Mr Scholes died last week at the age of 71. He was known for being one of the state's best film-makers and the only Tasmanian to have won a critics' prize for best director at the Venice Film Festival. He spent most of his early years living on a dairy farm on the outskirts of Launceston.

After trying his hand at an array of art forms, Mr Scholes finally settled on film and, at the age of 17, said goodbye to his family and friends and moved to Melbourne. There he attended Swinburne Film and TV School, and worked at director Fred Schepisi's film house.

Upon completing his degree in 1971, Mr Scholes moved to Europe where he worked in France, Switzerland, and the UK, before visiting the United States, and finally returning to Swinburne in 1982, to complete a postgraduate course.

Set in the wild and isolated Walls of Jerusalem National Park, The Tale of Ruby Rose is a film centred around a protagonist who is overcome by her phobic fear of darkness, and as a result, embarks on a harrowing journey out of the mountains to seek help from her lost grandmother.

Roger Scholes married his wife Katherine, a bestselling writer and fellow award-winning documentary filmmaker, moved to Melbourne before later returning with their two sons to live on the edge of the Derwent River in Hobart.

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Tasmanian film maker and director Heidi Douglas said she wanted to pay homage to Mr Scholes.

"Roger changed my life. We connected 20 years ago over film-making to preserve wilderness, but he was the first to really coach out of me my own fictional myth making. He believed in creating story as a tangible, valuable part of our existence, and talked about it like we were shaping furniture," she said.

"Roger believed in me and my storytelling abilities I think before I did. I know I was not alone - he gifted many of us with confidence to pursue and make our art. He didn't provide the answers, but the questions.

"Whilst Roger helped make our art real, he also candidly shared how hard it is to thrive in the highly competitive and judgmental world of trying to get films financed. So whilst always supporting my artistic expression and my vision, he used to say to me "don't give up your day job" - because the struggle for everyday survival is real. He was, I see now, protecting me. And I'm grateful for that."

Ms Douglas said that she hoped to carry on his legacy in her work.

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"In a few weeks' time, all going to plan, I'll be finally directing my first feature film, and Roger will be held ever so tightly in my heart. I hope in some small way to continue his story, his legacy," she said.

"Roger's magic, his generosity of spirit, his quirk, his way of acknowledging the darkness, his creative drive, his deep understanding of our real history, his natural way with leadership will be a shining, guiding star for me for many, many years to come."

Director of The Tasmanian Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival Owen Tilbury said he would remember Mr Scholes as a film auteur and a generous person.

"I think the thing that people will remember about Roger is that he was a very generous person," he said.

"He had very deep instilled film-making skills but unlike people in larger film industries, he was an all-rounder. He was involved in every part of the process and he thought of every single aspect and decision. That was Roger's best skill.

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"He saw things right from the beginning, all the way to the end.

Mr Tilbury said Mr Scholes was not only a great director and film maker, but also took the time to mentor young film makers entering the scene.

"His generosity of spirit is what came through from what we have been reading about through people talking about him in the film sector," Mr Tilbury said.

"He was always talking about what he could do to help newcomers and share his knowledge.

"Many of the creative arts can be quite competitive with people wanting to do better than others or be the best and not share their secrets of the trade. But that wasn't Roger, he always was happy to see others succeed."

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