Description

TENDER is the story of one community teaching itself how to be as present in death as we have learnt to become in birth. Set against the stunning backdrop of the industrial seaside town of Port Kembla, a feisty and resilient community group take back the responsibility that most of us leave to someone else – to care for their own dead.

Scattered throughout are stories revealing why this small band have decided to take on a practice that for most is taboo. As their plans for community-based funerals gather momentum one of their own is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

TENDER is at once a heartbreakingly beautiful and beautifully funny glimpse of an extraordinary community taking on one of the most essential challenges of human life…its end.

The screening will be followed by a Q+A between Tender Funerals CEO Jenny Briscoe-Hough in conversation with Stephanie Longmuir from DeathTech Research Team.

Tender 2013. 73 minutes. Directed by: Lynette Wall

A Hive Fund Film. Produced with the assistance of the Adelaide Film Festival, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian Council for the Arts & Screen NSW. (c) 2013 Scarlett Pictures Pty Ltd, Lynette Wallworth and Adelaide Film Festival.

Beyond the Grave: Design + Death is presented by Open House Melbourne, supported by Program Partners DeathTech Research Team, Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, DocPlay and The Shrine of Remembrance.

This event is part of Melbourne Design Week 2025, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the NGV. 

In Collaboration With:

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  Jenny Briscoe-Hough—CEO, Tender Funerals

  Jenny is the driving force behind Tender Funerals. She has decades of experience in community development and believes in a strengths-based approach. Jenny has a reputation for innovation and developing projects which support and empower communities to create a culture of help rather than harm. Tender Funerals is the result of a community believing that funerals should be an affordable, meaningful and ultimately as much as possible healing. Tender Funerals Australia was called into being by the many communities that reached out to have a Tender Funerals in their area and Jenny is proud to be a part of the team that is answering their call.

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  Stephanie Longmuir—DeathTech Research Team, University of Melbourne

  Stephanie Longmuir is a ceremony specialist and deathcare educator with over 15 years’ experience, having guided more than 2,000 families through end-of-life ceremonies. A skilled facilitator, speaker, and writer, she has pioneered conversations around death and dying as founder of myendnotes.com and the Dying to Tell podcast. Stephanie is a regular contributor to Memento Mori and has presented at industry conferences in Australia and the USA. In 2025, she joined the DeathTech team and began a PhD at the University of Melbourne, researching how the rise in direct cremations is reshaping the practices and experiences of families and funeral service providers.

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