Illawarra coal miner Robert John Hill and his daughter Kari. Photo: Supplied.
A hyperlocal short film is a major step closer to getting off the ground, with its creators calling on the community to help bring it to life.
Spirals is the screenwriting debut of writer and emerging filmmaker Kari Hill, inviting Illawarra locals into a shared conversation about loss, identity and the healing strength of the land under their very feet.
The semi-autobiographical story follows Brigid, a teenage girl navigating the depths of grief after the unexpected loss of her father.
Her connection to the Illawarra escarpment – Mt Kembla, Mt Keira and the sacred Dharawal land – becomes a turning point, offering spiritual grounding and emotional clarity.
Rooted in Kari’s lived experience, Spirals becomes a poetic exploration of loss, cultural identity and the healing wisdom of Country.
Kari was 13 when her father Robert John Hill, a former coal miner and beloved Illawarra local, died at the age of 41, only six months after receiving a diagnosis of Burkitt’s lymphoma.
“His diagnosis was a shock. I was close to my dad. Not a day goes by that I don’t still think about him,” she says.
“I am reminded of him all the time. In the writing of this screenplay, I was even able to connect to people he grew up with. I got to know him as a young boy, a high schooler, an avid surfer — the very friendly, loving social being he was.
“Some of my fondest memories are walking in the bush with my dad, finding treasures. I have such a connection to our escarpment and the bush; it brings me so much solace.”
Spirals is based on Kari’s own journey through grief after the untimely death of her father, a former Illawarra coal miner. Photo: Supplied.
As much an exploration of love, loss and legacy, Spiral tells a story about the Illawarra, its coal-mining history and the land itself – specifically, Mt Kembla and Mt Keira.
Kari describes them as “a living part of the story”.
“I want people to connect to the healing of the bush, where I know from experience they can find hope after the most adverse struggles, and find their way back,” she says.
The hope is to show Spirals internationally through festivals and competitions, but also to hold community screenings where experts in health and healing can help audiences unpack themes of addiction, death, dying and grief.
Spirals is a truly Illawarra project.
The film will be developed by an award-winning local crew including director/producer Sharon Lewis, cinematographer Jess Milne, associate producer Antonio Barea, costume designer Wendy Cork, casting director Anousha Zarkesh and Aboriginal consultant Dr Aunty Barbara Nicholson, with storyboarding from Ruby Hill-Nguyen and support from South Coast Writers Centre and Screen Illawarra.
The team has already secured funding from Wollongong City Council’s Small Cultural Grants Program and a Culture Bank Wollongong grant.
“We’re so grateful to Wollongong City Council for supporting community-driven storytelling and helping us take this powerful project one step closer to the screen,” Kari says.
The project was also selected as one of 25 creative projects nationwide for Creative Australia’s Match Lab, a crowdfunding opportunity that matches every $1 donated by the public up to $10,000.
Spiral associate producer Antonio Barea said the national backing would help unlock the resources needed to create meaningful opportunities for local cast and crew.
“We’ve had so much support from the community already and the local creative team we’ve been able to assemble,” he said.
“Now we’re hoping the broader community will come on the Spirals journey with us.”
To help Spirals reach its crowdfunding goal and bring this local story to life, you can make a tax-deductible donation to the project via Australian Cultural Fund.
