If it wasn’t for Bette Midler and the wicked Winifred Sanderson, writer, actor, producer and director Sarah Woodward might not have moved into showbiz.
Such was the impact of that 1993 movie Hocus Pocus, the Gold Coast filmmaker named her company after it two years ago, and now can’t wait until the magic happens.
The love of reading, writing and films has been driving Sarah skywards since she was nine, hoping to emulate her role model Walt Disney.
Recently the Bachelor of Film and Television student won Bond University’s prestigious Transformer Award for Best Business Pitch where she had to “sell” the virtues of her company Hocus Pocus Pictures to “potential investors”.
This award for the ambitious Sarah is another step towards that star with her name on it.
Transformer is an Australian-first entrepreneurship program offered as a fee-free, extracurricular option to undergraduate and postgraduate students from all disciplines at Bond University.
Sarah shares Hocus Pocus Pictures with five women and together they hope a perfect pitch will help them win an ABC production investment or a government grant so they can bring their work to the screens.
A former schoolteacher for 12 years, Sarah's study in TV and film is part of her fourth degree, building on an education double and a Masters in Criminology.
“I’ve wanted to do film and TV since I was nine,” she said.
“I have always read a lot and love to learn and draw on those learnings when I write.
“There’s something magical about film.
“Walt Disney was remarkable in the way he tapped into it and changed so many people’s lives.”
Sarah and Hocus Pocus Pictures have several irons in the fire, including a 10-minute biopic BMX film called Dirt Tracks starring a young female rider to be filmed on the Gold Coast in October.
“We’re also working on a dark comedy which is a combination of Kath and Kim and Monty Python, plus we’ve written a few feature films.”
While the Transformer award, plus an earlier film Hidden Melodies which reached the semi-final of Big Break Final Draft earlier this year, are great for Sarah’s confidence, she said to go forward now requires funds.
“Nothing happens overnight, and nothing happens without funding.”
Which is why the focus of Hocus Pocus is on creating local content for television because it’s “more lucrative”.
In the can already is Sparklers, a short film about two sisters reflecting on their lives.
“I’m pitching to the ABC and Netflix to put myself out there,” Sarah said.
“It’s still very much a matter of who you know.
“We’re looking at entering the Sydney Film Festival in June 2025, and a short film festival in Canberra which features only two-minute films.
“We're hopeful to win contracts to produce our ideas with ABC or streaming giants such as Netflix and Disney+ alongside government grants.”
While Sarah’s conscious of the pressing need for investment, making money isn’t her primary measure of success.
“As a film producer we’re selling experiences and entertainment,” she said.
“Success to me is when people come up to me in the street and say, ‘I recognise you, and I loved your film’.”