Australia applauds women in documentaries
Date:08/03/2010

The highly visual documentaries will be projected onto screens at the first section of the pavilion called "Journey."
The Australia Pavilion today premiered a trailer for its mini-documentaries "Sisters," the heart of its display that reveals the success stories of 21 inspirational women from Australia and China.
Directed and produced by Australian film maker Annie Venables and her team comprising only women, "Sisters" has been designed to display the achievements of individual women, and bring to life the connections, similarities and shared stories between the two countries.
It narrates contemporary stories of women across a broad cross-section of professions, ages, ethnic backgrounds and geographic locations. These strong, emotive and personal stories demonstrate the ways Australian and Chinese women try to make the world a better place and how individual efforts can make a difference.
Those featured include Colleen Wood, who takes care of injured wild animals; Stephanie Alexander, who teaches children gardening and cooking; Veena Sahajwalla, who turns waste into useful stuff; and Xu Yalin, a panda keeper at the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Venables said she was impressed by these outstanding women. They are smart, passionate, stubborn-minded despite all the obstacles and have huge hearts, she said. "They are creating the present and shaping the future."
"Despite the difference in our culture and history, these are the elements that unite us," she noted, hoping the audience would be encouraged to believe themselves and pursue their dreams.
In the trailer, two women were shown: Gulumbu Yunupingu, a famed Aboriginal artist from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia; and Zhu Manhua, who specializes in paper-cutting.
Yunupingu's works are exhibited across the globe, including a stop at the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.
A piece entitled Garak, The Universe, will be exhibited at the Australia Pavilion. It consists of three memorial poles and combines traditional Yolngu designs with her own modern interpretation.
She said her art was inspired by the stars and the stories told by her father. She hoped people would see the beautiful universe from her art and protect the amazing land.
The highly visual documentaries will be projected onto screens that surround visitors as they walk through the first section of the pavilion called "Journey."
Editor: Hu Min








