It takes a village

When the credits roll at the end of the film Some Happy Day, prepare for a long ride. For director Catherine Hill, it was her opportunity to thank the hundreds of people who donated their time, expertise, and talents to make a movie she hopes will start a conversation about women sleeping homeless – as well as raise funds for those who support them.

“Nobody got paid,” she says of the film she wrote five years ago, her inspiration the work she’d been long doing in social welfare and justice. “Everyone right through the production – all the actors, all the crew.”

With a low-budget Australian film costing a minimum half a million dollars, Catherine galvanised the community to make Some Happy Day – a stark but ultimately hopeful tale of a day in the life of a homeless woman (played by Peta Brady). She enlisted the Salvation Army, which donated locations. Sacred Heart Mission did their public liability and finances. The City of Port Phillip waived location fees, while JMC Academy and the National Theatre Drama School supplied third-year students to take roles in front of and behind the camera.

“Our local cafe jumped in, as did a boutique around the corner, my gym and even places I didn’t expect, like Safeway,” says Catherine, whose project took close to five years – and $80,000 of her own money – to complete.

“It was this incredible journey of people coming on board and really committing to the story. So, there was a really wonderful, almost celebratory feel on the set almost every day.”

While the film is currently available to watch on SBS On

Demand, Catherine is encouraging organisations and community groups to host a paid screening – which can then raise money for a local charity working in the homelessness space.

“The idea is to keep the conversation going but also that thing of one group helping another,” Catherine says. “On our website you can start dipping in to investigate other things you can do.” Visit somehappydayfilm.com for details.