Local documentary maker clocks up a quarter of a century of storytelling
Local documentary maker Sandra Pires is celebrating a significant landmark this year, with her small business Why Documentaries clocking up 25 years
Local documentary maker Sandra Pires is celebrating a significant landmark this year, with her small business clocking up 25 years recording and sharing many of the big events which have shaped our region.
In the year 2000, Sandra saw a significant opportunity and launched her small business, Why Documentaries, firstly in the city’s northern suburbs and for the past decade in Wollongong’s upper Crown Street.
Over all those years, Sandra has interviewed thousands of locals in creating content that captures many of the region’s most memorable moments.
She is proudest of her documentary, The Dalfram Dispute 1938: Pig Iron Bob, telling the story of when workers at Port Kembla refused to load iron ore bound for Japan, fearing it would be used for weapons against China and ultimately Australia.
“The Dalfram Dispute is important as it is history repeating itself in so many ways,” Sandra said.
Sandra Pires with posters for her most successful films, Beneath Black Skies and The Dalfram Dispute 1938: Pig Iron Bob
Another proud achievement was her documentary Beneath Black Skies about the history of coal mining in the Illawarra, focusing on the dangerous conditions and union struggles, and the tragic loss of life in mine accidents at Bulli and Mount Kembla. Bother these stand-out documentaries were screened on the History Channel.
Sandra’s latest project is U & Me – Australia: Our Stories, Our Community, a collaboration between Why Documentaries and the Multicultural Communities Council of the Illawarra (MCCI).
Sandra says she pitched the idea to MCCI after the racism which forced AFL champion Adam Goodes, a former Australian of the Year, out of the sport he loved.
The stories have been created over the past decade or so, and Sandra says they’re now able to be distributed via clickview, an online video distributor that assists in the curriculum.
Sandra said the U & Me vision is to create and share stories that don’t make headlines but celebrate friendships across cultures.
“By using powerful storytelling we are helping build a more connected and inclusive community.”
