The world is being introduced to the formidable and feisty great-grandmother, sheep-shearer and carriage driving Adelaide Hills-based legend Isla Roberts, in a richly humorous portrait of her life.
‘Isla’s Way’ is making its way into our local theatres following an Adelaide Film Festival debut in October. The Festival put on an additional fourth screening for keen audiences following three sell-out shows.
Director and Producer Marion Pilowsky spent a ‘cathartic’ year with Isla, exploring her story and learning about what makes an ordinary life extraordinary.
“She shows you that you don’t need permission just to be yourself completely, you don’t need permission to take risks… I really like that about Isla, if she want’s to do something she will do it,” Marion Pilowsky told with ARN’s Jennie Lenman and Adam Connelly.
In the film, Isla returns to her remote marital home for the first time in 60 years (now known as Bascombe Well Conservation Park), attends her grandson David’s farm wedding, welcomes new greatgrandchildren and fights to keep carriage driving.
The poignant Corner Table Productions documentary, with support from Screen Australia, showcases a woman who’s “well ahead of her time” and “refuses to be put in a box.”
Watch trailer here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/856687738/e38e96f88f.
The 84-minute feature film will be released from 9 November 2023 across South Australia including at the Cameo Cinema in Murray Bridge, Mount Barker, Noarlunga, the Piccadilly, Adelaide and other rural locations.
Hear Director and Producer Marion Pilowsky speaking with ARN’s Jennie Lenman and Adam Connelly about the film and her year with Isla via the audio play window below:
