The legendary and iconic Australian filmmaker, Rolf de Heer, joins the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his new film, The Survival of Kindness. Written, directed and produced by de Heer, The Survival of Kindness uses allegory to analyse race and privilege, as it follows protagonist BlackWoman (South Australian Mwajemi Hussein), abandoned in a cage in the middle of the desert. Following her escape, she walks through pestilence and persecution, from desert to mountain to city, only to find more captivity. Anyway… Enjoy.

Cinema Australia

Episode #93 | Rolf de Heer

Jub Clerc, director and co-writer of the uplifting coming-of-age road movie, Sweet As, joins the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. Sweet As follows troubled 16 year old Indigenous girl, Murra (Shantae Barnes-Cowan), who finds herself abandoned after an explosive incident with her addict mother played by Ngaire Pigram. On the cusp of being lost in the child protection system, an unusual lifeline is thrown her way by her uncle Ian (Mark Coles Smith), in the form of a unique photo safari. Before Murra knows it, she is careening down a dusty highway with a minibus full of at-risk teens and two charismatic team leaders. Will this be the lifeline Murra needs or the catalyst for her demise? Sweet As also stars Carlos Sanson Jr, Pedrea Jackson, Mikayla Levy, Andrew Wallace and Tasma Walton. Jub is from the Kimberley in WA where she currently resides. Graduating from WAAPA’S three year acting course, Jub spent many years in theatre before moving into film and television, working on award winning productions including The Circuit 1 & 2, Bran Nue Dae, Mad Bastards, Satellite Boy, Jasper Jones and Mystery Road Season 2. Jub has written and or directed short films, documentaries and tv series, and her debut play, The Fever and the Fret. In this interview, Jub discusses her upbringing and being surrounded by storytellers including Jimmy Chi and the Pigram Brothers, working on The Turning, the parallels between her real life experiences on her own photo safari and Sweet As, and much more. Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #92 | Jub Clerc

The Curse of Baba Yaga writer and director Christopher Colley joins the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. Perth’s first teen horror TikTok series, The Curse of Baba Yaga is a found footage series following two high school boys, James and Luca, as they navigate a string of disappearances in their quiet suburban town, The Curse of Baba Yaga is from first time writer and director Colley (who also stars on-screen as James) and producer Matt Hodgkinson. With a background in acting, Christopher Colley has pivoted to writing/directing with the aim to push the possibilities of queer characters on screen, exploring nuanced stories that reflect his own lived experiences. Anyway... enjoy.

Episode #91 | Christopher Colley

Esteemed Australian filmmaker, Robert Connolly, and rising star, Ilsa Fogg, join the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss their brilliant new film, Blueback. Blueback follows Abby (played by Fogg), a young girl who befriends a magnificent wild blue groper while diving. When Abby realizes that the fish is under threat, she takes inspiration from her activist Mum, Dora (played by Radha Mitchell), and takes on poachers to save her friend.

Episode #90 | Robert Connolly & Ilsa Fogg

John V. Soto joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss Avarice, a neat action thriller starring Gillian Alexy as a gifted, Olympic-level archer who must rescue her husband, played by Luke Ford, and daughter, played by Téa Heathcote-Marks, after they are abducted during a vicious home invasion. John V. Soto has written and directed five Australian feature films including the sci-fi drama The Gateway, crime thriller The Reckoning, horror thriller Needle and supernatural thriller, Crush. In this interview John shares stories about his passion for Perth and why he loves making movies here. He also discusses his beginnings as a filmmaker and what drew him to the craft, and of course John takes us behind the scenes of Avarice.

Episode #89 | John V. Soto

The Legend of Ben Hall filmmaker Matthew Holmes joins the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his career so far, as well as his two new feature films, The Cost and Fear Below.

