A FORMER Broadford resident of over three decades has found a new love in documentary filmmaking and has earned an entry in the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival as a result on his first attempt.
Simon Reich, who ran his business, Signwrite Signs, in Kilmore for over 30 years, as well as coaching junior basketball in Broadford for a decade, decided to go for a change of scenery after selling his business. He still frequents the Kilmore area from time to time, playing with his band ‘Off the Record’ at the Mac’s hotel in Kilmore monthly, and has done so for nine years.
Mr Reich gained a Bachelor of Audio after selling his business. With his final assignment, Mr Reich created a podcast about his father, who survived World War II.
Mr Reich’s father immigrated to Australia after that, wanting to settle away from the carnage.
The podcast was called ‘Up from the Rubble’ and went on to win multiple awards in the USA.
That inspired Mr Reich to take his talents all over Australia, interviewing post-war migrants.
Since then, he has performed live shows around it at locations such as the Melbourne Museum, Ethnic Social Clubs, rural Performing Arts Centres like Wangaratta and Albury, and a run in Sydney.
Mr Reich’s shows use two screens, of which one shows the interview, and another photos and home movies, which is intertwined by sound design and topped off with a musical soundtrack which involves Mr Reich on grand piano and a string quartet which plays live throughout.
Mr Reich would later edit his interviews to create his first documentary called Bonegilla – The Migrant’s Journey, an 86-minute piece which expands upon the stories that he gathered from travelling around Australia.
That film was selected as one of 30 films in the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, whittled down from thousands of entries.
The screening of the movie takes place on Friday, July 25 at 7.30pm at Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon Street Carlton.
