Holly’s grandparents watched their children and children’s children grow up in Coledale for 50 years. Image: Holly Trenaman.
A double bill of two films by a young Illawarra filmmaker is set to showcase one of the region’s prized northern suburbs and provide insights into the beauty of life in quiet coastal towns.
Inspired by her upbringing in Coledale, over the past four years 26-year-old Holly Tenaman – a film industry freelancer and Projects and Relations Manager at Screen Illawarra – has been committed to showcasing this coastal suburb through the magic of cinema.
The double bill pairs a special premiere of the 2024 documentary Grandma’s House with a screening of Holly’s other short, Dating Violet (2021), both of which were filmed in and about Coledale.
Grandma’s House could be described as a mix of a love letter to the cherished memories invariably made between the walls of old family homes, a meditation on the bittersweetness of passing time and change and a commentary on the realities of home ownership across the generations.
The doco stars Holly’s “local legend” grandparents Colin and Gay Cahill.
“Home is a feeling and everyone felt at home at grandma’s house,” Holly said.
The Cahills bought a “beautiful rickety old cabin” by the sea in 1971 for $10,000, back when the Illawarra northern suburbs were a place to bypass on the way to someplace “better”, someplace not so close to the mines, perhaps.
After decades of watching their children and their children’s children grow up in the home, the Cahills sell. Audiences are invited to watch as, over 19 minutes, the humble and achingly beautiful story unfolds.
Dating Violet is a short (12-minute) film offering a glimpse into the world of protagonist Violet who, after getting dumped by her boyfriend, gets through the heartache of her first break-up with the help of the surf, and learns that young love, with its highs and lows, is not unlike the tides.
Fittingly, the double bill takes place at Coledale RSL – a local institution that is considered a shining beacon of community spirit.
Holly’s grandparents Colin and Gay Cahill will be the special guests of the night, and locals are encouraged to attend, support local film, and enjoy the beauty of their home on-screen.
The special screening of Grandma’s House and Dating Violet takes place on Wednesday 16 April from 6 to 8 pm at Coledale RSL, 731 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Coledale. The bar and pizza stand will be open. Entry is by donation (suggested amount of $15) and all proceeds go towards the distribution of both films. Bookings are essential – book via Humanitix.
