Private Project

A Convict's Monologue - The Joe Dart Story

Among the unmarked graves of a long-forgotten cemetery, the voice of a convict rises from the dust. With grit, dark humour, and the weight of a life misspent, Joe Dart reflects on what he did—and what can never be undone. It’s a haunting journey where memory blurs with imagination, and the dead speak truths the living won’t.

  • Jay Jay Jegathesan
    Director
  • Margaret Lefevre
    Writer
  • Miranda Woodhouse
    Writer
  • Karen Godfrey
    Writer
  • Jay Jay Jegathesan
    Producer
  • Jay Jay Jegathesan
    Key Cast
  • Jay Jay Jegathesan
    Screenplay
  • Jett Dawe
    Director of Photography
  • Jett Dawe
    Lighting
  • Jett Dawe
    Sound Recording
  • Radheya Jegatheva
    Editor
  • Jay Jay Jegathesan
    Photography
  • Scott Buckley
    Music
  • Radheya Jegatheva
    Sound Design
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Other
  • Genres:
    History, Monologue, Convicts, Crime, Murder
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 23, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jay Jay Jegathesan

Jay Jay Jegathesan is an Oscar-qualified film producer, director, actor, narrator and international festival strategy specialist working across animation, narrative, and live action. His strategic guidance has shaped the global trajectories of award-winning Australian short films, with his projects selected at more than 45 Academy Award–qualifying festivals to date.

An accomplished actor with over 15 international Best Actor awards, Jay Jay has delivered standout performances in films including Soul Catcher, The Saint, The Emerald Wasp, An Artist’s Curse, and Catch & Release. His stage and voice career spans more than 25 years across Australia, Malaysia, and Japan.

His work has screened at over 2,400 film festivals in 60 countries, earning more than 800 awards and an AACTA nomination. Known for his strategic precision as much as his creative range, Jay Jay continues to shape how short films find their audiences on the world stage.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

LONG SYNOPSIS:
A Convict’s Monologue – The Joe Dart Story brings to life the voice of a 19th-century Englishman transported to Western Australia for robbery with violence. Speaking as if risen from the grave, Joe Dart delivers a gritty, darkly humorous, and unflinchingly personal account of his journey—from exile and hard labour to love, loss, and a fatal mistake. In a monologue rich with colonial vernacular and raw emotion, he defends his choices, mourns his regrets, and offers a rare, human glimpse into a life neither wholly villainous nor heroic. Set against the backdrop of the forests he once worked, this ghostly reflection captures the harsh complexities of a man shaped by iron, violence, and the shadows of remorse.

LOGLINE:
From beyond the grave, a transported convict recounts a life of toil, violence, and regret in colonial Western Australia—defiant in voice, but haunted by the woman he killed.

EVERY LIGHT HIDES A DARKER TRUTH