A Window on 39,000 Doors

Abstract

<p>This doctoral package comprises two parts produced as practice-based research within the PhD program at the University of New England. Part 1, <i>39,000 Doors, Australian Kids in Care</i>, is a 74-minute documentary I researched, wrote, produced and directed in 2011-2015. Part 2, this exegesis - A Window on 39,000 Doors - reflects on the processes employed in the making of the film, and the many challenges faced in completing it. This reflection is contextualised by consideration of the 'crisis' in Australian documentary during the period of the film's production, growing concern at the welfare of Australian children in care amid investigations into historic abuse, and a declining appetite for the Griersonian tradition of the social documentary.</p><p> This exegesis is a companion volume to the documentary film <i>39,000 Doors: Australian Kids in Care</i>, which is the major creative component of this submission. I recommend the film be viewed first, whereafter the exegesis is intended to amplify understanding of the processes by which it was made, and to make explicit the research and consequent knowledge the film implies. The film may be securely viewed here: href="https://vimeo.com/146196184">https://vimeo.com/146196184</p><p> Both the film and exegesis address the question of how a contemporary examination of the care experience can succeed when access to the children within it is denied. This question, and the pursuit of an answer to it, position the creative work outside conventional funding pathways, but also liberate the film from scripted and formatted documentary forms. The resulting film is shaped more by content than market, and hence will likely serve audiences within the educational rather than broadcast sector.</p><p> The film provides a means by which recent graduates of the care system can speak directly of their experiences of a sector in crisis. Care-leavers remain a largely anonymous social subset, who continue to experience discrimination and dislocation. The film may help drive change and innovation within the care sector, and draw attention to the continuing struggles care leavers experience as young adults, when care ceases.</p><p> The journey of the film also invites consideration of the future of the social project documentary, which I argue in conclusion may be revitalised, in part by the advent of digital democratisation, and a growing collaboration with philanthropy.</p>