As I approach Barcaldine, leaving behind the rocky hills of Cloncurry, the landscape shifts again. It starts to flatten out and the terrain changes colour. This ochre surface resembles to a T the trademark red earth image found on all the Big Screen publicity material. The Big Screen team has traversed country like this on many occasions, with the single purpose of getting Australian films seen all over the land.

And this week it’s Barcy’s turn. Members of the Barcaldine Arts Council are very busy people. They hold down jobs, have families to raise and volunteer their services to their beloved Arts Council in order to ensure that the people of Barcaldine enjoy and participate in cultural activities. When I arrive there on Wednesday morning they are in the midst of delivering an arts competition and exhibition, with artists from the shire and beyond showing their works in the hope of winning some of the prize money. At the Radio Theatre the exhibition is taken down on the Thursday evening, art boards put away, precious art pieces carefully packed in their travelling boxes. Then the old cinema canvas deckchairs are pulled out and assembled in front of the movie screen, in preparation for the primary school children who are going to stream through tomorrow at the commencement of the Big Screen film festival.

The Big Screen team has been in touch with various members of the Arts Council – Brett, Morgan and Louise – since March to make preparations for our third tour to Barcaldine. Next year the Arts Council will be running this event as a self-managed festival, and it is already insisting on taking over more of the reins this year. This is a very healthy sign and an indication that the Arts Council members are true professionals when it comes to organising cultural events. They have been doing this sort of thing for a long time and have no qualms about running Big Screen all by themselves next year. I think they relish the idea!

It is Friday 8 September and the children from St Joseph’s Primary School and Barcaldine State School pack into the old Radio Theatre to see No Worries plus two animated shorts from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. They cackle and hoot at the first appearance of the chimpanzee in an astronaut suit in the film Project Vlad. School attendances for the festival are always great. This pleases venue operators and community volunteers who work hard, and with equal enthusiasm as the Big Screen team, to ensure that as many people as possible get to watch Australian stories on our screens.

Barcaldine with its tiny population of 1800 always puts on a great show. The bush telegraph is used quite effectively here, in tandem with paid advertising, stories in the media and other promotional activities. Brett Walsh, President of the Barcaldine Arts Council, informs me that everyone knows about the film festival and everyone has been invited to the opening night.

For the Friday gala bash, Barcaldine Shire Council Mayor Councillor Rob Chandler drops in to greet the cinema goers. He needs to leave early as there are competing events in town tonight and Councillor Tina Sullivan is going to open the festival on his behalf. The delicious party food and punch abound, and there is great excitement in the air for the town’s premiere of Josh Jarman. As per usual, the film never ceases to entertain.

This place really knows how to pull together. Maybe it’s got something to do with its history. The famous Tree of Knowledge (or rather, its replacement, since an act of sabotage saw the original 170-year-old arboreal giant poisoned) in town marks the central meeting place of the 1891 Shearers’ Strike. It is a testament to how the people of Barcy stand and work together for a single purpose, and this can be seen still in the hard working people there. I am witnessing it tonight. Dell, Dawn, Brett, Louise, Joya, Morgan, Danny, Robyn, Jo, Doug, Morgan and the two Debbies have been at it all day, preparing food, cleaning and decorating the cinema venue, checking and setting up films.

The community has had a big hand in programming the films with our festival manager this year, and it pays off. A great crowd turns up for Puberty Blues, which receives a standing ovation from people who have been dying to see this iconic film up on the big screen again. Other films on the Barcy program include The Big Steal, Bad Eggs, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Solo, Oyster Farmer and The Proposition. This last film has had the townfolk intrigued. They have heard so many stories about it from their neighbours up the road in Winton where the film was shot, and on Sunday night they get to judge for themselves. And they just love it!

The Queensland tour of Big Screen is nearly over for the year, except for one last place – little Jericho which is gearing up for its satellite screenings of The Big Steal and Bad Eggs. Goodbye, Queensland. See you next year!

Cinzia Guaraldi – ICD Audience Development Coordinator