It had been a big few months bringing the concept of the inaugural From the Ground Up Film Festival to life.

We’d locked in the famous Nova Cinemas in inner-city Carlton as the venue, had a logo designed, programs drawn up and pushed out promotions and invites.

It was now a full house at Cinema One.

We also had the great fortune of securing the talented Costa Georgiadis as host, having previously had him interview and narrate a film to headline the event.

Now Costa whispered across to me 30 seconds into the first film and he asked, “is it supposed to have no sound?”

I had no answer for him at this point. I was frozen. Around 240 people had rocked up to a film festival which had evidently become a silent film festival.

Intrepid filmmaker Michael Portway shot into action bound for the control room.

Another 30 seconds and a few mumbles in the crowd later, as new sense awakened. Sound! It arrived like a welcome dawn chorus.

The From the Ground Up Film Festival concept came out of a need to hold the mirror to the many great groups and people working in landcare and other forms of environmental volunteering across Greater Melbourne.

The long COVID lockdowns had put the brakes on many projects and groups.

Momentum and morale were down. But so much good work was still being done.

This didn’t need to be a “Melbourne Water supports landcare” film event. We just needed volunteers to tell their own stories.

What the films could demonstrate was a varied movement working in different places in different ways — all trying to do something greater than themselves.

The films were designed to tease out the why people do things, rather than having a talking head read out the deliverables a project had achieved.

Two other aims were important — first, the films would be at least six or seven minutes long.

Landcarers need time to explain their place and are prepared to listen to others explain theirs. We didn’t need a Tik Tok version.

The other observation was that these films were too compelling to sit only on a website, getting a few dozen views.

The film festival idea was launched in July 2024. As the night went on at Cinema Nova, the 10 films and panel session unfolded.

The best measure of the night was the cheers, sighs and laughter as the audience — many from the groups profiled — as viewers connected with the stories.

It was a genuine celebration for a movement that is often understated.

Since the From the Ground Up Film Festival launch, the same films have been shown at the Re-Set Festival at Federation Square, the National Landcare Conference, at landcare network films nights, and a few funerals too.

The second From the Ground Up Film Festival was held at ACMI Cinemas, following the 2026 Victorian Landcare Awards.