[Aurora Iler] ​​​​​​​Young Voice Tackling Big Issues

Welcome to Exit the Matrix Stories of Success with your host Jane Slack-Smith, where we celebrate the incredible journeys of individuals who've transcended their limitations and achieved extraordinary success.

Hello, I am Jane Slack-Smith, the host of Exit the Matrix Stories of Success podcast, and today I have a very special guest. I have Aurora. Now Aurora is someone that came across my field of vision through a Facebook post. And a friend had put out a Facebook post that said someone here is raising money for a film, and it sounded like a really interesting film. And I had a look at it, and then I was shocked to find out that she was just 13. Someone taking on big topics. Now let me tell you a little bit about Aurora's achievements to date. She has included in her incredible vast experience in film a small part, apparently, in Young Rock. She's been in 9 short films. She's had lead roles. 2 of those films she actually created and wrote and directed and acted in. Like, hello, how much talent is there? Now, the first one she did when she was just 11, and it's called Melonhead, and it talks about helmet safety. The second one she did was when she was 12, and that's called Grape, and it talks about anti-teen vaping. And this film was such a huge success, she won a Young Oscar in July 2024 at the 45th Annual Young Artists Academy Awards at the Directors Guild of America for Young Short— oh, Young Actress in a Short Film. She won Best Young Actress at the Lady Filmmakers Festival in Beverly Hills. Now, she's an Aussie, but she's been internationally recognized, youngest filmmaker at the Mammoth Film Festival, and earned her a Seven News Young Achiever of the Year award for her contribution to community and family safety. Oh my goodness, I can't wait to talk to her. Now, the film itself was actually taken on by the Department of Education and was shown in 1,700 Queensland state schools this year. She is changing lives. She's starting conversations about important topics that teenagers need to speak about, and I am just so profoundly excited to have her here. Now, before we go, she is also currently fundraising for her latest film that is called My Inheritance, and it's about coercive control in teen relationships and how, for better or worse, they mimic the adult relationships around them. So something for us adults to take on as well. Now, she has been someone who's hit the streets and emailed and door knocked to raise money for all of her projects. She's just a go-getter. She believes in this so much, and I'm just so grateful to have you here with us, Aurora.

Thank you so much for having me.

Well, let's get straight into it. You are taking on big topics and, you know, have been taking them since the age of 11. A lot of teenagers, and I would say adults as well, would walk past some of these big issues that you're talking about and not even take them on. Was there a sliding door moment, or was there an aha that really prompted you to actually take on, I guess, your first topic and then continue in what you're doing today?

Well, my first moment when I kind of realized that it was possible for me to make films and write films was when I was working with uni students on one of their own projects, which was a short film where I was the lead. It was one of my first ever roles and it was called Before We Gone. And all the people on that set were about 18 and 19 uni students.

Yep.

And so that kind of really inspired me because I, at the time, I had an older brother who was that exact same age. And so I know that I can do just as much as my older brother can do. And so I thought maybe I can do what these amazing uni students are doing. And then the passion, the reason why I chose the topic of helmet safety was because I was in 6th grade at the time and I saw on the news heaps that there were people falling off their electric scooters and bikes and everything and getting seriously injured. And it kind of shocked me. And so I've researched more about it and then I wrote a story and a script about around it. And then I kind of just reached out to a lot of people and I kind of made it all work.

So that kind of, you know, decision to make it all work, you make it sound so easy. I imagine there was some, you know, hiccups, objections, maybe some challenges in that. What were the challenges that you faced and how did you deal with them?

There were a lot of challenges. I think funding was the biggest one because you obviously need money to make a film. You can't make a film for free, sadly. But I reached out to a lot of people, and I remember I had a pitch deck of my script and everything that you need to kind of pitch a film. And I walked into a huge shopping center, it's called Pacific Fair in the Gold Coast. Yeah. And, um, my mum was like, oh, you need to go in and, you know, ask for funding for the— funding and sponsorship for your film. And so I walked in and I turned bright red. And I was 11 at the time and I was so scared and I was asking for funding. And the first shop that we went into, they said no. But I think after I got that first no, because it's okay to get nos, I just took a deep breath and I was like, oh, it's just okay. Like, you're allowed to make mistakes, but you're also allowed to be told no.

Yeah. And, and I guess that sometimes what I've found is it's no for now, it's not no forever. And it's just a way to build up maybe a little bit of resilience and a little— you get a little bit bit of, um, and an extra point into your, you know, CV of resilience that you're building up. But obviously you got some yeses because you made the film.

Yeah, I did. I were— my first film called Melonhead, which is based on helmet safety, ended up getting sponsored by some really amazing brands like, um, JB Hi-Fi and Segway scooters. And I was just— I don't know, I was kind of shocked every time that I got a yes because I'd got so many nos that it's really refreshing to hear a yes. But also, I think when you get a no, it makes the yeses even better. Like, it makes them even more worth it because you know how hard you worked for them. And yeah, it was just amazing to get so many amazing sponsorships and funding for the film.

So when you were getting those nos, was there like a mantra or something that kept you going? Or, you know, was something that you could pass on to the listeners who are going, gosh, I've got a lot of nos for, you know, those big things that I want to create in life?

I think it was kind of just the passion and knowing that I have a voice and I have an opinion and I have experiences that nobody else has gone through before, and that my voice, even if I was 11, was still very important and I still had amazing points to make and amazing things that I could put out into the world. And I think it was just the passion for also helmet safety and making films and being in the industry, and I think everything around it.

So let's go to Grape. So that was about vaping. How hard was it to get into the Department of Education?

Well, it was kind of like a ladder through the kind of different government— I don't even know what you'd call them, but like through the government offices, I guess. And the reason why I had the government involved in the filmmaking process is because they funded Grape. I was at the 2023 7 News Young Achiever of the Year Awards in the Gold Coast. And I didn't win that award because I was up for my film Melonhead, and I didn't win that award, but it was still amazing to meet all the people there. And I met Luke Twyford, who is the— who is the family and safety commissioner for the Gold— for Queensland and Gold Coast. Um, and so he was looking for so like someone to make a film about vaping for young people. And I said to him, well, I've just written a film about vaping. And then we kind of got in contact and it all went from there, which was amazing. And then after I made the film and edited it, I sent it to them, and then they sent us to the Education Department, and then the Education Department showed everyone.

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Now it's in 1,700 schools in the Gold Coast and Queensland.

And tell me, the, um, vaping— why was that really important to you?

I think vaping is such a big issue, and I was being pressured like, "Oh, you should vape, like, it'd make you a cool person, it'd make you have a purpose in life." Like, I was just being told things like that, and I think that's really sad that people think that way. But I remember I was kind of contemplating it, but then I just had these morals in my heart that were just like, this is hurting people so much mentally, but especially physically, because even if we aren't seeing the consequences now, which now we are seeing with young people, the consequences but in our futures we're going to have so many more impacts. And since young people and people my age clearly don't care about the impacts in our future, I wanted to show people the impacts that are happening right now in our social life and in our everyday life. And I think that's what Kanna Group is.

And I guess, you know, thinking about the 3 topics you've taken on so far and the 2 that you've created the films about and the one that you're in production with, they— there's a lot of peer pressure, isn't there, around these different things of, you know, how to fit in, how to belong, you know. And look, you know, I'm just gonna throw this out there. I used to work in underground coal mines, just as a something that you do. And I was the first female to work in an underground coal mine in the Central Coast. And I remember I— they gave you headphones, earmuffs to wear to protect your hearing. And I put them on the first day with my helmet and my visor and everything. And the guys around me They said, ah, only girls wear earmuffs. I'm like, I'm a girl. But that was their standard kind of statement that they'd say to all the new guys and all the new apprentices and all the young people. It starts like, only girls wear earmuffs, be a tough person. Now they were all deaf, right? So, you know, obviously the safety equipment worked. I'm like, well, I'm a girl, I can wear my earmuffs. But there is a lot of peer pressure when you're trying to fit in to vape or not wear your helmet or, you know, you know, with your new film, which I love to speak about. You know, obviously that coercive control is something that's a big deal. Do you want to talk to that?

