Private Project

Good Neighbours

Good Neighbours explores the hidden journey of Australia’s discarded clothing to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. Every year, Australians buy an average of 55 garments and throw away 23 kilograms of clothing per capita, much of it ending up in secondhand markets overseas. Fashion researcher Tiziana Ferrero-Regis travels to Honiara, the capital city, to investigate how these cast-offs shape local lives, landscapes, and economies and discovers a complex story of empowerment and survival, set against mounting environmental challenges. While secondhand clothing provides affordable fashion and income for families, the influx of synthetic textiles creates waste that strains fragile ecosystems and urban infrastructure. Ultimately, Tiziana challenges what it means to be a “good neighbour” in a globalised fashion economy and calls for cultural sensitivity, sustainable practices, and shared responsibility in tackling the fast-fashion crisis.

  • Phoebe Hart
    Director
  • Tiziana Ferrero-Regis
    Writer
  • Zoe Mellick
    Writer
  • Phoebe Hart
    Writer
  • Tiziana Ferrero-Regist
    Producer
  • Ben Wate
    Key Cast
  • Tiziana Ferrero-Regis
    Key Cast
  • Dorothy Togara
    Key Cast
  • Haydee Villaranda
    Key Cast
  • Freda Fremae
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    social impact, investigative, ethnographic, environmental
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 55 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    November 5, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia, Solomon Islands
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Distribution Information
  • Queensland University of Technology
    Distributor
    Country: Australia
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Phoebe Hart

Phoebe Hart is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and Associate Professor in the School of Creative Arts at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). A leading voice in screen production and research, Hart bridges academia and industry as a “pracademic,” creating work that interrogates representation, identity, and social justice.
She is best known for her autobiographical road trip film Orchids: My Intersex Adventure, which premiered at the Brisbane International Film Festival and went on to win multiple international awards. Her recent projects include the feature documentary Handbag: The Untold Story of the Fag Hag (SBS Viceland, OUTtv) and the documentary short Bloody Sun. Hart’s scholarly contributions include the monograph Crafting Contemporary Documentaries and Docuseries for Global Screens: Docu-mania (2024), which examines global nonfiction trends.
Hart has worked extensively in television and independent production, with credits for ABC, SBS, and Network Ten, and her films have screened at festivals worldwide. She is a member of the Australian Directors Guild and the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), and serves on the Australian Screen Production Education & Research Association (ASPERA) Research Subcommittee. Through her creative practice, Hart champions diversity and sustainability in screen storytelling.

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Director Statement

As a filmmaker and researcher, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of documentary to illuminate opaque systems and inspire change. Good Neighbours began with a simple question: what happens to the clothes we donate in Australia? The answer led us to the Solomon Islands, where secondhand garments are not just commodities; they are woven into stories of survival, aspiration, and resilience. To me, this film is about more than clothing; it is about responsibility. Textile waste is a global crisis, and the Pacific is bearing the burden of our overconsumption. I wanted to create a work that does not just inform but moves people visually and aurally toward action. It is a call for empathy, cultural sensitivity, and sustainable practices because the choices we make in our wardrobes ripple far beyond our shores.