Behind a prize‑winning portrait: Artist talk & film screening

Next date: Friday, 15 May 2026 | 06:00 PM to 08:30 PM

Join us at MPRG for an engaging evening with artist Michael Vale and filmmaker Donna McRae, beginning with an introduction to their creative partnership and a brief overview of Vale’s exhibition.

Together, they will reflect on the ideas behind Our Ghostly Crew—the acclaimed portrait that won the 2021 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Australia’s richest portrait award—and discuss the filming process that documented its making.

Painted during Melbourne’s first lockdown, the work depicts Vale, McRae and their late dog Pancho in a surreal, atmospheric landscape shaped by the couple’s shared love of horror and the supernatural.

The evening continues with a screening of McRae’s 22‑minute documentary Our Ghostly Crew (2021), which traces the evolution of the painting from early concepts through to its national recognition. Intimate and insightful, the film offers a rare glimpse into the collaborative process between painter and filmmaker and the development of their distinctive gothic‑absurdist vision.

Following the screening, Vale and McRae will join MPRG Director Dunja Rmandic and Curator Rebecca Owens for an in‑depth conversation, exploring the intersection of painting and filmmaking, their collaborative dynamics, and the personal histories embedded within this now‑iconic work.

The evening will conclude with drinks and nibbles in the foyer, offering the audience a chance to unwind and continue the conversation with Vale and McRae in a relaxed social setting.

Donna McRae is a Melbourne‑based filmmaker whose work spans narrative, documentary and video installation and has screened widely in Australia and internationally. Trained as an actor, visual artist and researcher, she brings a visually rich and critically informed approach to filmmaking, engaging with genre, feminist theory and experimental form.

After graduating from the VCA Film and TV School, McRae directed several award‑winning shorts before making her first feature, Johnny Ghost (2012), which won seven international awards including Best Female Director at the Berlin Independent Film Festival. Her second feature, Lost Gully Road, also received multiple international awards and commercial distribution.

During Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns, McRae made the documentary Our Ghostly Crew (2021), following artist Michael Vale as he painted the portrait that went on to win the Doug Moran Portrait Prize. The film reflects her ongoing interest in collaboration, artistic process and making under constraint. McRae is a Senior Lecturer in Film and Television at Deakin University.

Image: Michael Vale and Donna McRea with Our Ghostly Crew, 2021, oil on canvas (detail)

When

Location

MPRG, Civic Reserve, Dunns Road, Mornington, 3931, View Map