Lights, camera, action: Screenwriter Paul Mahoney with Ruby’s Choice protagonist and two-time Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Seymour.
Amid a lifetime of dairy farming and working in aged care, it did not occur to former Shepparton local Paul Mahoney he was set for something a little more extraordinary.
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That something just so happened to be film screenwriting.
Written by Mr Mahoney, film Ruby’s Choice is rolling out to cinemas across the nation, with a piece of the Goulburn Valley at its core.
The script is based on Mr Mahoney’s time as an aged care and disability case manager at Goulburn Valley Health’s Community Interlink, where he worked with a particular client who left a mark.
“One of the gentlemen that I was working with, he was living by himself, and he had been described by other service providers and his estranged family as cranky or cantankerous,” he said.
“But when I was working with him and got to know him better, I realised there was something more than just somebody who's grumpy.
“Following a formal assessment, it worked out he had dementia that had not been diagnosed before.”
After the assessment, the GP told Mr Mahoney his client was one of thousands living with undiagnosed dementia in Australia.
Through years of experience and seeing how the condition affected not only the individual but their families, Mr Mahoney told their stories through Ruby’s Choice.
Starring two-time Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Seymour, the film explores the story of her character, Ruby, a grandmother who succumbs to dementia.
No longer able to live alone after burning her house down, the only feasible solution is for Ruby to share her granddaughter’s bedroom. What follows is a portrayal of love and hardship as the family rediscovers who Ruby is.
Premiere: Jane Verity from the Dementia Foundation, Paul Mahoney and actress Nicole Pastor.
Mr Mahoney said the film aimed to open the conversation by shining a light on the experiences of families and those living with the condition, depicting the difficult choices that followed.
Half of the film’s proceeds are being donated to the Dementia Foundation, to assist with the Spark of Life program.
While the former Shepparton resident had always admired the art of screenwriting, he said his career only began in 2013, holding off on writing Ruby’s Choice until he had a few years of practice under his sleeve.
Since making the switch, he has reeled in awards at The Euroscript Screenwriting Competition for Elvis Town and the Faith & Family Script Showcase for animation feature Finding My Family.
In another local connection, Mr Mahoney wrote Do It Scared, based on the life of former Shepparton priest Father Robert Galea,which won an award at The Pasadena International Film Festival.
Now living in Brisbane, Mr Mahoney said his life in the Goulburn Valley had shaped who he was as a creative.
“The fact that I didn't always want to be a screenwriter means I’ve worked a variety of careers — I’ve picked tomatoes, picked pears, milked cows, carted hay, I’ve done all sorts of different jobs,” he said.
“I think that has helped in some areas to relate to characters with different backgrounds.
“I suppose it also shows that no matter what stage in life you are, sometimes you can be fortunate enough to follow something you really enjoy.”
Ruby’s Choice is available for viewing at Village Cinemas Shepparton from March 17.
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