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鈥淢y English teacher was a rare person who could look into your soul and bring out the best in you.鈥�

Life has taken some intriguing turns for Geoffrey Smith since he left Yarra. He鈥檚 travelled across Russia by train, been shot while filming a documentary in Haiti, and was on the ground in Northern Ireland during the fragile peace talk process.

He鈥檚 also interviewed and explored the lives of people impacted by heinous crimes and documented the power of humanity when used for good.

Along the way, Geoffrey鈥檚 work as a film and documentary maker has won two prestigious Emmy Awards.

He has ventured a long way since arriving at Yarra in Year 6 wearing a cherry red blazer. With an already developed passion for reading, Geoffrey remembers his love of English being enhanced at Yarra.

鈥淢y teacher gave me a love of words and language but I was a confused kid and after school I got a job in the chemistry department at the University of Melbourne. Two years later I realised I wanted to study media and that opened my world view to fantastic cinema,鈥� says Geoffrey.

He made some short films, spent the next few years travelling and discovered an ability to earn people鈥檚 trust. They opened up and told Geoffrey their life stories and how they鈥檇 survived often harrowing experiences. Coupled with his film making skills, this began a fascinating career making documentaries across the world for the BBC and other UK broadcasters.

While covering Haiti鈥檚 first election in 30 years, Geoffrey was shot when those opposed to elections armed with machetes and guns stormed a polling station.

鈥淚 heard a loud noise that sounded like a popcorn machine and I could see people running. Then I realised the noise was automatic gun fire. I felt a red-hot knife go through my leg and shoulder and blood began pouring from a hole in my leg. I remember an adrenalin-fuelled terror but I managed to hide behind a wall and ended up in surgery. At that moment, I understood the preciousness of life,鈥� he says.

That experience only strengthened his commitment to filming and highlighting global challenges and issues. His powerful 2007 documentary about a British brain surgeon operating in challenging circumstances in Ukraine to help local people won an Emmy Award and also has a soundtrack by fellow Melbournians Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

鈥淢ost of my films are about dark things that happen to people and how they work their way through ethical and moral dilemmas.

鈥淭ruth matters because if we ditch it, we lose civilisation. The world needs young storytellers to tell sobering truths about society.鈥�

You can read more about Geoffrey on his website here -