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Olivia Martin-McGuire to make feature directorial debut on doco ‘Double Happiness’

At Thamestown just out of Shanghai. Thamestown is a residentil town modelled on England. A faux England. It's main purpose has now become a location point for pre wedding photography. Here we see a couple posing infront of the University style building and bridge. June 2015

‘Double Happiness’. (Photo credit: Olivia Martin-McGuire)

Australian and Chinese relations will be examined through the lens of marriage in upcoming ABC documentary feature, Double Happiness.

The second film to be funded through Create NSW and ABC Arts’ Documentary Feature Fund, the documentary will explore the burgeoning pre-wedding photography industry.

Set to premiere at the 2018 Sydney Film Festival, the project will mark the directorial feature debut of Olivia Martin-McGuire, an Australian documentary photography based in Shanghai who has previously shot shorts Under the Swell and It’s That Time of the Month Again. She is also part of the Eyes on China Project, which is a group of doco photo and video storytellers on Instagram.

The film’s producers are Media Stockade’s Rebecca Barry and Madeleine Hetherton, who both produced I Am A Girl, The Surgery Ship and The Opposition.

The Documentary Feature fund is a three-year initiative designed to bankroll one new feature length arts doco per year. Create NSW contributes $100,000 and the ABC a $150,000 licence fee. The first film to come out of the initiative was Kriv Stenders’ The Go-Betweens: Right Here.

Create NSW CEO Michael Brealey said: “The pitch from Olivia and her producers was irresistible. They have taken a highly creative approach to exploring this distinct cultural phenomenon in a way that takes the viewer deeply into Chinese society and delves into the country’s evolving relationship with Australia. We are very excited to see Olivia translate her exceptional photographic eye into a documentary feature format.”

ABC Arts acting head Linda Brusasco said: “Olivia’s trailer was visually arresting and as soon as we saw it – and heard her pitch – we knew we wanted to see more. Double Happiness promises to be a rich ride for our audience and a unique way of looking at Australia’s cultural place within the wider region.”

Screen Australia has also contributed major production investment to the project.