Southern Forest Food Council to use recently acquired shorts to pitch a new tv series to production companies

An acclaimed producer spent several days last week filming within the Southern Forests, showcasing the region’s innovative producers and diversity of produce. Grape vines and lush karri forests were the backdrop of the recent bout of filming lead by producer and director Bec Bignell, orchestrated by the Southern Forest Food Council in the hopes of getting a potential TV series off the ground. The SFFC said the series would feature the stunning landscapes, incredible produce and the compelling stories of Southern Forests farmers. Project art director Lisa Radomiljac said the 2½ days of filming resulted in a series of shorts which will be used to pitch the project to networks and production companies. “All the featured farmers were eager to share their stories of life in the Southern Forests — their passion, drive and dedication really shone through,” she said. “The assembled team of TV industry specialists worked quickly to produce some amazing content, with a director, assistant director, two videographers, sound man, photographer, producer, intern, and art director . . . there were many people to wrangle”. Ms Radomiljac said the intention will be to showcase at the Australian International Documentary Conference next month, with hopes it will be picked up and the development of the project will continue. Manjimup farmer Thea Walker was one of several producers featured in the shorts and said the professional but also friendly nature of both the filming crew and the SFFC made it a fun and comfortable experience. “Through this experience I have made a few new connections to other growers/innovators in the region and I’m looking forward to a successful outcome for the project,” she said.