‘Walking Man’ documentary directed by Luna Laure greenlit for production

Screenwest is pleased to announce Walking Man, a half-hour documentary about the late Ross Seaton has been greenlit for production by Screenwest and ABC Arts.

Walking Man tells the remarkable tale of unknown artist and ‘walking man’ Ross Seaton, renowned in Western Australia for his long walks along Stirling Highway to the ocean with his wheelbarrow or pram. Ross’s story is pieced together by art curator-turned-detective, Professor Ted Snell, who prepares Ross’s debut exhibition after his untimely death, seeking to understand the mysterious motivations that formed a life of obsession.

The film will be directed by Luna Laure with Brendan Hutchens of VAM Media (Roger Swainston Drawn to Water, Testing Teachers, Shipwreck Hunters Australia) executive producing. Brendan started following the story in late 2020 upon learning that Ross Seaton had passed away. Together Brendan and Luna worked on development and the pitch that sparked interest from the ABC. Walking Man will be Luna’s first half-hour documentary as she moves into directing longer form factual content.

Luna has worked in a wide range of artistic fields, from the theatre to film sets, the art gallery and major Arts festivals. Before directing, Luna had forged skills working as an art director, and in the camera department for some of Western Australia’s most prominent DOPs. From this, she developed a diverse and eclectic curatorial background that now informs her directing. Luna’s work has appeared on television, online and in art galleries, and has been nominated for and won numerous industry awards.

One of Luna’s latest works, This Is My Heaven, a character-driven, experimental documentary about a gay Muslim man (and Kimberley Queen) seeking acceptance in rural Western Australia, was officially selected for Revelation Perth International Film Festival 2019 and AmDocs 2020. Her passion for documentary-making has grown stronger and stronger over the years. Returning to VAM Media in 2021 has enabled Luna to pursue her true passion, in capturing poignant human stories to create honest, challenging and thought-provoking video works.

Walking Man director Luna Laure

“Walking Man is such a fantastic opportunity for me to enter longer form documentary filmmaking. With my background in commercial directing, I’m really excited to play with form and creative visual storytelling to tell Ross Seaton’s story and depict the world how I think he could have seen it.” said Luna Laure, Director.

“There is a magical quality that underpins Ross Seaton’s story and we are honoured to be able to work with top class talent out of WA to bring it to life. As an ABC Arts commission, we’re excited to see where Luna will take this from a creative perspective discovering her own voice for documentary as she embarks on the journey.” said Leo Faber, ABC Executive Producer: Factual & Culture.

“The ‘walking man’ was known to many West Australians over the years, so to have Luna and Brendan bring Ross out of obscurity by capturing his artistic spirit and revealing his vast, artistic body of work will be fascinating for audiences here in WA and beyond.” said Paul Williams, Screenwest Documentary Manager.