娱乐英语新闻:Australia launches Heath Ledger project

CANBERRA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Australian renowned actor Heath Ledger's family has agreed to put the actor's name to a project, which aims to record the thoughts and aspirations of newly graduated creative types throughout the country, local media reported on Saturday

According to Canberra Times newspaper, Ledger's career was well-documented on big screen, however, the actor's untimely death at the age of 28 left the hopes and dreams Ledger has harbored during his formative years remain unspoken.

This means an entire generation of emerging young performers and artists in Australia will miss out on learning from his experiences.

That realization has prompted a new project that aims to capture the fears, hopes and expectations of young artists.

The Heath Ledger Project, launched on Friday at the National Film and Sound Archive, will record and film the aspirations of film-makers, actors, writers, singers and artists as they graduate from Australia's leading arts institutions.

It will track their progress, recording their ups and downs through follow-up interviews every five years.

Ledger's father, Kim, in Canberra to launch the project, said that although his son never went to university, having decided at a young age to pursue his dream of being an actor, he would have had much to say about how to survive in the industry.

"He was fairly steely when it came to his own lifestyle and decision-making processes, and how he would and wouldn't survive. We never helped him as a child, he did it within himself," Kim told reporters, adding that Ledger had always been conscious of the importance of mentoring younger actors.

Meanwhile, Arts Minister Simon Crean said the project will help to bridge the gap in Australia's recorded oral history.

"Oral history gives us something that written history doesn't .. . an authentic voice, rather than the written reports," he said.