Yeah, so I think I kind of like doing peer pressure because it's something that I've experienced a lot, and I know everyone has experienced— young person, like any age, any— anyone has experienced it before. And I think there's so many ways that you can and are peer pressured, and I wanted to highlight that in films that people feel like they can relate to it and understand that even if these people are characters, that's what people are actually going through. And I think peer pressure is really important because it kind of makes you feel like you don't belong. But I wanted everyone to know that, you know, they have a place in this world and they have a meaning and a voice that's just as important as everyone else. And my new film is kind of focusing on peer pressure, but it's also focusing on like following the footsteps of the people older than you. And it's okay to break generational curses, kind of. And you can be your own person and you don't have to be, you know, a perfect little thing that your parents have created or the people around you or society tries to make you fit into this mold. I think it's just that's— they're the kind of films that I like to make and write.

And I guess you're also taking on this time a bigger issue, which is the responsibility of the parents, guardians, teachers, you know, people in the position of power who are setting an example or setting a bad example specifically around the relationships that they have.

Yeah. So in all my films, I kind of like to— if they're made for young people, but I know that when you go see a film with your parents or when you go and watch something, you like, you know, a guardian or a parent is sitting next to you. And so I wanted that after you watch a movie. I love having conversations. And so I wanted there to be something that a young person can learn and then something that a parent can learn so that you can have a discussion about it about it afterwards. And in this film specifically, My Inheritance, it's about— as parents, you need to understand that you are a role model. And as much as you either want to be or not, or don't want to be, you're always going to be seen as like this person that you look up to and follow in the footsteps of. And I think it's just really important to remind parents that you're setting an example for your kids, and so you should always try and be the best version of yourself, if not for you, then for your children. And I think that's kind of what I wanted to make for this film, especially about toxic relationships.

And I think the, the important thing there also is that, you know, it, it's— children are watching always, and they're watching the example that's been set. So it's not good enough to say, you know, don't do what I do, you know, do, do what I tell you to do, not what I do. And I find it's interesting from a neuroscience point of view that 76% of our neuroconnections made by the time we're 7, and we've made them from our experience of seeing our role models act. 90% are done by the time we're 10. So, you know, the importance of the people around you and how they turn up and how their relationships are with others are so vital. So, you know, I'm really— I'm grateful that you're taking that on for holding us as adults accountable, but you're also showing kids that they have a choice.

Exactly. I think, as you said, like, your brain is very developed when you're a kid, as you, as you kind of find your way in, as you kind of find your way in the world. But also, children are so observant, and sometimes you think like, oh, they didn't see that, or they didn't hear that. But it's like, even if they might not be able to remember it in a few years, there will always be this part of their brain that sets their morals, especially when they're such young— when they're so young. And so I think it is really important to think about, you know, parents always say, "Do as I say and not as I do," but it's like, in your brain, you want to be this person, and you think of your parents as such amazing people because sometimes you can't see that everyone has flaws. And I think it was just really important to show that you also can be your own person, no matter if you grew up in a really bad household or a really amazing household. You still choose who you are. And every day when you wake up, you decide which kind of person you're going to be and which kind of personality and like relationship you have with everyone and what kind of person you'd be in society. And I think that's really important to think about.

