Private Project

Take Heart

What disease starts with a sore throat, or infected skin sores in children, and if left untreated can advance to open heart surgery, permanent disability, stroke and premature death?

Rheumatic Heart Disease, or RHD, is a largely invisible disease that threatens the lives of over 30 million children and young people around the world.

Take Heart: The Quest to Rid the World of Rheumatic Heart Disease lifts the lid on this life-threatening disease that is 100% preventable.

This powerful and provocative film is the first in a global series that focuses on Australasia - Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

The first peoples of this region - Indigenous Australians, New Zealand Maoris and Pacific Islanders - have among the highest rates of Rheumatic Heart Disease in the world.

While Australia and New Zealand are classified as among the most wealthy and equal societies in the world, this epidemic highlights the the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australasians and Pacific Islanders.

Take Heart provides a first hand account that explores how we can close this gap and prevent more children being struck down by this completely preventable disease.

  • Mike Hill
    Director
    Little Stars, LIFE Before Death, The Man Who Souled The World, Common Ground, Jokes On You
  • Mike Hill
    Writer
    Little Stars, LIFE Before Death, The Man Who Souled The World, Common Ground, Jokes On You
  • Sue Collins
    Writer
    Little Stars, LIFE Before Death, The Man Who Souled The World, Common Ground, Mary & Max
  • Mike Hill
    Producer
    Little Stars, LIFE Before Death, The Man Who Souled The World, Common Ground, Jokes On You
  • Sue Collins
    Producer
    Little Stars, LIFE Before Death, The Man Who Souled The World, Common Ground, Mary & Max
  • Stan Grant
    Key Cast
    Awaken, Real Life, SBS World News Australia, CNN
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature, Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Health, Children, First People, Indigenous People, Global Health, Public Health
  • Runtime:
    52 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    500,000 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia, New Zealand
  • Language:
    English, Maori
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
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

Take Heart tackles the big subject of ‘Closing The Gap’ (on Indigenous disadvantage) through the story of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) in Australiasia. It’s designed to make a difference by engaging viewers across a broad spectrum of society to lift the lid on the
relatively untold story of this preventable disease that threatens the lives of thousands of young people.

To comprehend the challenges involved to ridding Australia of RHD a nuanced understanding of contemporary Indigenous lifestyle choices is paramount. The film navigates this ground by stepping into the shoes of the young Australasians at the centre of the story.

Their choices, views and insights are likely to surprise many audience members while reframing the largely misunderstood issue of ‘Indigenous health’ from a fresh, new perspective.

Compelling cinematic montages underscored by the evocative sound track of didgeridoo master Mark Atkins gives this documentary its unique signature. The visual impact of the visible chest scars carried by the central characters generates a deep visceral response - the subtext: this preventable disease has scarred these children for life.