An Open Letter from the Festival Director

by Jodie Manning

An Open Letter from GSFF Festival Director, Jodie Manning

Dear fellow creatives,

This time last year we were premiering our inaugural GSFF Award Show. Behind-the-scenes our story was filled, as much of last year was, with stories of loss, hardship, challenges to precious relationships, the sort of separation that can break a heart. But through it all there was a counterbalancing optimism that buoyed my spirits and warmed my heart as we talked to our GSFF1 filmmakers, judges and showcased their creations.

As we look forward to our second season, I turn to our theme - As fast as you can. As slow as you dare – and what it means to me.

Storytelling, music, and people are all central to my world. When I lost myself in Golden Hollywood, Spielberg, Scorsese and dreamt of being an actor, film director or producer - splicing Super 8, later editing on our new-age video suits at film and television school - I imagined something bigger than my hometown, working-class roots in rural Australia. It was about getting ‘out of there’ and ‘into the world’ as fast as I could…

Through dishwashing, babysitting, bar jobs and waiting countless tables, I also dreamed of becoming a foreign correspondent or human rights activist, eventually putting myself through law and journalism school. A sliding doors moment defined my graduation fate, and for a decade I neglected the storytelling heart in me as I navigated the world of corporate law. Through falling in love, and with an indescribable weight off my shoulders, I quit to write a book, still unpublished – As slow as I dare :-)

I’m hardwired with an insatiable appetite to learn, solve problems and to connect the dots with the most talented people I know. And I find myself not only having met the most fantastic creatives over this past year, but something in me has changed. I’m calmer, more effective, one step at a time, grabbing moments I can with the people I love, eyes open to collaborate with the true-hearted.

So please join me to dig deeper, pursue that dream, lift others up along the way, because you might just find yourself in a very different but wonderful story. My mum is unwell but finally with me after almost two years apart – my brother’s heart surgery has gone ahead – my partner is back full-time with his airline employer - and I’m running a film festival with the most talented, generous bunch!

As fast as you can, as slow as you dare, for me is about the sliding doors moment we all have right now, to reject the churn and burn mindless content, to focus on authentic stories, homegrown stories, stories of the heart, stories of the night, stories of our loss, learning and the seemingly endless pursuit of adventure, equilibrium and meaning.

I’ve grown tired of voices that put and weigh people down.
I’d rather say yes and fail.
And I’m filled with optimism about where we’re headed.
We all need to channel and drown out the noise of those who hold us back.
What’s your story of how fast you’ll dare to go and change?