A remarkable Australian documentary film on the history of the Wonthaggi coal mine in Victoria has beaten a field of 1,450 entries from 23 countries to win the Gold Award in the 4th Annual Charleston International Film Festival, held in the United States.

Produced, directed and co-written by Jeff Bird, 'Black Gold, Kindred Spirits' documents the 58 year history of the State owned Wonthaggi coal mine. Using a combination of historical footage and photographs blended with wonderful interviews with former Wonthaggi miners, the documentary brings to life the day-to-day struggles of the people working in one of the most difficult and dangerous mines in Australia.

It captures the humour and the pain of the Wonthaggi miners through the good times and the bad times. Nothing is skipped over or dressed up. The Wonthaggi miners were tough and resilient, qualities that were very often called upon in bitter disputes with mine management and the Victorian State Government, particularly when they locked horns with future Prime Minister Robert Menzies when he was a Minister in the State Government.

The determination and persistence of the Wonthaggi miners certainly rubbed off on Jeff Bird. The story behind the making of the film is a remarkable effort in itself.

As a first time filmmaker 20 year old jeff found it almost impossible to raise the finance for the project. He injected his own money and borrowed what he could. At one stage, he even painted a house in return for five rolls of film. He got some support from local businesses in Wonthaggi, who hoped that the film would help attract tourists.

Despite the knock backs, Jeff never lost faith. After almost six years he went for his last throw of the dice producing a rough video of what he had so far achieved. Our Union's national office was so impressed that we invested $15,000 and with the Borough of Wonthaggi weighing in with another $5,000, Jeff was finally able to complete the film.

Remarkably, he did so on a $50,000 budget. The cost of producing similar documentaries is around $250,000.

Despite the financial difficulties Jeff never sacrificed quality in his production. More than most, other producers realise the enormous challenge in brining a film to completion. The Australian Film Television and Radio School congratulated Jeff on "the extraordinary commitment you have made to the project". It went on to remark: "To make a film more or less single-handedly over an eight year period, with no government funding, is a remarkable achievement".

ABC Television was so impressed it screened 'Black Gold, Kindred Spirits' nationally.

In its commendation to Jeff on winning the Gold Award, the chairman of the festival's international jury, Hunter Todd, described 'Black Gold, Kindred Spirits' as a work of "outstanding creative excellence".

But for Jeff, the greatest satisfaction came in the verdict of the miners and the people of Wonthaggi who gave it a massive thumbs up.