Preview raises 'vital funds' for women’s trauma centre

About 180 people gathered last Wednesday at Warrawong's Gala Cinema for the debut of a "fractured fairytale” of resilience, screened as a fundraiser for the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre.

Life Could Be a Dream is a locally developed feature film that explores the fierce bond between a mother and son as they try to break cycles of abuse.

Director Jasmin Tarasin said the project was born from necessity. 

"This was a film that we couldn't not make," she said in a Q&A following the screening. 

"The issue of coercive control was just too close to home. We really wanted anyone seeing this film to be able to identify what is sometimes called the 'invisible architecture' of coercive control."

The film, set to hit national cinemas on May 14, explores the gruelling realities of domestic abuse through a lens of grace and eventual hope. In a standout performance, newcomer 14-year-old Sonny McGee stars as Otis, son of Sarah (played by Maeve Dermody). The pair navigate intimate partner violence committed by Sarah’s husband Jake (Alexander England) in a story of resilience and survival.

"What you see in an hour and a half on the screen is hundreds and hundreds of hours behind the scenes," Sonny told the audience. 

"It took so many people that you don't see on the screen there to really bring it all together."

The production had a collaborative, non-traditional funding model and was created for less than $1 million. Producers Catherine Church and Jasmin Tarasin secured funding through philanthropic and private investment from organisations such as the Minderoo Foundation, Snow Foundation, Commonwealth Bank, Weir Anderson and more, with support from industry group Screen Illawarra.

"This film was made untraditionally ... it was quite a rare beast in that way," Jasmin explained. Co-producer Catherine added that it was a "big leap of faith" to make a film of this scale independently, to ensure this specific story of "social impact" reached the community.

The on-screen story reflected the daily lives of those affected by its themes. Elise Phillips, CEO of the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre, thanked the filmmakers for ending the story on a note of hope.

"I love that it ended with hope," Elise said. 

“It’s only by sharing hopeful stories of healing and recovery that we can encourage people to realise that there is a life on the other side.

“Every woman deserves the chance to recover, rebuild and live free from violence. Events like this not only raise vital funds for our services but also help spark important conversations about recovery, resilience and hope.”

Follow the film and see future screening dates at lifecouldbeadream.com.au