Documentary film as cognitive mapping of a primary school community in Western Sydney.

Primary schooling has not been adequately represented in documentary film yet the primary school is significant as it charts the most formative years of an individual’s life. As a proof of concept pilot for a feature documentary this project seeks to fill this gap. Its innovation lies in representing primary school as a negotiation between individuals and space: the physical school and a complex social milieu that, while local, is subject to global networks and structures; how changes within the system impact and are impacted by individual lives. Exploring global themes such as transformation, innovation, migration and diversity within a local context it will contribute new knowledges about how documentary film dialogues in this process.