From the Ground Up is a series of eight short films which demonstrate the diversity of efforts and activities which define environmental volunteers across the Greater Melbourne area.
More than 500 groups work to improve soils, waterways, critical species and other environmental values in our region. Along with a healthier environment the work brings connection for people and a valuable outlet in a third place outside of the workplace and family.
In July 2024 the From the Ground Up Film Festival was held at Nova Cinemas in Carlton in which more than 220 people turned out to share the success of environmental volunteering and stewardship.
The special event was hosted by Costa Georgiadis, a passionate supporter of the Landcare movement and Junior Landcare Ambassador with Landcare Australia. Costa, also leant his talents to a longer feature film, From the Ground Up which was also shown at the festival.
The From the Ground Up project was funded out the Regional Landcare Coordination project at Melbourne Water, funding which stems from the Victorian Government’s Victorian Landcare Program.
The films were produced by filmmakers Michael Portway and Tim Brown of Grassland Films.
Film festival program
Use the link below to download the film festival program.
From the Ground Up films
Eight films, as well as a longer feature piece featuring Costa Georgiadis, made up the inaugural From the Ground Up Film project.
The films set out to show the human face to greater Melbourne’s community environmental movement and the profound impact this collective is making in improving the health of local environments across the region.
The inaugural From the Ground Up Film Festival offered a special public screening of the films and delivered a tangible celebration to environmental volunteers and others who support the Landcare movement.
We hope by sharing the journey of a few, many others will be inspired to act for the environment.
How to enjoy the films
Go to the film you would like to watch. Click the YouTube image to start the film. On the bottom-right corner, click full screen to enlarge.
Bass Coast Landcare Network
Victoria's biggest and busiest Landcare network is the Bass Coast Landcare Network.
It has used funding bids and council contracts to build its footprint over more than 20 years making as lasting impact on the environment.
But it's been the gentle building of relationships with landholders that underlines its work.
In this story we meet Landcare Facilitator Dave Bateman and three landholders who have joined the Bass Coast Landcare Network cause of transforming landscapes.
Northern Yarra Landcare Network
In Landcare people rally around a common cause. In the case of Northern Yarra Landcare Network the target was weeds, specifically weeds such as blackberry which had proliferated in the fire-ravaged landscapes, post-Black Saturday.
With the disaster further in the past their diverse membership are still finding ways to keep weeds out of the Yarra Valley including with some natural mower mouths, the humble goat.
As Landcare Facilitator Rob Fallon explains, for this network, pragmatism endures.
Mornington Peninsula Intrepid Landcare
Intrepid Landcare aspires to give would be youthful volunteers a purpose to follow through on their environmental passions.
Usually its multi-day leadership and enviro retreats that distill the vision of these groups.
In this film we meet Amy Henson and other founders of the Mornington Peninsula Intrepid Landcare group, documenting how young people interact with nature in these busy times.
TreeProject
Some ideas are so empowering success is inevitable. This is true for the TreeProject formula. For more than 30 years volunteer staffed depots have distributed soil, seeds and growing kits to suburban families.
Four months later a bounty of healthy seedlings are collected bound for the country where they shape biolinks and shelterbelts.
In this film we meet TreeProject manager Susi Milton, the urban growers and volunteers who shape TreeProject.
Urban Bushland Initiative
Environment volunteering is full of feel good opportunities like tree plantings but the challenge is to find and bring new people to these activities.
The Urban Bushland Initiative finds its volunteers by knocking on doors, by posters left in cafe walls and in savvy social media posts.
For Alex Paporakis, diverse, colourful planting days are all small steps to bringing nature back to suburban Melbourne.
Friends of Iramoo
Grasslands in Melbourne’s west are encroached on by some of the nastiest and most pervasive weed species including serrated tussock and Chilean Needle Grass, threatening to overrun them.
A target for developers, volunteers for grasslands like Megan O’Shea and the Friends of Iramoo go the extra mile knocking down the weeds and championing the delicate niche plants and animals that prove just how dynamic these endangered grasslands are.
Nugal Biik Junior Rangers
Re-establishing a relationship with Country is what the Nugal Biik Junior Rangers Program is putting in place.
Thanks to the efforts of Sharna Brown, aboriginal children from Melbourne’s north are experiencing a classroom on Country.
In its early stages Nugal Biik Junior Rangers hopes to be a catalyst for First Nations youth finding pathways to secure lives and employment, using Country as the teacher.
Nangana Seedies
Repairing the environment starts with a caring eye for nature and an awareness of its cycles. South of Yellingbo are a group of women who converge weekly in all forms of weather to find, gather, clean and transport seed from the source. Nangana Seedies are self-taught observers of nature.
Julie Thompson explains the intrinsic knowledge sharing this group gathers and shares, particularly collecting seed next to Noel Gross who has been combing the bush for decades. Collectively the group is returning habitat to the Helmeted Honeyeater and Lowlands Leadbeater Possum.
From the Ground Up feature film
The eight short films, listed, were filmed between March 2023 and February 2024.
The body of work which Tim Brown and Michael Portway had shot and edited was significant – many of the films featured multiple engaging personalities and inspiration stories fuelled by nature and social connection. So it was decided to produce a longer film combining all the great stories uncovered over the project.
From the Ground Up became the working title and planning for a film festival commenced. It was decided to make this project a celebration. Costa Georgiadis, a Junior Landcare Ambassador with Landcare Australia was approached to narrate the project and generously agreed.
In May 2024 four of the film subjects David Bateman, Susi Milton, Alex Paporakis and Sharna Brown met Costa and took part in more filming From the Ground Up feature film at Thompson St Reserve, Avondale Heights and the old saleyards in Kensington.
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