Yeah, I just— I mean, I, I think I had a bit of a wake-up call when, um, my mum asked my son when he was 3, um, you know, what do you do on Friday nights? And he said, oh, we sit down, we have fish and chips, and Mum and Dad go, pop, I was like, what's that? And I was like, oh, it's a champagne that we open every Friday night to celebrate the week. And I was like, bad example. Okay, we shouldn't be drinking in front of our kid. So, um, yeah, and that was just like, you know, that was his, uh, interpretation of what we do. Mum and Dad always go pop on Friday night. I was like, oh my God, okay, he's seeing that. We're not making it obvious, but it's obvious. So as, as adults, we don't really know what our kids are picking up. So it's amazing. Well, look, final question before we get to the fun question that I ask everyone You've, you've, you know, you've taken a stand at such a young age and you're calling out these big issues. And, you know, and I'm so grateful that you are. How, how has this changed you when you orientate yourself, you know, or have someone try to bully you or peer pressure or, or tell you to fit into the matrix, the box? You know, how do you turn up now differently?

I think making films and making such and making films about such important topics has kind of made me more observant to everyone's behaviors and what kind of a person would make you peer pressure. Like, someone who's telling you to do all these things and telling you that, for example, vaping is so important and vaping makes you a cooler person. It's kind of made me realize that people who say that kind of stuff are probably having a really hard time, and it's made me a lot more observant as to everyone else's behaviors around me, if that makes sense. And I think, um, sorry, I forgot the rest of your question.

So I'm just asking, so how do you turn up differently now in your like social circles?

I think it's made me differently. I think it's made me different because I see a lot more important issues. And even though I've only made 3 films so far, I there's way, obviously way more issues than 3 issues in the world. And it's made me a lot more— and it's made the issues around me a lot more apparent. And knowing that I have a voice and an opinion that people actually listen to now that I have a platform, it's made me realize how important my voice is and how I can conduct that to the people around me. Even if I'm not making a film telling people about this passion I have, I can tell people about it and I can express that through my words and through my actions. And I think that's really important.

Beautiful. Are there any big topics that you want to take on in the future that you've already got penciled in?

Not really. I think I, as I get older, I experience, I see different topics, as, because obviously I wouldn't be seeing all the topics that an adult would at 13. But I think as I get older, I'll probably see more that I have a really big passion for, and so I'm excited to do that.

I'm excited to see what you come up with too. Well, look, just for fun, I've always got a fun question. What's something that's really cool, bizarre, weird, or something that people wouldn't know about you?

Hmm, I don't know. I mean, I'm left-handed and I'm ambidextrous, which, like, I, I can— I mainly use my left hand, which is really annoying because whenever you're writing, you get like heaps of smudges on your hand. But I really like drawing. I draw a lot, and I am, I'm quite a creative person too. I like to sew, kind of anything creative. I like taking photos and photography and singing. I'm not a good singer, but I love singing.

I think It's kind of a fun outlet, which is apparently puts you into your parasympathetic, which makes you more creative. So go ahead and keep singing.

Yeah, definitely. I think I'm kind of a creative person in general.

Yeah, well, that's great. I mean, obviously you're, you're not just a creative person, you're someone who takes action with your creativity and puts the something action behind the words and the things that you're thinking, which is completely inspiring. And to do that and have such a sense of presence at the age of, you know, 11, 12, 13, and call out these issues. And then I said the audacity and boldness to actually go and, you know, knock on doors and get the funding is just, it's an incredible role model, just not just for youth, but for people who are older like myself. So I'm really, I'm really impressed, Aurora. And I really thank Aurora, Isla, for joining us today. And I really encourage you to reach out, go to exitthematrix.io/s for short, www.myheritance.org.au, which is A-U-R-O-R-A, so that you can go and check out some of her work, look at her films. But more importantly, maybe you could be one of those great donors that can bring MyHeritage to the world, because I think it's a really important topic that we all should really get behind. So thanks a lot, Aurora, for joining us today. I really appreciate you sharing your story.

Thank you so much for having me. Bye-bye.

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