DIRECTOR STATEMENT

Rather than focusing on legal disputes, family prejudices or unfit parents, the central focus of my story is a distressed child. The adults in Rosie’s life do not give her clear answers which fuel bad images, memories and thoughts in her head. 'Rosie' explores childhood trauma in a poetic way as It fuses dance with elements like colour, light and smoke to reflect our main character's inner conflict about her mother.

On her seventh birthday, Rosie is surprised to receive a thoughtful gift and note from her mum. After months of abandonment, Rosie takes her mum’s gift as a sign that she might come to her upcoming ballet recital. The hope of seeing her mum brings up conflicting memories, exciting yet unsettling Rosie. Her uncle’s subdued response adds to Rosie’s concern and confusion. As mixed thoughts swirl around her mind, Rosie dreams about the idea of seeing her mum again.

Meet the director: mark shaba

Mark Shaba is a grassroots filmmaker passionate about exploring cultural, familial and personal bonds in his work. He graduated from JMC Academy where he won 'Best Documentary' for his project 'Two of a Kind' (2017) at the Martini Film Awards. Mark has mainly acquired experience within producing, directing and distributing short animations, documentaries and films. His short documentary 'The World Rests with the Youth' played at the Australian Centre for Moving Image during the ‘Melbourne Highlights’ and 'Cultural Diversity Week' programs in 2017 and 2018. His short animation 'Hope with a Leaf' (2020) was made in association with the Australian Childhood Foundation. Lastly, Mark's graduation film 'Rosie' (2021) explores child neglect and anxiety in a dreamlike and poetic way.