Castlemaine Documentary Festival

Castlemaine Documentary Festival Real stories. Real characters. Real conversations.

04/09/2026

A DOCUMENTARY about fishermen, fathers and sons, and what gets passed down will screen at the Majestic Theatre Malanda on Saturday.

CDoc is going on holiday to tropical Far North Queensland, and we loved Pete Muller’s film, Bucks Harbor so much that we...
03/09/2026

CDoc is going on holiday to tropical Far North Queensland, and we loved Pete Muller’s film, Bucks Harbor so much that we packed it with us for a special one-off screening at the Majestic Theatre in Malanda on Saturday, September 5th.

We can't wait to bring Pete Muller 's film, about the fishing village of Bucks Harbor in northeast Maine. A rugged, wild place. Perched on the Atlantic coast and governed by the seasons, its rich hunting and lobster-catching territory. Survival depends on the predominantly masculine traditions passed down almost exclusively– father to son.

We have partnered with the Yungaburra Men's Shed to help us present this screening, which is generously supported by Tablelands Regional Council and Arts Queensland.

With love, from Central Vic to Far North Queensland.

Bucks Harbor

CDoc on holidays brings you a warm update from Nan Hospital, Thailand. Duang's Porridge and Congee Breakfast during the ...
03/09/2026

CDoc on holidays brings you a warm update from Nan Hospital, Thailand.

Duang's Porridge and Congee Breakfast during the 2026 Castlemaine Documentary Festival raised $1400 towards Nan Hospital, which had been badly hit by severe flooding last year.

While some of our CDoc team were with Duang visiting her hometown, we were shown around the hospital's new wing, built in the wake of the floods. Staff introduced us to their recent art project, "Stories from Crisis to Hope," sharing the story of how they worked together to get through the crisis. The display moves through four chapters, including patient evacuations and care amid rising water; teamwork and mutual support; the flood damage and recovery; and the efforts of cleaning up, and new beginnings.(slide 3)

Thank you to everyone in Castlemaine who gave so generously - your support made a real difference on the other side of the world.

Slide 1: L to R
David Bretherton, Lynn McShanag, Sarah Koscielniak, Duang Tengtrirat, Claire Jager, Dr Walika Rattanajan, Leonie Van Eyk, Jason Patterson, Jantira Sukkasem,

Join us next Friday for a post-festival boogie. TICKETS ON SALE NOWIt's our 2026 festival wrap-up party withDJ Jen Moore...
21/07/2026

Join us next Friday for a post-festival boogie. TICKETS ON SALE NOW

It's our 2026 festival wrap-up party with
DJ Jen Moore bringing us back to the floor for a mid-winter boogie at the Goods Shed... cast your mind back to the Castlemaine State Festival friends.
We will have a space to view the Love Compilations - at your leisure- a bar and other projections throughout the night. See you at the Club.

See you at the club.

Thank-you to Bendigo • Ballarat Wedding Photographer | Carmen Bunting for capturing the smiles over the weekend.
17/07/2026

Thank-you to Bendigo • Ballarat Wedding Photographer | Carmen Bunting for capturing the smiles over the weekend.

Congratulations to all this years LOCALS participants from storytellers to the storyholders and and all the crew and fol...
17/07/2026

Congratulations to all this years LOCALS participants from storytellers to the storyholders and and all the crew and folks working behind the scenes to bring these stories to life - we thank you!

Big love to our hosts and MC's luxarmstrong and FRED Farquhar - Photo Video - you golden duo entertained and celebrated each of the stories and filmmakers with much love.
This afternoon at 4:30 we gather for our LOCALS Encore screening...
a note from our judges.. Noora Niasari, Kieran Watson-Bonnice, and Katie Mitchel

"It was an honour to screen these films, and we wish we could speak to what we enjoyed and admired in each and every film you saw tonight … whether it was the humour, craft and wonderful 8mm mission of filmmaker Bergen OBrien in Maine Frames, to the beautifully shot and timely invitation to slow down from filmmaker Chris Appleby in With Hand and Heart. "

LOCALS continued...So many beautiful entries this year sharing local stories that matter. Congrats to these 5 filmmakers...
17/07/2026

LOCALS continued...
So many beautiful entries this year sharing local stories that matter.

Congrats to these 5 filmmakers and thanks to all who got involved in LOCALS this year: filmmakers, crew, story holders, mentors and supporters - bringing these stories to life takes time and support.

