Griffith University
Browse

Last Seen: David's and Santi's stories - documentary films

This item contains files with download restrictions
Version 2 2024-10-09, 02:50
Version 1 2024-03-28, 02:53
media
posted on 2024-10-09, 02:50 authored by Peter HegedusPeter Hegedus

The short documentaries LAST SEEN: Santi's Story and LAST SEEN: David's Story are part of the Last Seen initiative that creatively explore the world of ten vision impaired Australians. In an inspiring creative showcase, The Last Seen showcase paired vision-impaired Australians with renowned artists and composers as well as filmmakers to depict their last, or most cherished, visual memory.

Santi's Story and David's Story were produced, filmed and directed by Peter Hegedus who employed his documentary filmmaking skills as a 'one person band' to tell the stories of Santiago Velasquez and David Truong. Peter's unique and intimate approach to capturing stories through his interviewing techniques with his characters as well as his camera work being up close and personal is what defines his filmmaking style and gives the films their distinct look.

Funding

self funded

History

ERA Category

  • Recorded/Rendered Creative Work - Film/Video

Funding type

  • Self funded

Eligible major research output?

  • Yes

If not major research

  • Major Research

Research Statement

David’s Story and Santi’s Story are two creative documentaries exploring the unique experiences of losing one's vision and the memories associated with the experience. Produced in the tradition of acclaimed documentaries about people with vision impairment such as Vision Portraits (2023) and Blind Leading the Blind (2019), these two documentaries interrogate the questions around the notions of memory, a sense of loss and acceptance in one’s life journey when living with blindness. The documentaries combine conventional techniques with experiential creative methods to draw out the unique perspective of the participants resulting in a strong sense of being there with the participants characterized by close ups and shallow depth of field. In a unique juxtaposition, the filmmaker also shifts perspectives by showing the participants pov in an effort to build connection. The CEO of the Queensland Eye Institute, Mark Radford, asserted that “The films original in style and in approach, conveyed more than just images”. The documentaries were launched by the Queensland Eye Institute, as part of the Last Seen project initiative screening consecutively over 10 days in a public exhibition space. Since April 2023, the films have been embedded in the Last Seen website with 1000s of visitors recorded. The documentaries screened on the Industry Day of the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF). Both films contributed to the Queensland Eye Institute Foundation raising over AUD100,000 for research on eye-related health. The films received critical attention via a testimonial from the CEO of Bus Stop Films Tracey Corbin-Matchett.

Publisher

Queensland Eye Institute Brisbane International Film Festival

Place of publication

Brisbane

Confidential / Culturally sensitive

  • No

Copyright notes

© 2023 Peter Hegedus. The re-use is limited to personal use and permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for all other uses.

Size of work

Santi's Story - 3 min 48 seconds David's Story - 3 min 35 seconds

Number of discrete components

2 stand alone documentaries

Date of recording

January 2023

Estimated size of audience

5000

Was the work disseminated?

  • Yes

Form of dissemination

  • Webstreaming

Scope of dissemination

  • International

Did the work go on tour?

  • No

Series title

Last Seen documentaries

Usage metrics

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC