A Harmony of Unbroken Voices

A HARMONY OF UNBROKEN VOICES - Drama

Director: LUCI REID

A woman, buried under the weight of seeing her rural hometown fractured by new money, greed, conservatism and brutal histories captures death in a box. She listens as death sings to her of all the exquisite, unheard voices that weigh the cost of change in an unfair world.

Director statement:

Our stories, in our own voices, for our own people.

I have watched Tasmania, Lutruwita throughout my life. I have seen so many aspects of this place represented in cold ways that speak to progress, colonialism, conservatism and destruction of the land. I have watched mainlanders come and examine us my whole life. How they filter us through foreign eyes for digestion far from where the stories have been lifted, praised for their blunt interpretations. We don’t get enough opportunities to tell our own stories, stories about our brilliant outsiders, about all the beautiful and extraordinary, unusual colours, the deep pain and trauma that binds us in this sometimes cruel and always achingly beautiful land.

We are constantly diluted and ignored by systems that see us as second rate, hicks. It wasn’t until the land here became valuable that suddenly, we are an exclusive commodity. We are for sale, I watch again as my people, my beautiful people are cast aside, excluded from the fire sale of our home. We are made to beg and swear allegiance to real estate agents, revolving door politicians, to agencies who participate in and profit from our subjugation.

I wrote ‘A harmony of unbroken voices’ for the people I love, for my talented, beautiful friends, for people who have tasted hurt, injustice and exclusion. For those who have lost so many people, who have lost so, so much. For all the beautiful friends and family I have lost to suicide and addiction. For the years I lost trying to rise up out of the same cruel cycles. Only to have to sit quietly in the shadows cast by towering new buildings we are not welcome in. Tasmania, Lutruwita is in desperate need of truth telling and that must start from the beginning, an eternity before this land was invaded, brutalised. It has to continue throughout time until this very moment. There has never been a more important time in history to speak truth, no matter how hard it is for many to hear.

I wrote ‘A harmony of unbroken voices’ because I do not see my life; the unusual, original and achingly beautiful lives that surround me; represented in authentic ways. I wanted to show my home, to show the totally weird and wild people around me in all their splendour, colour and drama. The process of making this film has also raised a lot of questions about equity, specifically, in regard to funding and creative opportunities here. For those living in the north of the state and even more remote areas means you have less access to collaborators, professionals, services and support. This was evident in the lead up to AHOUV when I had to pivot from my first project because of a lack of crew. I was able to scrape through this film, only because I was able to do almost everything myself. At first it hurt like hell, then Alita Graziano came on board and helped me to bring the project to life. This film exists because of the people that were there when all others faded away. This short film is unusual, it is colourful, and unconventional because Tasmanians are also. I am so proud of that fact, I am so proud of myself and the extraordinary people who came when I asked for help. We have managed to create a crew almost entirely of women, Tasmanian Aboriginal people, varied ability people, queer people, people struggling with their mental health, poverty etc. This is who we are at our best, a bunch of sweary chain smoking weirdos. I have never been more proud of my people, of the place where I was born and shaped.