Film Maker/s Tad Souden & Kirli Saunders

Film Description 

Wallflowers and Evergreens is a poem by award-winning Gundungurra-born Gunai Writer, Kirli Saunders. Drawing on her lived experience of mental health and the connection, grounding and healing she finds with Mother Earth. Amplifying the wisdom of the land, and the power of Old Ways for connection and wellbeing, Kirli’s poem is brought to life in this powerful collaboration with Tad Souden, a celebrated filmmaker and advocate for mental

health awareness. Honouring journeys across Yuin Gundungurra and Dharawal lands, this work centres on caring for people and places. It explores relationships and reciprocity depicting the connections forged with spirits, sand, soil, waterways and sky. Centring presence, this film draws us into spaces where vulnerability is encouraged and meditative time is ‘measured by wattle blooming, whales birthing, winds changing, moon waning’. Wallflowers and Evergreens film showcases local and First Nations actors and artists, and was exhibited as a part of Kirli’s solo poetic arts exhibition Returning in 2021 and at the Sydney Writers Festival at the Carriageworks in 2023.

https://kirlisaunders.com/wallflowerandevergreens

Artist Bio 

Kirli & Tad are two multidisciplinary artists based on Dharawal Country who have worked together on various projects since 2017. With unique gifts in their respective fields, and experience partnering with a vast array of Organisations and brands. The desire to collaborate on this project arose from a deep love and reverence for the local ecology, and a shared passion for mental health awareness – emphasising the urgent need to connect and look after our sacred wild places, that look after us.

Kirli’s work can be seen @kirlisaunders

Tads work can be seen @tadsouden