A trailblazing mother-daughter team… Their extraordinary lives and the trauma that splits them apart.
Now available to stream through VIMEO, DocPlay and STAN.

"A Thoroughly Intriguing Documentary... Compelling, Intimate And Insightful."

David StrattonThe Australian

About

Lilias Fraser: a pioneer of Australian cinema who overcame huge personal challenges to make over forty films in her lifetime. Her youngest daughter, cinematographer Jane Castle ACS, tells her mother’s story and that of their relationship using the rich textures of an unseen part of Australia’s cinematic history and her own highly personal cinematography. Tenacious, enthusiastic and ambitious, Lilias overcame huge systemic and personal obstacles in her lifetime. Like many pioneers, however, early childhood trauma drove her, and her life began to unravel over time. Becoming trapped in a destructive marriage then struggling with alcohol and single motherhood, Lilias’s trademark determination finally met its limits. When the Camera Stopped Rolling documents both this trailblazing mother-daughter filmmaking team and the intergenerational trauma that was its shadow. Balancing meticulous archival research with searing honesty and set against stunning visuals, Jane interweaves their struggles and triumphs with clarity and compassion.

Watch

Screening

As additional screenings are confirmed they will be posted below.

Coming Soon
May 2023
NSW Parliament House Theatre Screening
NSW
March 23
Hebden Bridge Film Festival
UK
10AM OCT 23
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival
Perth
SEPT 20
Vermont South Library
Melbourne
JULY 23
Deckchair Cinema
Darwin
16 July
Screening and Q&A at Revelation Film Festival
Perth
14 JULY
Revelation Film Festival
Perth
FROM THUR 28 APRIL
Thornbury Picture House
Melbourne
WED 04 MAY
ScreenWave International Film Festival
Coffs Harbour
FRI 29 APR
Dendy Canberra (Tickets on sale April 26)
Gold Coast Film Festival
FROM THUR 28 APR
Dendy Canberra (Tickets on sale April 26)
Canberra, Australia
FROM SUN 24 APR
Dendy Newtown
Sydney, Australia
SAT 23 APR
Randwick Ritz
Sydney, Australia
SAT 23 APR
NFSA
Canberra, Australia
FRI 22 APR
WOMENVISION Panel with NFAW
Canberra, Australia
THU 21 APR
Wallis Cinema
Mitcham, South Australia
THU 21 APR
ACMI
Melbourne, Australia
SAT 15 JAN 2022, 2PM
Capricorn Film Festival Screening
Yeppoon Town Hall
SUN 5 DEC 2021
Blowup Film Fest
Chicago, USA
21 NOV 2021
What If Women in Film Festival
Zurich, Switzerland
13 NOV 2021
Sydney Film Festival
Palace Chauvel, Paddington
9 NOV 2021
Sydney Film Festival
Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney
6 OCT 2021
Portland Film Festival
Portland, USA
25-26 SEPT 2021
Femmes en Resistance Film Festival
Paris, France
9 AUG 2021
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
Rhode Island, USA
25 JUN 2021
International New York Film Festival
New York, USA
10 MAY 2021
Toronto International Women's Film Festival
Toronto, Canada
20-24 APR 2021
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
Dubuque, IOWA, USA
2 - 11 APR 2021
Creteil International Festival des Femmes
Paris, France
25 MAR 2021
Vancouver Independent Film Festival
Vancouver, Candada
6 - 9 MAR 2021
Through Women's Eyes International Film Festival
Sarasota, Florida
1 MAR 2021
Voices Rising Film Festival
Oakdale, NY, USA
10 FEB 2021
Chicago Indie Film Awards
Chicago, USA
26 JAN 2021
Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
Sebastopol, USA
16 JAN 2021
Chicago Indie Film Awards
Chicago, USA
16 JAN 2021
Spotlight Documentary Film Awards
Atlanta, USA

Streaming

We are now streaming
When the Camera Stopped Rolling
Let all your friends know!

You can watch on the platforms below.

VIMEODocPlaySTAN

A story of the triumph of love and creativity over the pain of traumatic disruption.

Dr Anne-Marie SwanPresident, NSWIPP

Credits

Jane Castle

Writer / Director

Pat Fiske

Pat Fiske

Producer

Sam Petty

Sound Design and Mix (Big Ears Productions)

Roen Davis

Archival Restoration, Animation

When the Camera Stopped Rolling is produced by Freckled Duck Films with Bower Bird Films.

Freckled Duck logo

Funded by production investment from Screen Australia, assistance of Screen NSW and donations made through the Documentary Australia Foundation.

Australian Government logo with screen Australia logo
NSW Government logo
Documentary Australia Foundation (DAF) Logo

Proudly supported by

Sat 17 September 2022
  • Read The Curb’s Best Australian Films of 2022

“The art of reflecting on the past with awareness of its impact on the present is a difficult thing to master, but filmmaker Jane Castle managed to do exactly that with her familial documentary When the Camera Stopped Rolling.”

SUN 24 April 2022
  • Read David Stratton’s review in THE AUSTRALIAN

“The thoroughly intriguing documentary When the Camera Stopped Rolling profiles the careers of two women, mother and daughter, who were both at different times deeply involved in the Australian film industry… The intertwining careers of mother and daughter, which conclude in a bizarre tragedy, make for a compelling, intimate and insightful documentary.”

Sat 23 April 2022
  • Listen to the full Q+A recorded at the NFSA in Canberra

“Being able to unpack the film’s themes with Jane and Pat, along with our wonderful and engaged audience, was an honour with everyone generously sharing their experiences and stories.”

