The nearest big town is Sale which is about 20 minutes away, towards the coast. The land is flat and green. There's a bit of farming, but most of the economy of the area runs off lumber, dairy and education; there are also power stations and gas rigs off the coast. Wellington Shire, who with the Briagolong community are most responsible for getting Big Screen into the area, are busy building an events calendar into an area they have felt for a long time has not had a lot to offer either visitors or locals, beyond warmth and friendliness.

Young Briagolong filmmakers

The Briagolong Big Screen is the most exciting I have worked on so far. We kicked off on Friday afternoon with a screening of Storm Boy for the Briag School. What made this special was that the year-sixers had made two short films which we screened before the feature. What a blast for me, and them. It's always special taking films into very small communities like this.

The Institute hall had been used to screen films from 1916 until 1954. During the Second World War it was used to screen films to the soldiers based there. Then, the first films screened there after 51 years are ones made by the local kids. Samuel Johnson, who has come over from his hometown in western Victoria to present the opening night film The Illustrated Family Doctor, has come to meet the kids as well, and they love it; so does he. It is a fantastic rollicking afternoon of films and video, photographs and autographs.

Opening night buzz - and a world premiere screeening

Two hours later the Hall is filling up again with locals who have come for opening night. The mayor and CEO, and a few councillors are there, as well as the Wellington Shire staff who I have been working with over the past months to pull this off. There are Briag locals, and people who have come in from all over; from Maffra, Stratford, Sale, Rosedale, Traralgon and Bairsndale. It's a very 'buzzy' night and everyone is excited. Sam and I make our speeches and head back into Sale for the second launch of the night at The Wedge, the Esso BHP Biliton Wellington Entertainment Centre.

And this is the other reason that Briagolong is special. Big Screen is hosting the World premiere of local filmmaker Justin Sisely's Sunrise to Sunset. Justin is one of those get-up-and-go guys who just decided he wanted to make films and did. His first, 4/3 Phillip Island Uncovered, won Triple J's Frame Breaks in 2004 and this is his second. The irony is that it was no film agency that found Justin for me, but local council; go figure, a local shire council with its finger in a young filmmaker's pie. The 400-seat venue is packed to the gills and the crowd is there for Justin. Again I feel so proud that Big Screen could be there for this, and be a part of it.

Not only are we taking Australian films to Australian audiences, we are now launching local filmmakers, from 10 years old to 25, in their hometowns. I hope one day that Big Screen will tour the feature films made by or starring the kids of Sale and Briagolong; a badge of honour for us to be able to say we were there at the beginning.

Enthusiasm for The Illustrated Family Doctor

We jump back in Darren Randle's (the former Briagolong butcher, now street life development coordinator and our chauffeur for the night) '55 supercharged 350 Chevy and head back to Briag in time to catch the crowd and hear what they thought of The Illustrated Family Doctor. To a tee, all 170 in the audience thoroughly enjoyed the film; some absolutely loved it, some are still trying to fathom it, everyone had something positive to say. For the next three hours Sam is bailed up chatting to happy and enthralled locals. This makes me think that we should be launching all of our films in the bush, away from the entertainment superhighways of the city; here where the air is clear, the minds uncluttered with crap of urban living, where the spirit is strong, alive and straight shooting. This is the place where filmmakers will find their Australian audience and a truly genuine and sophisticated one as well; an audience able to genuinely respond to the industry of its own culture.

We move down to the pub where 'Apples' the publican draws the blinds and invites all his friends to stay on for a quite private drink.

There seems to be a Big Screen rule of thumb; the smaller the town the bigger the festival, and Briagolong is perfect testament to that. Over the weekend attendances are fantastic. The whole town seems to keep just rolling through the door, their energy drawing other locals from all over the area. We came to Briagolong because Harry Kirkland, a member of the Cinema Pioneers, had worked here as a junior projectionist in the mid 40s, and had such a love of the place that he wanted to see the hall running movies again. He got his wish and Briagolong now has a festival. They came to see everything. They swarmed Terry Donovan after The Man from Snowy River, they brought their kids and grandkids to see Gems from the Archive and they applauded resoundingly after Somersault. But the true test was an unadvertised second screening of Justin's film for the locals. They poured in again! The bush telegraph had done its job. In just 48 hours enough people knew to be able to hand Justin $500 from the locals towards his next project.

Creative energy will shine on

Before we screened Justin's film, we ran the two films made by the participants of the Open Channel Digital Filmmaking workshop that had been going on in the school over the weekend. Oh! Didn't I mention that? Yep that's right, films were being made as films were being watched. Now we are planning a local filmmaking competition for 2006 and beyond. The energy companies harvest the seas 'round here for natural gas; well now Big Screen and Wellington Shire are going to harvest the local creative energy to create a completely different sort of blast into the future for Briagolong and Wellington Shire.

Do yourselves a favour, if ever you're on the Princess Highway, heading north or south on the Gippsland Coast, pull off at Stratford and head to Briagolong. Stop at the pub for lunch or dinner, or just a quiet moment in a real country pub. Then take a walk down to the Mechanics Institute. You know now that it all started, with film, there in 1916. That's when the town got the bug. It may have lain dormant for a few years but it never died. Film is back in Briagolong. Marvel at the beauty of the town and the old Institute, but know too that you're probably standing on hallowed filmmaking ground. Who knows what will come out of this little town. I have a feeling it will be something great.

Next stop Coober Pedy, 20-22 May. Till then.

Peter Castaldi