From studying at Collarts to being featured on SBS and screening at ACMI, alum Francesca Di Paolo is already making her mark—and she’s just getting started.
Her debut short documentary Homi follows Afghan refugee and Melbourne local Homaira Mershedi through a typical day. Francesca directed Homi as part of her final project while studying at Collarts, drawing on themes of identity, migration and belonging.
The film was made with a mostly female crew, including fellow alumni Rachael Phillips and Mercedes Martinez Lestard, and recently screened at ACMI as part of the Melbourne Women’s Film Festival.
In an interview with SBS Italian, Francesca shared how much Homaira’s story inspired her:
“The thing that struck me most is the fact that she [Homi] manages to balance everything,” says Francesca.
Think: running her family’s Fitzroy restaurant, shopping for fresh produce, caring for her sick mum and beloved dogs, and managing AADO (Afghan Australian Development Organisation)—an NGO helping women and girls in Afghanistan access education under Taliban rule.
Francesca says being part of a film festival for the first time has been surreal:
"It's my first festival, so I'm over the moon."
With her eyes set on future directing opportunities (including a narrative short based on her Italian great-aunt’s wild life story), Francesca’s just getting started—and we’ll be cheering her on all the way.
Want to explore storytelling through film? Study Screen & Media at Collarts.