Private Project

this bond i and Bondi

When the once familiar streets and buildings of the place you grew up in become something else, how do you reconcile your relationship with that place? What happens to your sense of ‘home’? "this bond i and Bondi" is a rumination on memories, change and a very special place.

  • Carolyn Saul
    Director
    Drawing Down The Moon, Bondi Beggar, This is a Friend's Place
  • Carolyn Saul
    Writer
    A Change of Heart (co-writer)
  • Carolyn Saul
    Producer
    Behind the Headlines, Drawing Down The Moon, Bondi Beggar, This is a Friend's Place, Change of Heart, Positions
  • n/a
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 8, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    various
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Montreal International History Film Festival
    Montreal
    Canada
    May 20, 2022
    Quebec
    Official Selection
  • Doc.Sydney Documentary Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    May 2, 2022
    Sydney Premiere
    Best Australian Documentary Film
  • Newcastle International Short Film Festival
    Newcastle
    Australia
    December 11, 2021
    Best Australian Short Documentary
  • Vienna International Film Awards
    Vienna
    Austria
    December 10, 2021
    Honorable Mention
  • Short+Sweet Film Festival Illawarra
    Wollongong
    Australia
    November 5, 2021
    Australian Premiere
    Semi-Finalist
  • Toronto International Women Film Festival
    Toronto
    Canada
    May 10, 2021
    Official Selection
  • City of Angels International Women's Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    September 3, 2022
    North American Premiere
    Best Short Form Documentary Film
  • DaVinci International Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    September 24, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Sunnyside Shorts International Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    September 17, 2022
    Official Selection
  • Block Island Film Festival
    Rhode Island
    United States
    September 7, 2022
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Carolyn Saul

Carolyn Saul grew up in Bondi, Sydney, Australia. She still lives here.

"this bond i & Bondi" is one of a number of short documentary film that Carolyn has produced and directed. She has also directed and produced the films, "Drawing Down The Moon." "Bondi Beggar," "This is a Friend's Place" and recently completed the film "Mahjong & Mahashas."

Carolyn has worked on many Australian independent documentaries, either an associate producer, archive producer, archive researcher or researcher. "Bondi Banter," the blog she started publishing over ten years ago, in part, paved the way for the film, "this bond i & Bondi."

Carolyn is a film school (AFTRS) and an art school (CoFA) graduate, and has a Master’s degree in Theatre Studies (UNSW). She also has a Bachelor of Social Science Hons. degree (UNSW) and an Advanced Diploma of Screen & Media (Multiplatform Screen Producer Scholarship, Metro Screen).

A healthy curiosity about the human condition, together with a passion for social history and culture, continue to inspire Carolyn creatively and feed her passion to tell stories and explore ideas & concepts, through documentary filmmaking.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

All my rites of passage have happened in Bondi, and this Sydney suburb has played a big part in my psyche and in my being.

My grandparents, and other relatives & friends also lived in Bondi, just a short walk away from my family home. The familiar streets and buildings often trigger memories from my childhood and adolescence.

What justifies the annihilation of buildings, streetscapes and local communities? The acceleration of urban development and gentrification of suburbs is happening everywhere, but is it really ‘’progress”?

Photographing, filming and documenting some of the changes I have seen in Bondi over the years, has helped me to try and make sense of these things.

"this bond i & Bondi" has had a long gestation period. I am grateful that my collaborators understood my vision and passion behind this personal film, and helped me make it a reality.