Sun 17 April 2022
  • Read the full CANBERRA TIMES review

“When the Camera Stopped Rolling screened at festivals in Europe and the US before being shown at the Sydney Film Festival where “It got standing ovations at both screenings.”

Fri 22 Oct 2021
  • Read the full FilmInk review of When the Camera Stopped Rolling

“Moving and complex, it’s an outstanding film with a very special mystique,” writes Peter Galvin in his review of When the Camera Stopped Rolling for FilmInk.

Thurs 28 April 2022
  • Read the full IF Magazine interview with Jane Castle

“What eventuated is the AACTA-nominated When The Camera Stopped Rolling, a documentary about one of Australia’s trailblazing female filmmakers, Lilias Fraser – Castle’s mother. It details not only Fraser’s career and its influence on Castle’s own, but the pair’s often challenging relationship.”

Weds 20 April 2022
  • Read the full Screenhub interview with Jane Castle

“Lilias Fraser is a name all Australian film buffs should know – her daughter Jane Castle delivers a fitting tribute to a complicated woman.”

Thu 7 April 2022
  • Listen to Jane Castle speak with Jason di Rosso on the ABC Screen Show

In this interview Director Jane Castle speaks with Jason di Rosso about the film. The interview starts at 18 minutes.

Fri 08 April 2022
  • Listen to Jane Castle speak with the Cinema Australia podcast

“Jane is so open during this interview. We discuss everything from Jane’s childhood, being compared to her mother, her relationship with other members of her family and how they’ve responded to this film…”

Mon 11 April 2022
  • Read Garry Maddox’s review in the Sydney Morning Herald

“Two decades before Gillian Armstrong directed My Brilliant Career, and well before the emergence of Jocelyn Moorhouse, Cate Shortland and Rachel Perkins, Lilias Fraser was a trailblazer for Australian women making films.”

Thu 7 April 2022
  • Listen to Jane Castle interviewed on 3CR FM

“The daughter of trailblazing Australian filmmaker, Lilias Fraser, tells the epic tale of her mother’s extraordinary life, her career and their challenging relationship in the film The Camera Stopped Rolling.”

Weds 13 April 2022
  • Listen to the ABC Mornings Radio Interview with Jane Castle

Jane Castle discusses her documentary When The Camera Stopped Rolling with Cassie McCullah at 32mins

Wed 23 March 2022
  • Read the full GLAM Adelaide review

“This is that rare creature: a documentary which informs, entertains, and is ultimately as moving as a feature drama.”

Wed 10 Nov 2021
  • Read the full The Curb review of When the Camera Stopped Rolling

“Castle’s evocative blend of archival resources…creates a story that is engrossing and emotionally charged,” writes Digby Houghton in the Curb.

Fri 12 Nov 2021
  • Listen to Jane Castle on Coogee Voice

Dr Marjorie O’Neil unpacks When the Camera Stopped Rolling and talks with Jane about how she combines her filmmaking and her environmental activism.

Tue 9 Nov 2021
  • Listen to Jane Castle on 2SER Breakfast

Willy Russo on 2SER Breakfast talks with Jane Castle about When the Camera Stopped Rolling.

Mon 8 Nov 2021
  • Read the interview with Jane Castle in Film in Revolt

Film in Revolt speaks with Jane Castle about her activism, the creative process and the making of When The Camera Stopped Rolling.

Thu 4 Nov 2021
  • Listen to Jane Castle on The Drawing Room

Jane Castle joins Patricia Karvelas on ABC Radio National’s The Drawing Room to discuss intergenerational trauma, her mother’s trailblazing career and her film, When the Camera Stopped Rolling.

Tue 18 May 2021
  • Watch Jane Castle on the Documentary Australia Foundation panel

Clara Williams Roldan from Documentary Australia Foundation in conversation with Jane Castle, Emma Macey and Julie Nihill about their projects and the importance of bringing these stories to life.

Mon 18 April 2022
  • Listen to the full 3RRR Interview with Jane Castle

Award-winning cinematographer Jane Castle discusses her documentary When The Camera Stopped Rolling.

Tue 10 Aug 2021
  • Watch Jane Castle speak on the ACMI/AFTRS panel

On this ACMI / AFTRS hosted panel Jane Castle discusses When the Camera Stopped Rolling and the challenges documentary makers face when choosing to work on their passion projects. With Annabel Crabb, Stamatia Maroupas, Tiriki Onus and Alec Morgan.

Fri 19 Nov 2021
  • View Jane Castle’s interview by Camilla Slater

Global Life Coach and host of CSC Change Room, Camilla Slater, in lively conversation with Jane Castle on creativity, healing, trauma and When the Camera Stopped Rolling.

Mon 11 April 2022
  • Listen to Jane Castle and Pat Fiske interviewed on East Side FM

“Director Jane Castle and awesome documentary film producer Pat Fiske came into the studio to discuss When the Camera Stopped Rolling, a marvellous new Australian film opening at selected cinemas from April 21”

Phenomenal, magnificent and devastatingly beautiful.

Mitzi GoldmanDocumentary Australia Foundation

Support

In an emergency please call Triple Zero (000) immediately

The topic of trauma, whether it happens in childhood or adulthood, can trigger disturbing memories for survivors. If you or someone you know needs support, please contact one of the following services:

Contact

Contact us

Get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

CameraStoppedRolling@gmail.com

Distributor: Australia / New Zealand / Associated Islands and Territories
Jonathan Page, Bonsai Films | www.bonsaifilms.com.au
jpage@bonsaifilms.com.au | +61 404 004 994

An affecting, timely and emotionally connecting film

Vivia HickmanSydney Festival