HOMEFRONT aired nationally in Australia on SBS-TV on consecutive Remembrance Days from 2020-2022, and following that on SBS on Demand. HOMEFRONT (2019) A new kind of war memorial What happens when you destroy a war memorial and what do you put in its place? These questions faced Arts Officer, Colin James, and Project Manager and Artist, Amanda Gibson as they looked for ways to replace the much-loved Greensborough War Memorial statues, which had stood for 14 years in a local park. Carved from cypress, and still rooted in the soil, moisture had crept up inside the figures and rotted them from within. Homefront – a new kind of war memorial, begins with the burning of the old statues in a ceremonial fire. What unfolds, through interviews with local war veterans, are narratives of terrible injuries, paralysing fear, humour, and love. Homefront is a rare insider’s view of a sculpture project where the people at the heart of these stories drove the design. Extraordinary footage documents the process of collecting the stories, designing sculptures and carving full-sized figures from blocks of raw cypress using chainsaws. The original carver, local legend Leigh Conkie, is joined by world champion Hikaru Kodama from Japan to realise Amanda Gibson’s designs. Joining them, blacksmith Roland Danenhauer, forges everything from an aeroplane propeller to a horse bridle, dog collar and poppies, with a well-hefted hammer and a keen eye. Together they create a new type of war memorial and a new way of telling stories of war and of homecoming. Michael Wilkins Director | Director of Photography | Editor Amanda Gibson Producer Colin James Project Initiator | Executive Producer Arts & Cultural Services, Team Leader, Banyule City Council Neil Grant Author | Writing Workshop Facilitator Jeremy Shaw Sound Recordist Mark Farrow Sound Design | Re-recording Mixer Dale Warren Re-recording Mixer
