A Scale for Hurt
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Synopsis: Based on the poem by New York writer Leena Soman Navani. ‘A Scale for Hurt’ touches upon that childlike ability to deeply experience what’s in front of us, yet simultaneously be so aloof to the bigger perspective of existence. During our youth, there’s only the now, that moment, under a magnifying glass, whilst the expansiveness of time remains out of our grasp. Childhood is transient, and so is life on this planet.
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Pippa Dauven (Actor)
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Director's Statement
Our lives are just a blip on the face on the earth, yet to us it’s all the time we have. When we take a moment to stand back from ourselves, to see all the events that have occurred over millennia leading to our existence, it is truly mesmerizing and inconceivable. We are so, so small. Life comes, and life goes. Earth nurtures, and Earth destroys.
In a broader sense, it’s becoming more and more apparent that our species is facing an uncertain future. In 2020 wildfires burned 3 million acres across California, and 46 million acres in Australia. In the past year, Covid-19 has killed almost 3 million people globally, and sea levels rise at a rate of 3.3 mm a year. A third of the carbon dioxide pumped into the air by humans is trapped in the oceans and as it dissolves it turns the oceans acidic. In the history of our planet, there have been 5 mass extinctions, and there’s growing evidence that we could be facing a sixth. Our time here on earth is limited, but that idea is hard to fully perceive.
‘A Scale For Hurt’ explores the question: How can we comprehend a scale that is so much bigger than ourselves – one that is far too big to feel?
Director's Bio
Julia 秀英 Ngeow is an Australian film director and screenwriter based in Brooklyn, New York, who has created films across the globe. Driven by a passion to uncover truth and cultivate empathy through storytelling, Julia has created documentaries, music videos, narratives, and commercial content that explore psychology and the physics of reality with a focus on interconnectedness and human vulnerability.
Born at 9:13am on the summer solstice, Julia spent time growing up in Sydney, Singapore and Perth, Western Australia. She enjoyed an eclectic upbringing with her Hakka Chinese father from Malaysia, who inspired her interest in Doaism, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Qi Gong energy work, and her mother, who instilled the artistry, music and mysticism from her Celtic ancestry. Julia has played bagpipes since she was 12 years old.
With a background in STEM, Julia graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Biophysics (Neuroscience), and worked as a researcher with the Australian Cancer Council investigating the anti-cancer potential of Aboriginal medicinal plants. She also worked at the Telethon Kids Institute on a Nation-wide study investigating the causes of childhood brain tumors. Many of Julia’s recent films revolve around health, wellness, and nature – exploring the intersection between art and science.