Hello friends,

It has been another busy year for Soul Vision Films with the completion of several productions most of which explore issues centred around social justice.

Two Lives follows the lives of two amazing individuals who lost their places to live but have now found a new home at Common Ground Brisbane.

http://youtu.be/ULeIe2Dhk8Q

Soon after this I was commissioned to make four short documentaries for the Community Resource Unit (CRU) about the wonderful work family organisations do to help their relatives with disabilities. The DVD can be purchased through CRU www.cru.org.au

At the moment I am working on four short dramas for the Australian Suicide Prevention Fund about ways of preventing teenage suicides. This too have been a very fulfilling and humbling project. The films should be completed by end of January. I will send you the links once they are done!

2014 is shaping up to be another good year with the release of Welcome to the Lucky Country

https://vimeo.com/74994204

and the development of two feature script:)

Thanks again for all your support and talk soon

Peter

Since finishing two major documentaries for television I have been having a lot of fun and taking great satisfaction out of making short documentaries about human stories promoting social justice issues. This is the main film - click here that gives you an overview. But Rob's story - click here is my favourite because it celebrates the human journey and cuts straight to the core issue of homelessness.

I love this film – click here. because it was so challenging to make. The idea of having homelessness being ignored in Australia caused me to imagine putting the issue in the middle of Brisbane traffic. Homelessness is in our face but we still don’t see it. 

I feel honoured to have been selected as one of Brisbane’s 50 Best and brightest. Click here

It has been an amazing 2012 for Soul Vision Films. MY AMERICA has been traveling the world reaching many people who have in turn reached out me for which i am very grateful. Those who have asked before about whether Obama has received the film, I can say this: we have not given up getting it to him. I will let you know if we get lucky.

On another note, it has been extremely gratifying to be working for large and small organisations across the world who agree that promoting their organisations is best done through celebrating the lives of the ordinary people whose lives they touch  - rather than overtly and directly promoting the organisation itself. Please check out the films we have made on vimeo. 

I cannot believe it has been so many months since my last update. The reason for such a delayed post is htat I have been busy making films! After returning from the US with My America, I shot WELCOME TO THE LUCKY COUNTRY with an amazing group of filmmakers about the plight of refugees coming to Australia. The film is currently in post production. Apart from that It has been a great year for Soul Vision Films. After the release of THE TROUBLE WITH ST MARY'S on the ABC and My America’s multiple releases across European TV stations, I have been commissioned to make more documentaries for Micah Projects as well as a local school in Brisbane who work with kids with disabilities. What’s exciting about these films is that they all have to do with social justice and that is what I love doing the most. Check out the latest video for Micah - WATCH HERE

With my visit to Stanford University yesterday, my tour across America has come to an end. It feels like I have discovered America for the second time with all its complexity, its contradictions as well as it's beauty.

In some ways it seems like I have made my peace with America. I understand its flaws and embrace all that is great about it. If I got a job here I think I could live in the US. But I know it's not perfect, especially the health care system in the US. I continue to hear horrific stories. Need i go any further?

It has been crazy here. I am just flying in and out of cities meet people quickly get really deep in conversation, get inspired, sleep 5 hours and onto the next city. But I know I can’t complain. I am lucky to be doing this. People really like the film and what's more they want to help spread the message about it and try to get the film to the President. Here is a pic after a screening at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. I will soon post some of the responses for the film…

I have been reading CIVILIZATION: the West and the Rest by FERGUSON just as I was arriving in Charleston South Carolina where MY AMERICA is going to be shown at the local film society screening. Ferguson writes about Charleston as one of the first towns to be settled by the British. Charleston is also a place where they used to sell slaves back in the old days. And today they are showing My America. Feeling little nervous about it but I am sure it will go well. Read the local reveiw about the film here and a Q&A with me here.

Wish me good luck! :)

Last night we screened the film at the American University. It was a great success and the questions people asked were very thought provoking. I sometimes think that I will just be asked the same questions over and over again at every screening but it is surprising what people can come up with. Some of the audience really pushed me to get in touch with famous people to push the film's agenda and try to get to the President. There is just so much work involved in something like this and I have been going with this film for 5 years so I am little tired but I don't want to give up

Today I made my way from Orlando to Washington. I caught a cab, then a plane. Then a bus and then two trains and then another bus. This took me three hours. After that I walked a block to the house where I am staying for three nights while showing MY AMERICA at the American University.

The day in more detail: it started out beautiful. I got up at 8:10 after a good 8 hour sleep. Then I went out for breakfast with Ted who runs the documentary course at Rollins College. Then I caught a cab to the airport and then the plane. I got the seat in the corner right at the back of the plane. So I was the last to get off. Have you been to Washington airport before? Well it’s like a city in itself. It took me about 30 minutes to get out only to find out that I just missed the bus…anyway I don’t want to bore you with this…it wasn’t pretty..

The screening of MY AMERICA is tomorrow. I am looking forward to it after a great screening in Orlando last night.

Both schools in LA were not only extremely well funded and equipped but the lecturers who teach there are filmmaking practitioners or made several films in the not so distant path AND had DIRECT contact to the industry.  Often it is this kind of experience that inspires and motivates students to go out there and do amazingly. As a side note: at both places the students and lecturers were really excited to receive me and hear what I had to say. It's nice to be valued.

There is a real connect between University and industry. No matter how poor the school is they still seem to connect with industry and make sure that the work of the students don't just sit on the shelves but that something happens to them. Whilst at Chapman students get to go to Africa to shoot their own doco at New Orleans University they connect them with nolavi.com which allows students to send their works out into cyber space other than youtube or vimeo. So really it is about getting the work of the students participate in the community and be useful in cultural debate. Here is documentary Laszlo Fulop who has been coordinating the New Orleans programme.

I can’t believe my time in Los Angeles is up. My America was shown at two major universities and both screenings were well attended. People always seem to come up with questions that haven't been asked before so it’s not just a matter of giving the same answer over and over again. Somebody asked last night 'what mistakes have I made making the film and have I learnt from them? Hmmm…it's always hard to talk about these things but so important if you want to make better films and I certainly intend to...

Being in America again feels different to all those times when I came to shoot the film and chased after the President. the next 2 weeks I think is going to be like looking into my own creation, facing and critically analysing the film with 100s of different people with 100s of different perspectives. One would think that I would feel uncofmfortable about it all but I am actually looking forward to it. I think I have built up some objectivity about the film, I guess that's what happens with time...anyway it's a wonderful opportunity.