Imagine becoming a rookie filmmaker in your 60s…

That’s exactly what The Present Day Wise Woman Jennifer Jefferies and her wife Dr Alice MacKinnon (PhD) did in 2023.

They decided to disrupt the public narrative around what it means to age as a woman in today’s world and make a documentary about six women over 55 who surf on the Gold Coast. They chose to not only tell those women’s extraordinary surfing stories, but to use surfing as a metaphor about how to age bold, bright and vital.

Jen and Alice had no previous filmmaking experience. Yet, their film called “Taking Off – Tales of older women who surf” was made in five months with the leanest of budgets, generous community collaboration and maximum media exposure.

The way they “learned” how to make a documentary is a living example of how to live bold, bright and vital, just like the women surfers they filmed.

This is a story about “why not”.

In this keynote, Jen and Alice together tell their inspiring and entertaining story about becoming rookie filmmakers in their 60s. Their deep experiential learnings highlight what’s possible as we age. This keynote is for anyone wondering what their next steps are and how to grasp their dreams with vigour and determination.

Jen and Alice are both successful entrepreneurs, podcasters, surfers and are also known as The Smart Sassy Seniors.