An intimate panel discussion on Grief and the Healing Power of Water, will feature alongside a special afternoon screening of Johnny Abegg’s film, Fragments of a Half Life, as part of this year’s Noosa International Surfilm Festival.
The festival, running from Thursday 19 June to Sunday 22 June, is presented by Suter Smith Cleine and supported by Noosa Council and Screen Queensland.
In conversation with the festival’s Margie Wegener, film maker Johnny Abegg will be joined by festival judge, renowned surf photographer and story teller Mick Sowry who lost his wife Sue in 2019.
Pacha Light, surfer, activist and star of Ceibo, showing in this year’s feature film category, also joins the panel discussion.
Pacha recently lost her Ecuadorian father after an illness and the complexity of their relationship and her grief is exposed for the first time in the film Ceibo.
Johnny Abegg’s film is an abstract exploration of grief. A journey that uncovers the Abegg’s family life through the use of archival footage and his talent for tender film making, amidst the grief of losing his father. The visual medium is where Abegg is most comfortable, journalling his father’s illness and the families experiences after his death. In a powerful re-telling of his father’s illness, Abegg’s mother shares her own reflections and heartache. It’s a very personal film about loss and grief and the healing power of surrendering to forces greater than ourselves.
Our panelists will share how grief has visited them, and as surfers, will explore how their connection to water has helped to navigate them through the pain and despair of loss and love.
Moderated by Noosa funeral celebrant Margie Wegener, the discussion is an invitation to share personal experiences of grief.
Margie said, “There is no cure for grief, but taking time to talk about it is not only good for us, it’s like a salve for the soul of those who feel alone with their own grief. To hear others’ experiences is affirming and comforting, and to share ways in which our connection to water helps, has the potential to be very powerful and healing.”
You are invited to join this intimate panel discussion and Q & A session, following a special Saturday afternoon screening of the short film, Stoker Machine and Fragments of A Half Life. Stoker Machine is a clever and cosmic surf mystery, searching for the Californian surf legend known as ‘Stoker’. Blending vibrant animation with soulful surf footage it is a whimsical short film that dives into folklore and captures the magic of pure stoke.
Side by side these two films promise an afternoon of excellent film making and story telling, and an opportunity to connect with the film maker and special guests in an open and authentic forum, with a little bit of something for everyone.
Tickets for this special Saturday afternoon session, the Queensland premiere of Fragments of a Half Life, can be booked on the festival website, where you can also access the full program noosaisff.com.au
