In 2003, Cabramatta High School joined with Davidson High School to create a documentary called Friends Through Film. The documentary explored issues of racial perception and united students from different cultural backgrounds.
Beginning with a concept presentation from a community member, staff from the two schools met and discussed the possibilities of students creating a joint film project.
Students were selected from each school and over a period of some months visited each others’ settings. During these visits, students talked about their own environment while learning film making techniques. The process of creating a film provided purpose and a focus on developing relationships through learning about each other.
The result of this project was a short film that premiered at a theatre in Sydney. The film was launched by the then Premier of NSW, Mr Carr and is considered to be amongst the best examples of cultural exchange initiatives. The film is an excellent tool for developing cultural understandings in students.
Student responses:
Following the project, both groups of students commented about how surprised they were at the number of similarities that existed between them.
After graduating from school, one student went on to develop other documentary films which focused on dispelling stereotypes.
In a public forum, students spoke about the many benefits and life changing influences that the project had for them.