Cinema Australia

Australia really does punch above its weight when it comes to documentary filmmaking. Over the past 18 months alone, this country has produced a number of inspiring, world-class documentaries that fit in so well on the world stage. Documentaries like Floodland, Yurlu | Country, In the Trenches, Every Little Thing, and Songs Inside are some that you really must seek out if you haven’t already seen them. Some new documentaries set for release this year include Jebadiah: Are We Ok?, Hard as Puck, Silenced, Prompt: How to Make a Documentary, and Anthony Frith’s Mockbuster, one of the most unforgettable and enjoyable documentaries made in Australia in recent years. In this episode, I’m joined by Anthony to take a deep dive into the making of Mockbuster, and I can tell you he shares some really inspiring stories that will pump up any filmmaker. Having confidence and belief in yourself is what I took away from Anthony’s story here. Mockbuster follows Anthony, a struggling filmmaker at the time, and his chance at redemption as he navigates the eccentric world of notorious Sharknado production house, The Asylum. Anthony has a love for absurd pop-culture anomalies. His work has taken him to Boston, where he studied the art of churning out novelty songs with cult musician Matt Farley in Lessons From A Middle Class Artist; to Burbank, where he made his feature debut directing a trashy dinosaur movie, The Land that Time Forgot, for The Asylum. Anyway… enjoy.

Over a decade in the making, the fully independent science fiction feature film Space/Time is now available via VoD release after a successful but limited cinema run around the country. In this episode, I’m joined by the film’s director and co-writer, Michael O’Halloran, and co-writer Adam Harmer to discuss the making of the film in detail. Here’s the official synopsis for the film: When a team of scientists developing an engine for interstellar travel see their funding cut after a fatal disaster, they resort to criminal activity to finance and rebuild their device. Space/Time stars Ashlee Lollback, Hugh Parker and Pacharo Mzembe. Michael is an award-winning filmmaker whose passion for cinema began early. A QUT graduate, he’s directed acclaimed short films and high-profile commercials. Adam is known for his writing and producing work on short films including The Dossier Case and Break the Rock. Anyway… enjoy.

Hello, and welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. In this episode, I’m joined by Within the Pines writer and director Paul Evans Thomas, who gives us a great insight into the making of his unmissable new film. There’s no need for me to bang on about why I loved this film so much—because I do enough of that throughout this episode—but I do urge you not to sleep on Within the Pines. It’s an excellent film that I hope people enjoy as much as I did. Within the Pines follows Sam Evans, played by Brendan Cooney, an experienced sound recordist who travels to an isolated forest in order to capture sounds far away from the noise of civilisation. As Sam ventures deeper, his mic picks up a sound no one wants to hear while alone in the woods. Paul Evans Thomas is an Adelaide-based filmmaker and verified YouTuber with over 360,000 subscribers to date on his channel Paul E.T., where he dissects the ins and outs of filmmaking. Paul has been obsessed with film since he was big enough to hold a camera—specifically the thriller/horror genre. An obsession that, combined with his experience in post-production, has helped bring to life the story of Within the Pines. Anyway… enjoy.

Welcome to this very different episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. So, what’s so different about this episode? Well, it’s the first-ever Cinema Australia Podcast recording with a live audience. This episode was recorded during the recent WA Made Film Festival, where we invited friend-of-the-fest Zak Hilditch to join me and other punters for an interview about his career and his new film, We Bury the Dead. We Bury the Dead was filmed in Western Australia and follows Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley), a desperate woman searching for her husband in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment. Hoping to find him alive, Ava joins a "body retrieval unit," but her search takes a chilling turn when the corpses she's burying start showing signs of life. We Bury the Dead will celebrate its official world premiere at SXSW from March 9 to March 13. As the film isn’t officially out yet, and I missed it at the Adelaide Film Festival, most of this episode focuses on Zak’s career as a whole—which is hard not to admire. Following Zak’s Backyard Trilogy, a series of low-budget films he made in the early stages of his career, the filmmaker went on to make the cult classic These Final Hours here in Perth, followed by the Stephen King adaptation 1922 and his horror thriller Rattlesnake, both made for Netflix. Thank you to everyone who attended this session during the WA Made Film Festival. We hope to bring similar sessions to future festivals. Anyway… enjoy.

Welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. In this episode, I’m joined by Under Streetlights writer, director and co-producer Danielle Loy to discuss this incredibly moving musical drama. This film is the exact reason why you shouldn’t sleep on independently-made Australian films. Quite often, they’re far better than a lot of the mainstream Australian films being made. Under Streetlights deserves all the attention it gets. Inspired by true events, Under Streetlights follows two young artists, Izak (played by Jacob Harvey) and Ella (played by Madison Hull) from vastly different worlds who collide through their shared passion for music, forging an unexpected bond that defies cultural barriers and fuels their fight to rise above their struggles. Danielle Loy is an award-winning filmmaker and lawyer from Alice Springs. Her documentary film Bush Law was awarded best documentary at the Melbourne International Film Festival by screen critic veteran Margaret Pomeranz. Danielle has spent her working life dedicated to bridging chasms of misunderstanding between indigenous and non-indigenous legal systems, and working in a plethora of roles in films and tv shows made in Central Australia. I can’t thank Danielle enough for sharing her personal stories that led to and inspired the making of Under Streetlights. This was an interview that I won’t forget anytime soon. Anyway… enjoy.

In this episode I’m joined by Eliza Cox, a filmmaker who has dedicated years of her life to making this exceptional new documentary. Shot over eight years, Queens of Concrete chronicles the journey from childhood to adulthood and the moments that define us. It’s 2016 and Hayley (14), Ava (13) and Charlotte (9) are following their dreams to qualify for the first ever Australian Olympic skateboarding team for the 2020 games. The three girls are strong contenders, but they face crushing life lessons as they navigate heartbreak, betrayal, a global pandemic, and pressure beyond their years. In this interview, Eliza gives us a generous insight in the making of Queens of Concrete discussing the early beginnings of the film, when she first met Hayley, Ava and Charlotte, and the challenges she faced dedicating so many years of her life to this one single documentary. As a viewer, I can assure you it was worth it. Queens of Concrete is already one of my favourite films of the year. Queens of Concrete will release via Madman this year. Keep an eye on cinemaaustralia.com.au for updates on that. Anyway… enjoy.

In this episode I’m joined by The Blind Sea writer, director and editor Daniel Fenech, and the film’s main man, Matt Formston. The Blind Sea follows Matt on his quest for sporting greatness to new heights, setting a new Guinness World Record for the largest wave surfed by a vision impaired male. Matt is a four time para surfing World Champion, former Paralympic Cyclist and World Champion. At the age of five, Matt was diagnosed with Macular Dystrophy, a rare eye condition that left him two life-changing things: 3% vision, and a desire ever since to do what everyone else says can’t be done. Daniel Fenech is an award-winning director with over 15 years production experience in commercials, music videos and documentary style content. Daniel’s most recent film prior to this was Christmess which he co-produced with the film’s writer and director, Heath Davis. The Blind Sea is one of the most compassionate, moving and visually breathtaking documentaries I’ve seen in years. Matt’s journey is nothing short of awe-inspiring and he’s also very personable which makes The Blind Sea an even more enjoyable film to watch. Before we jump into it, I need to let you know I did have some recording issues at the very beginning of this episode and I missed out on the introduction, so if it feels like we jump strait into it, that’s when the recording began. Anyway… enjoy.

I’m very excited to present this very special interview with Travis Jeffery, one of my favourite Australian actors whose work I have admired for many years. Travis is best known for his roles in Gallipoli, Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Danger Close, The Preacher, Frayed, Last King of the Cross, Heart Break High, and more recently Before Dawn and Planet of the Apes. Three of my favourite films that Travis has started in are Spin Out, Top End Wedding and Bloody Hell. Travis will also star in a stack of upcoming films including Zoe Pepper’s Birthright, Myles Pollard’s short film, Inheritance, and Adam Morris’ Frederickstown. As well as those films I’ve just mentioned, Travis is also here to discuss his new short film, Dusty. An intensely emotional, moving, and often gut-wrenching film which follows the lead character Dustin, played by Travis. Unable to accept the death of his best friend, Ashely, Dustin goes into voluntary self isolation with a million beers and several bags of cocaine. Amidst the chaos of his grief-induced bender for one, he accidentally mixes his best friends ashes with a very generous line of cocaine, and to his complete and utter confusion, Ashleigh appears. Dusty is also written by Travis, and is direct Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, the veteran Australian actor’s directing debut. Throughout this interview, Travis gives us a highly educational insight into the mechanics of being of actor, detailing his journey from growing up on a farm, to starring in major Hollywood productions.