Episode #88 | Matthew Holmes

WA-based filmmaker Sarah Legg joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss her new film, Cherubhead - one of the most unique, beautiful, intriguing, and thought-provoking Australian films you're ever likely to see. Here’s the synopsis: Marie Annette, a virtuous socialite invites orphan Ellie to a holiday home in the hopes of adopting her. However, when Sophie Piero comes to stay at the home on account of a family research program, things head south. That’s a very basic plot outline, but Sarah’s description of her film during this interview is much more in-depth. To say that Sarah is an exciting new talent, would be an understatement. When you get the chance to see Cherubhead you will see a filmmaker who refuses to play by the rules and work within the confines of conventional cinema. And if you get the chance to see Cherubhead miultiple times like I have, you will be just as excited to see what Sarah comes up with next. In this interview Sarah discusses her beginnings as a filmmaker and the creative support she has received from her encouraging parents, the origins of Cherubhead and how its influenced by Machiavelli, and she also shares some great behind the scenes stories too. Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #87 | Sarah Legg

Highly-regarded Australian actor Richard Roxburgh joins the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. To say the recording of this Podcast episode was a bit of fun would be an understatement. It’s not every day you get to shoot the breeze with an actor of Richard Roxburgh’s calibre. That was the case for me while I was attending CinefestOZ Film Festival in Busselton, Western Australia which Richard was also attending as the Jury Chair, responsible alongside other jury members for awarding the festival’s $100,000 Film Prize for Best Film. I had spoken to Richard during an Opening Night Red Carpet interview, and we also shared a bit of banter at one or two afterparties. But I really wasn’t expecting to get Richard on an episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast while I was at the festival. On the Thursday morning I received a phone call saying that Richard was at my hotel and available for a half hour interview. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity, even though I was totally unprepared as far as questions go. Regardless, I managed to get quite a lot out Richard during our interview. We discussed topics from his early beginnings as an actor, working with the likes of Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible II, his adoration for Baz Luhrmann, his desire to work with Warwick Thornton, his latest role in the Stan series Bali 2002, and whether he will ever direct again following his experiences on Romulus, My Father. Do I really need to introduce Richard here? Probably not, but it’s worth mentioning that Richard is one of Australian busiest and most respected actors, having graced our screens in television shows like Blue Murder, Hawke and of course Rake, and in films like Oscar and Lucinda, Mission: Impossible II, Moulin Rouge!, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing, Looking for Grace, Hacksaw Ridge and H is for Happiness. It’s worth mentioning that this interview was recorded in a pub. The venue was open to the public and there was a lot of activity happening in the background with CinefestOZ events, coffee being poured and drinks being served so please excuse the background noise. Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #86 | Richard Roxburgh

This is a different episode format than regular listeners will be used to. Here I’ll be chatting with two filmmakers in seperate interviews that were originally recorded for my radio spot on the Community Radio Network. The first interview is with Christine Looby to discuss her new Young Adult coming-of-age adventure film, The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay. An accomplished Assistant Director with 15 years of experience in film and television, Christine graduated to Directing in 2020 with her debut feature This Little Love of Mine - the first Australian feature to commence production during the global COVID-19 Pandemic. The second interview is with filmmaker Maya Newell who shares some great stories about the making of her brilliant new documentary The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone. Spanning nineteen years, The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone tells the story of Georgie, an Australian transgender teen as she helps change laws, affirms her gender, finds her voice and emerges into adulthood.

Episode #85 Christine Luby & Maya Newell

In this episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast, host Matthew Eeles is joined by filmmakers Rowan Devereux and Sophie Saville to discuss two of their new films, feature film Evicted! A Modern Romance - a comedy which follows a group of friends on a seemingly futile hunt for an affordable share house - and Inspire Me - a documentary short following Madeline Stewart’s quest to become the most inspirational disabled person ever.

