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A short film made in Cairns has been a hit at film festivals around the world.
Now, The Do’s & Don’ts of Getting Married will have its hometown premiere as part of the Understory Film Festival, with family and friends of the cast able to see it for the first time.
It’s the latest in a series of film and stage projects from ARC Creative Ensemble, a talented collective of adults living with a disability.
Karen Jackson directed and co-produced the film. She says her suggestion a few years back to write a script for a short film was a turning point for the group.
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“We wrote a film called The Do's and Don'ts of Dating, we made it on a $20 budget, I shot it with an SLR camera, and it did really well.
"It won the audience choice here in Cairns at the Understory Film Festival, and it got selected for a few film festivals around Australia.
“We decided to come back and do a follow up film, which is The Do's and Don'ts of Getting Married.
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“We were fortunate to get a RADF grant for some professional attachments.
“We shot it in 2021 in three days with Glenn Saggers of Threadless Films attached as a filmmaker, and I directed it.
“It's done beautifully in Australia and around the world, being selected and winning awards at film festivals all this year.
“We've been selected for a few Academy Award qualifying film festivals, which is very exciting, and it's finally having it's Cairns premiere.”
The Do's and Don'ts of Getting Married is an ARC Disability Services film, a quirky romantic comedy told from the perspective of adults living with a disability.
Karen says the film highlights some beautiful Cairns locations, making the city a character in the story.
“We made the wedding reception look like it's in a shed in the sugarcane.
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“There’s a beautiful old lopsided Queenslander house in the film, the Hilton Chapel gifted us the use of their wedding venue.
“It looks spectacular on screen, and it really showcases the region.”
The film has been selected for 11 festivals and has won five awards so far, including audience choice awards.
Karen says it’s encouraging to see such a positive audience response.
“It's pretty special that representation is finally hitting our screens.
“I’ve worked in the disability sector for about 20 years now, and we’ve been doing this the whole time.
“Success stories like Love On The Spectrum and Ride Like A Girl, it just shows that there is an audience for this content.
“People are wanting to hear stories and see stories told from people with disabilities.”
The Do's and Don'ts of Getting Married Cairns premiere is on Friday November 25, 6pm at the Tanks Arts Centre.
Main points
- The Do's and Don'ts of Getting Married is a quirky romantic comedy
- The film is made in Cairns by ARC Creative Ensemble
- Cairns premiere on Friday November 25 at The Tanks
