Filmmaker Shares Story of Grief, Survival and the Power of Storytelling

Award-winning filmmaker Paula opened up about a lifetime of hardship, resilience and devastating loss, offering listeners a candid insight into the realities of grief and recovery. Growing up in Hastings during the 1970s and 1980s, Paula described a childhood marked by freedom, responsibility and family challenges. Leaving school at 15, becoming a mother at 17, and later returning to education as an adult, she eventually found her calling in filmmaking after attending film school in her mid-twenties. Paula shared that storytelling became a turning point in her life following a period of alcohol and drug misuse that followed a traumatic event in her early adulthood. “I realised the power of storytelling,” she said. “I could tell the stories of people who weren’t often heard.” Her work has focused on marginalised communities, including women in gangs and those affected by social inequality. Through documentary filmmaking, she found a way to process her own experiences while amplifying the voices of others. The conversation centred on the profound impact of losing her son 12 years ago. Paula spoke openly about the guilt, grief and unanswered questions that followed his death, describing how work became both a refuge and a distraction. “Grief is the same as eating and sleeping,” she said. “You have to feel it.” Kyle MacDonald noted that the loss of a child is one of the most difficult forms of grief a parent can experience and emphasised that grief has no fixed timeline. Listeners responded with messages of support, praising Paula’s honesty and courage in sharing her story. The discussion also explored intergenerational trauma, family relationships and the challenges many people face in expressing emotions. Paula reflected on how her own upbringing influenced her parenting and acknowledged the ongoing work required to rebuild connections with her daughters. Now working on several new projects, including a television comedy series and feature films tackling difficult social issues, Paula remains committed to telling stories that challenge audiences and encourage conversations many families struggle to have.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.