Pegasus Post: January 11, 2024

6 Thursday January 11 2024
Director ‘determined to raise awareness’
WONDEROUS WOMEN: Though I Walk (2020) was Cameron’s first documentary, which
follows four Christian women who have experienced breast cancer.
• From page 5
“I’ve had a lot of response
throughout, and I was surprised,
gobsmacked really, at how many
people want to talk about their
stillbirths.
“When you get pregnant, you
spend a lot of time with the
baby even before it is born. Nine
months of waiting in anticipation
and excitement.
“Every parent wants to
celebrate their child’s birth but
when one loses them, it seems no
one feels comfortable to even say
the baby’s name.
“I believe parents need this
space to talk about this trauma
and still celebrate their baby.
People have thanked the family
for being brave, and they feel like
they’ve been given a voice.”
Cameron said she underestimated
how much this documentary
would affect her.
“As a friend, it was not a good
feeling watching my friends
through my camera, reliving
their pain,” she said.
“But at the end of the day,
once the film is done, I get to
walk away. That is it for me. The
family though, has to live with it,
and that’s difficult.”
Cameron also said Ben Collins,
in particular, has a special
reach with father figures of those
going through the same situation.
“Ben is a typical tradie-rugbylike
bloke, who was openly crying
and very emotional during
the interviews. I hope the film
encourages other fathers to speak
out and be vulnerable,” she said.
“In Christchurch alone, about
60-70 babies per year are stillborn.
My eyes are open and I am
determined to advocate and raise
awareness for the families who
go through this.
“I hope The Garden Room
creates conversations. Grayson
has such a legacy now; because of
him, this story was able to come
to fruition.”
Cameron finished raising more
than $20,000 in December, on
the Boosted crowdfunding platform,
for post-production colour
and sound design so the film can
be released into cinemas.
‘Trauma can be so isolating
and telling their hard
stories gives me a purpose,
because if it’s not me, who
else?’ – Kirsty Cameron
Award-winning colourist
Damian McDonnell from Wellington
has worked on titles
including Our Flag Means Death,
Elvis, Mortal Engines, The Hobbit:
The Battle of the Five Armies,
and several Marvel films.
He will be working on the film
with Ben Edwards from Lyttleton,
who was named producer of
the year at the 2017 New Zealand
music awards and will work on
the sound.
Said Cameron: “Damian approached
me and offered his
skills at over 50 per cent discount
of his usual rate because he
believes this is a story that needs
to be told.
“How incredible is it that he
will be working on my little Kiwi
film?”
It is not the first time Cameron
has wanted to tell a story about
trauma.
Her first documentary,
Though I Walk (2020), follows
four Christian women on their
journeys through breast cancer
and tackles the question: “Where
is God when your world falls
apart?”
In her final year of studying
for a motion design degree at
Ara, Cameron directed and
produced the film which was
featured on New Zealand, Australian
and American television.
“Originally, Though I
Walk was meant to be about five
minutes long. I had a dear friend
who went through breast cancer
and needed to have a double
mastectomy.
“I wanted to tell the story of
these women’s journey, and how
they coped with a new sense of
self-identity. The four women
who were featured in the film
made it the success it is.”
Cameron said there is a
premiere in the pipeline for next
year, to celebrate The Garden
Room regardless of whether it
gets into festivals.
• To find out more about
The Garden Room, go to
https://www.facebook.
com/thegardenroommovie
• To find out more about
stillbirth, go to https://
www.sands.org.nz
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