Renowned Australian film critic, Margaret Pomeranz, was delighted to become the first female to have her star embedded in Winton’s Walk of Fame on Saturday morning.
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Margaret, one of the guests of honour at the fourth annual Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival, which was initiated in 2014.
She joined festival patron and well-known actor Roy Billing and director Ivan Sen in being recorded for posterity on the footpath beside Winton’s open-air Royal Theatre.
It was an especially fitting tribute as this year’s Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival is dedicated to honouring women in film.
Margaret and director Sally Aitkin both spoke on the opening night before the powerful documentary on Margaret’s fellow film critic, David Stratton, sharing his love of Australian film was screened.
As Margaret said, David Stratton: A Cinematic Life, which is directed by Sally Aitkin, was a wonderful celebration of the Australian film industry.
At Saturday morning’s Breakfast with the Stars, Sally told the audience that women “punched above their weight” both in Australia and globally.
“Role modelling is important,” Margaret said.
“If you see it, you believe it and you go for it.”
Margaret said that a number of men had valued the contribution of women in the industry and made space for them.
“You limit the amount of stories you can tell otherwise,” she said.
It was a topic touched on by the festival’s creative director, Greg Dolgopolov.
Role modelling is important – if you see it, you believe it and you go for it
- Margaret Pomeranz
Speaking before an audience that included 60 film students from China and India as well as from Australia, Mr Dolgopolov said he hoped initiatives such as this, to highlight the role of women in film, would encourage more to work in the industry.
In his usual down to earth way, Winton mayor Butch Lenton agreed with him saying “half us blokes wouldn’t be what we are without the women in our lives”, to loud acclaim.
“It’s a great thing to have a festival about,” he said, adding that the festival concept was now part of Winton’s history.
Unlike previous years, there has been no political presence at the Vision Splendid film festival this year.