Private Project

Common Ground

Common Ground originated with the Sikh and Muslim communities within Melbourne and expanded to include diverse communities across Suburban Melbourne, country Victoria and Perth. The documentary touches on Australian identity, minority representation in media, stories of assimilation and overcoming adversity.

The Common Ground Documentary covers the journey of emerging poets Shimaa, Lexi and Patti leading up to their final performance at the Malthouse Theatre, in Melbourne in December 2017.

The Common Ground documentary begins with performances and reflections by past participants who’ve established them selves amongst the emerging Melbourne spoken word scene.

Themes of faith, belonging and identity are explored through discussions lead by facilitators Nour Abouzeid, Manal Younus and Eugenia Flynn, while Brimbank Youth leader Julie Babiano guides and empowers participants through creative writing and performance workshops.

  • Janelle Meager
    Director
  • Janelle Meager
    Writer
  • Janelle Meager
    Producer
  • Janelle Meager
    Key Cast
    "Janelle Meager"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 5, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Janelle Meager
Director Biography - Janelle Meager

Janelle is an Australian freelance Film Maker and Sound Engineer working across Australia and Sub Saharan Africa.

Janelle has a passion for the art of visual storytelling, with filmmaking talents as well as extensive audio production and post production expertise.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“The documentary aims to give hope, and inspire reflection on our own lives and the lives of others.”

“I hope that people from all over the world can relate with wanting to connect with others from the same and diverse communities and feel like they can belong.”

“I think it’s important to involve people from diverse backgrounds in film production.” The editor (Loic) could relate to stories of some of the participants as he too migrated from Burundi to Uganda and understood the challenges faced by being a foreigner with ethnic and language barriers.”