For director, writer, and producer Catherine Hill, her first film is a passion project, inspired by her
20-year experience working as a case manager and crisis worker with marginalised and often street homeless men and women.
“Every day I witnessed the strength, resilience, struggles and stories of people who have found themselves homeless, sleeping at the beach, in the park, under a stairwell or in a squat,” she said.
Hill funded most of Some Happy Day herself, and her production company, Soup Kitchen Productions, has been self-distributing the film, with co-producer Cecilia Low and Production Designer Alice Bishop.
Working with independent cinemas operators they have screened the film in Melbourne and Perth, followed by highly engaged Q&A sessions, and are pleased to announce they will do the same in Sydney next month at the Randwick Ritz cinema. The Q&As will include Catherine Hill, Cecilia Low, and some of the film’s cast, including actor Maurya Bourandanis, who has lived experience of street homelessness. As a woman over 50, Maurya is representative of the fastest growing cohort of homeless people in Australia.
A number of the actors have lived experiences of surviving without a home, and other cast and crew work in social services. The role of Tina was written for Peta Brady, a renowned Australian theatre and television actor who also works part-time as a drug and alcohol worker at The Salvation Army Needle and Syringe Program in St Kilda. Such is their belief in the film, the cast and crew all worked for free.
Some Happy Day follows Tina, a homeless woman in desperate search of a better life, who meets Frances, a social worker with troubles of her own. Over a single day their lives interweave, revealing unsettling connections that lead to change and redemption.
Hill made the film as a narrative drama rather than a documentary, and filmed with, and in, the St Kilda community where the story is set. Whilst the film has strong local ties, it is a global story.
Some Happy Day has been embraced by six international film festivals and Catherine Hill was nominated for Best Direction of a Feature Film (Under $1M) by the Australian Directors Guild.
Hill and co-producer Low have engaged an Impact Producer, Rowen Smith of Screenkind, to work with them on a long tail strategy for the film, and they will roll out their Impact Campaign from May 16.
The campaign will use the film to help humanise homelessness through the story of Tina, to challenge general assumptions about homelessness and inspire behaviour change – from acknowledging those experiencing homelessness, to donating, volunteering, and advocacy for a national Housing Policy that affords every Australian the basic right to a secure, safe home and enables them to live with dignity.
Some Happy Day is available to corporate businesses, community organisations, educational institutions, local councils, and government agencies to screen.
As part of their Impact Campaign, Some Happy Day is committed to supporting Sacred Heart Mission, a service working with and advocating for those experiencing homelessness, by donating a percentage of every screening to the Mission.
Sacred Heart Mission CEO, Cathy Humphrey, said Some Happy Day provides a realistic impression that contextualises homelessness, its impact on people and the importance of trauma informed practice, which is central to ending homelessness.
The Sacred Heart Mission and the Salvation Army Statewide Crisis Service in Victoria also supported Hill during the filming, providing in-kind assistance and access to their locations.
On any given night in Australia approximately 116,000 people will be homeless[1] – that’s one in every 200 Australians. The average life expectancy of rough sleepers is around 50 years, almost 30 years lower than housed populations.[2] Last year, it is estimated that over 420 homeless people died on Australia’s streets.[3]
“Stories open your heart and that’s where the change begins.” Catherine Hill – director, writer, producer
“Profoundly moving. Some Happy Day lays bare the underbelly of Australian lives rarely seen. It is brave and real and will have you in tears. A triumph of filmmaking. Tender, uplifting and bravely honest.” – Nikki Gemmell, author and journalist
“An unflinching and articulate story that works not only as a deeply poignant drama, but as an unapologetic statement against the devastation wrought by Australia’s widening wealth gap … Some Happy Day is a story of connection, perseverance, and community.” – James Fletcher, FilmInk
[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018)
[2] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Report, 2021 Specialist homelessness services annual report 2020-21
[3] University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Home2Health, in collaboration with the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH)