From the Bush to the Forest - directed by Libby O'brien
We celebrate and meet eight beautiful Thai rescue elephants who touch the hearts of our community, teach us forgiveness and show us a better way.

Maine Frames - directed by Bergen O'Brien
Too many 8mm home movies are ending up in landfill. Our colourful and wobbly, shared visual history is being lost because people don’t know what they are throwing away. Could a local, 8mm enthusiast save the day and build an 8mm archive of our local shire?

Mapping Our Futures - Directed by Jason Cutler
The Mapping Our Futures Project ran in February 2026. This is a documentary outlining what it is all about.

With Hand and Heart - directed by Chris Appleby
"The Lost Trades movement celebrates rare trades and heritage skills used to create meticulously-crafted items that are handmade, of heirloom quality, authentic and sustainable, shunning the mass produced, throwaway culture most of the world lives in today. "

Stand Up - directed by Jim Coad
In the face of depression, Maedeh, a Persian women and strict Muslim finds herself without the support she desperately need from her Husband or her father. Disposing of her Hijab, and making big changes in her life she finds that laughter really is the best medicine.
Mae Da

Discovering Wonderpants - Cosmo Adams
This is a documentary highlighting a local business, Wonderpants and the wonderful work they do for the community. It follows the owner, Hannah Jeffords, as she goes through the method and production of underpants. I spent an afternoon in the local studio down at the Mill watching the amount of precision she uses when producing the garments. The film is a brief look into the way they source materials, all the way to the bespoke tools they use to craft the garments.

Jen Moore's back to help us wrap the festival with one more boogie for the community that made this year’s fest feel so ...
17/07/2026

Jen Moore's back to help us wrap the festival with one more boogie for the community that made this year’s fest feel so full of love ❤️

Looking for the light, bringing the heat, time to get back in your body, on the dance floor, together.

Friday July 31

Doors open at 8 pm
DJ set from 9-11 pm

Tickets on sale
https://events.humanitix.com/cdoc-wrap-party-with-dj-jen-moore

Tickets from $12
Goods Shed
21 Kennedy Street, Castlemaine

The 2026 LOCALS award winners 🥁Judges' Award (we had a tie this year)*A Community Lunch - Directed by Leonie Van Eyk Leo...
17/07/2026

The 2026 LOCALS award winners 🥁

Judges' Award (we had a tie this year)

*A Community Lunch - Directed by Leonie Van Eyk Leonie Van Eyk
No Ordinary Lunch follows Duang as she moves between gardens, farms, produce donors and sellers, sink and pot to servery, focusing on the impact Duang and her team of volunteers have on so many in the community. No Ordinary Lunch offers a glimpse into the precious ecosystem that is community lunch and how it directly effects families, children, elderly, cross cultures, visitors, newcomers, the disabled as well as incarcerated women. Its a rites of passage that you would want to take part in if you decide to stay in this town. Here is where you come to understand what makes Castlemaine thrive.
*A Community Lunch was also voted Peoples Choice at the second LOCALS screening.

On Two Wheels - Directed by Janice Burgess
"Castlemaine lies on the 37 latitude line and Bendigo rail line…it could be mistaken for any Victorian town. What lies beneath is a richness of industrial history and a humble piece of architecture ….the workers bike shed. We ride today with the grit of that past under our tyres and the foundry whistle in our ears."

Courageous Filmmaking & People's Choice Award:

Harcourt Fires - directed by Katherine Seppings Katherine Seppings
Katherine Seppings is a writer and photographer who lives in Harcourt. On 9 January 2026, as the Fogarty’s Gap Rd fire approached, she evacuated to North Harcourt, experiencing the fire twice. Katherine captured the terror and devastation on the day, and the following weeks of recovery and renewal.

We Want More Award:

Life. And Death - Directed by Elizabeth Geddes
The arts practice of Hayley West reveals how the living memorialise the dead. Her work as a death literacy advocate nurtures ethical, personal and environmentally conscious deathcare. Life. And death. Meets Hayley betwixt the two. Elizabeth Geddes Hayley West The Departure

Acknowledgment of Participant Award:

Directed by Josh Poole (filmed and edited by Lisa Mills) Josh Poole Lisa Mills

Congrats to all the winners and everyone who submitted a LOCALS Film this year

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Castlemaine, VIC
3450

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