Parra

Parra (2000) is a half hour documentary about the hybrid life of an enormous shopping centre in Western Sydney, and the young people who congregate there, using the space as their own unique venue. It is a collaboration with the Research Centre of Intercommunal Studies at the University of Western Sydney, for the SBS commissioned series, Hybrid Life which screened as part of a series in 2001 to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia.

Parra was one episode in a series for SBS called Hybrid Lives.  Part 3 of a 13 part series which explores the various experiences of second generation migrants in Australia and the ways in which these individuals strive to reconcile the expectations and acknowledge the influences of competing cultures. This film focuses on the Westfield shoppingtown, the heart of Parramatta’s social scene especially for young Lebanese. The documentary is a noisy bright stage where the local youth, in particular, Anglo girls and Leb boys put much effort into doing nothing.