Private Project

Little Stars: Accomplishing the Extraordinary in the Face of Serious Illness

Little Stars tells the surprisingly life-affirming stories of young people living with life-limiting illnesses. Against the odds these youngsters are making the most of every moment thanks to the support of their loved ones, working in harmony with passionate ‘palliative care’ teams.

Regrettably, not all conditions can be cured. However, many children with life-limiting conditions will live for years, if not decades. Currently, 20 million children can benefit from palliative care, but access remains an issue.

But for those who are receiving care, the results are incredible. These remarkable stories show young people finding hope, love, joy and attainment in the face of the inevitable.

Little Stars is a film you will never forget. Presented by acclaimed British actor David Suchet CBE, the raw power, insight and emotional honesty of this definitive human interest documentary will leave a lasting impression.

Filmed in USA, Australia, South Africa, Italy, Malaysia, England, Jordan, Russia, India, Greece and Germany.

  • Mike Hill
    Director
    LIFE Before Death, Take Heart, The Man Who Souled The World, Jokes On You, Jailbait
  • Mike Hill
    Writer
    LIFE Before Death, Take Heart, The Man Who Souled The World, Jokes On You, Jailbait
  • Sue Collins
    Producer
    LIFE Before Death, Take Heart, The Man Who Souled The World, Mary & Max
  • Mike Hill
    Producer
    LIFE Before Death, Take Heart, The Man Who Souled The World, Jokes On You, Jailbait
  • David Suchet CBE
    Key Cast
    Poirot
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Health, Children
  • Runtime:
    52 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 1, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    500,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Jordan, Malaysia, Russian Federation, South Africa, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English, Italian, Malay
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Japan Prize
    Tokyo, Japan
    October 20, 2015
    Japanese Premiere
    Finalist: Lifelong Learning
  • Massachusetts Independent Film Festival
    Boston, USA
    August 26, 2015
    USA Premiere
  • Australian Palliative Care Conference
    Melbourne, Australia
    September 4, 2015
    Australian Premiere
  • Asia Pacific Hopsice Conference
    Taipei, Taiwan
    May 1, 2015
    World Premiere
  • Tasmanian Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival
    Launceston Tasmania
    November 7, 2015
    Australian Premiere
  • Accolade Award
    California, USA
    Award of Merit
  • The Indie Fest
    California, USA
    Award of Merit
  • Best Shorts Competition
    California, USA
    Award of Merit
Director Biography - Mike Hill

Mike is a multi-award winning filmmaker and content creator with dozens of hours of produced credits. His passion is in crafting incredible screen stories that inspire change.

Mike is a graduate of the prestigious Australian Film, Television and Radio School and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He founded Moonshine in 2010, inspired to build a creative social enterprise guided by values over vanity.

His past films have released theatrically, in major film festivals and been broadcast on dozens of networks around the world including Fox, Al Jazeera, Channel 7 and SBS.

Mike has worked extensively with Australian screen agencies Screen Australia, Film Victoria and Screen Tasmania, the Governments of New Zealand and Fiji, as well as leading international non-government organizations including Open Society Foundations, Lien Foundation, the Union for International Cancer Control, the Nando Peretti Foundation, CIMB Foundation and the National Heart Foundation.

Mike’s travels have taken him to over 30 countries in Australasia, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and North America, where he has witnessed the power of personal stories that connect all of us through universal themes.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Little Stars global project about children’s palliative care.

Many have asked us why make a film about children’s palliative care - it’s too horrible to contemplate the topic.

Of course, that’s exactly why we’re making the project. And actually, the subject is far from horrible, in fact it is remarkable.

Together we have two young boys. Even in their relatively short lives, our children have brought us immeasurable joy and meaning. Ultimately, that’s why we embarked on this 3 year journey to produce a collection of films about children’s palliative care. Because every life, no matter how short, is a precious gift.

Little Stars tells the surprisingly life-affirming stories of young people around the world living with life-limiting illnesses. Against the odds, these children and young adults are making the most of every moment, thanks to the support of their loved ones. These families are working in harmony with passionate ‘pain and palliative care’ teams. Their remarkable stories show young people finding hope, love, joy and attainment in the face of the inevitable.

However, there are currently 20 million children around the world that could benefit from palliative care, but access to services remains an issue.

As a result, Little Stars is a broad-reaching multi-platform project designed to put children’s palliative care on the global media and public health agendas.

We believe, as our project partners do, that children’s palliative care is the right of every child and family facing life-limiting illness. Whilst filming, we have witnessed the incredible impact that palliative care services make to the lives of these families - who are all accomplishing extraordinary outcomes.

Stories have now been captured in 10 countries. The featured participants represent a wide variety of conditions, a broad range of ages from newborn to mid-30s, and a diversity of cultural and social contexts.

They speak with a united voice: “We want to live. We want to live to our full potential. And to achieve this, we need your help.”

We hope that you enjoy the beautiful film and the profound wisdom that its participants have to share with us all.