'More fascinating than fiction': the buzz around Castlemaine doco festival

From June 14 to 16, Castlemaine's Theatre Royal will be transformed into a documentary paradise, with a stacked lineup featuring music, discussion and of course, films.

Festival director Claire Jager said she was looking forward to the feeling of having everybody in the theatre again, enjoying a film live.

"We did the festival for a couple of years online when we had to and we built a whole other different kind of audience with that," she said.

"But this year it's a return to in-person only thank you!"

The program was "eclectic" with everything from the story of a retired Taiwanese father Jerry recruited as a covert agent for the Chinese police, to a story about the plight to save koalas from extinction.

Local filmmakers will be showcased with the return of the Locals event, featuring a selection of short-form films from creators in Castlemaine and surrounds.

The micro-cinema Yurt also returns, with short films and games scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday.

Castlemaine creative Karen McMullan will show her documentary Ag Fab: From Paddock to Catwalk on the Sunday, exploring the Ag Art movement which flourished with 20-years of competitions at Elmore Field Days before its last official event in 2022.

The film explored rural women who connected with each other in fashion shows featuring garments created solely with things found on farms.

McMullan said it was an incredible experience getting to know the women involved with the competition.

"It's quite isolating being out there on the farm, and this is something that they all looked forward to every year because they knew that they would all catch up with each other," she said.

"They're all actually really feeling the lack of it, one woman said she's got an Ag Art-shaped hole in her heart, so it's very sad."

Fellow Castlemaine filmmaker Michael Harkin would also present his film A beautiful moment in the Yurt.

The film told the story of three Castlemaine musical groups, CorkerOrchestra, Mainesong choir and the Brazilian forro group, Brazazul.

The three groups presented a joint concert every year directed by Wendy Rowlands, which Harkin described as a "great big, glorious sound of community".

"I don't think that this would happen in this way anywhere else in the world," he said.

"This is a really good example of Castlemaine, of the place that we live in and the sort of things that happen here which make it a wonderful place to live."

For the full program or to purchase a ticket, visit cdocff.com.au.