Episode #84 | Sophie Saville & Rowan Devereux

Hello and welcome to Cinema Australia Podcast. I’m very excited to be discussing the wonderfully weird, and outrageously funny The Lonely Spirits Variety Hour with the film’s director and co-writer Platon Theodoris. The Lonely Spirits Variety Hour follows radio host Neville Umbrellaman. When Neville lands in hospital, a group of unexpected performers crash his show, The Lonely Spirits Variety Hour. Platon Theodoris is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter. His debut feature film, Alvin’s Harmonious World of Opposites, had its world premiere at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival back in 2015 and I’ve been anticipating his next film ever since. Platon is one of the most unique filmmakers working in Australia today. If you’ve seen Alvin’s and Lonely Spirits I’m sure you will agree, and if you haven’t seen those films then you really need to amend that ASAP. In this interview Platon discusses everything from his first viewing of the original stage play on which the film was based, continue his work with this incredible group of actors he’s built a community around, as well as some technical aspects of his filmmaking.

Episode #83 | Platon Theodoris

Writer and director Kriv Stenders joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his new documentary, Lee Kernaghan: Boy from the Bush. Stenders is carving out quite a niche for himself as a documentary filmmaker following very successful feature films like Red Dog and Danger Close: The Battle for Long Tan. Stenders’ recent documentary work includes Slim & I, The Go Betweens: Right Here, and Brock: Over the Top. Here, Stenders discusses growing up around music, working with Lee Kernaghan, filming the energetic concert scenes, his passion for good storytelling, why he thinks Lee Kernaghan: Boy from the Bush is his most experimental film yet, and why documentary filmmaking is such an exciting medium right now.

Episode #82 | Kriv Stenders

In this episode Cinema Australia is joined by the makers of new Australian black comedy, Sissy - Hannah Barlow & Kane Senes. Hannah and Kane co-wrote and co-directed the film and Hannah also stars in the film as one of the lead characters, Emma. The film follows social media influencer, Sissy, who is invited away on a hen’s weekend with some old school friends. Little does she know she will be stuck in a remote cabin with her high school bully… #triggered. Hannah and Kane have been making movies for a while now. Most recently the two made the independent mumblecore, For Now. This is a deep dive into the making of the film, so obviously there are going to be some plot spoilers, but listeners should know that when we do discuss the ending of the film I do warn when to switch off.

Episode #81 | Hannah Barlow & Kane Senes

Tiriki Onus and Alec Morgan join the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss their new documentary, Ablaze. Ablaze is the true story of the first Aboriginal filmmaker, William ‘Bill’ Onus and tells the story of this cultural and political figure who revived his peopleʼs culture in the 1940s and ignited a civil rights movement that would change the course of history. Ablaze is the compelling tale of how Bill and his supporters brilliantly orchestrated their campaign for equality through performance, entertainment, film and sheer audacity and how they outsmarted mighty forces seeking to destroy Indigenous cultures, languages, and communities.

Episode #80 | Tiriki Onus & Alec Morgan

How to Please a Woman writer and director Renée Webster joins the Cinema Australia Podcast. How to Please a Woman is a genuine gut-busting laugh-fest. As I tell Renée during this interview, I’ve seen it three times now, and I’m recommending it to everyone. The film follow Gina (played by Sally Philips), a 50-something woman who develops a business idea to launch an all-male house-cleaning service. However, when her business grows out of control, she must acknowledge her own appetite if she is to make a new life for herself. The film has had advance screenings around Australian, including here in Perth where it screened at the Perth International Arts Festival, The WA Made Film Festival, and it’s own Gala Night at Luna Cinemas and people are loving it! How to Please a Woman is Renée Webster’s first feature film. In this interview Renée tells us about developing the script and her process for writing comedy which I found fascinating. She also talks about working with her cast, shooting in Fremantle and much more. How to Please a Woman is in cinemas from May 19. Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #79 | Renée Webster

Collecting Australian filmmaking stories. Discover more at www.cinemaaustralia.com.au.

hubhopper

Cinema Australia

hubhopper