretch back to the 1930s. The archive is a luminous, resonant trove of ghosts and memories. The Teasdale films embody what it means to belong to a place and to a community, and so our documentary became a vehicle to explore these themes.

McKINNON: Ross Gibson immediately understood the power and beauty of the Teasdale archive, and it was such a privilege to collaborate with him on writing the film. We were incredibly fortunate that Chris Abrahams was willing to lend his unique talents to the project. The music he made for the film is beautifully counter-intuitive, avoiding all the clichés we too often hear alongside depictions of rural landscapes and people. The music creates distance and perspective that is critical to the working of the film. Cinematographer Ben Speth brought a fresh, critical eye and his own peculiar wit to the project, and it was always interesting to watch his 'New York sensibility' at work in the Wimmera. In front of the camera, our chief blessing was the intellect and humour delivered by the amazing Acey Teasdale. She's a self-proclaimed farmer's daughter at heart, but far more cosmopolitan and complex than what that label might suggest. The film also features young farmer Ash Teasdale, a remarkably insightful and articulate voice within the film.

McKINNON: There's a beautiful scene in the film that draws connections between Aboriginal and settler knowledge and connection to Country. It relies on the generosity and imaginative effort of two senior Wotjabaluk women and a particular member of the Teasdale family. It's a complex dialogue that we don't see enough of in Australia. Aside from that, my favourite scenes are where the farmer and filmmaker John Teasdale recites the names of the particular places and people that pass before his camera. He's perpetually re-mapping and re-making his physical and social world, and the effect is mesmerizing.

McKINNON: Making a film like this is always a journey of discovery, and our approach was quite reflexive and instinctive. The Teasdale film archive is full of intriguing scenes that we often wanted to follow up on. (Where does that monkey come from? Why is that woman walking around with a rifle?) Sometimes we were happy to let these scenes remain mysterious. Whitefellas and blackfellas don't talk with each other often enough in this country, so it was especially rewarding to facilitate dialogue between Regina Hood and Hazel McDonald, two Wotjabaluk women whose brothers feature in the film archive, and members of the Teasdale family around matters of mutual interest. We also enjoyed an intriguing day filming at the Rupanyup Agricultural Show, at which we learned much about the arcane sport of sheaf tossing.

McKINNON: I've been completing a book about the former Finniss Springs Aboriginal Mission in outback South Australia and working on a range of short film projects. Producer, Annie Venables, took on a project for ABC television called Future Cities and writer/director Ross Gibson has been working on Bluster Town, an animated poetry project for large screens in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Our composer, Chris Abrahams, continued touring extensively with his band The Necks, and producing new music of his own.