In this episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast, I’m joined by internationally-renowned filmmaker Scott Hicks for what I consider to be a very special interview. 

Interviews like this are the exact reason I launched Cinema Australia just over ten years ago. I set out to capture Australian filmmaking stories, and th those that Scott shares here about his career are priceless. As a keen Australian film enthusiast, I spent most of this interview in a state of awe. 

Scott shares previously untold stories here, such as the complete narrative behind the production of his unreleased tele-movie, Call Me Mr. Brown, and the time he tactfully guided a inebriated Bill Hunter back on track.

Scott also talks about learning from filmmaking giants like Peter Weir and Bruce Beresford, his creative partnership with Australian acting legend Chris Haywood, and of course we talk about Shine. 

Scott and I actually got so caught up talking about his career that we almost ran out of time to discuss his latest film, The Musical Mind… A Portrait in Process. We do get there eventually towards the end of the interview, so if you’re here specifically for that, hang in there.

An Emmy, Peabody and multiple AACTA award-winning filmmaker, Scott Hicks has also been nominated for two Academy Awards as Director and Writer, and British Academy Awards for Directing and Best Film. His documentary on Philip Glass was short-listed for Oscar® nomination and nominated for an Emmy.

He was honoured as South Australian of the Year in 1999 and then as Australian of the Year for South Australia in 2008. Scott received a Doctorate of Letters and a Premier’s Lifetime achievement award.

Together with his close friend David Chiem, CEO of global company MindChamps, Scott formed MAY30 Entertainment to create quality entertainment for the international market. The Musical Mind… A Portrait in Process marks the first releases for MAY30.

Sparked by the impending 25th anniversary of the Academy award-winning blockbuster Shine, The Musical Mind… A Portrait in Process explores the power of the musical brain. Featuring exclusive, intimate footage of super-star international musicians in their private worlds, it opens an intriguing portal into the musical mind.

Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #106 | Scott Hicks

Heath Davis joins the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss Christmess which he wrote, directed and co-produced. 

If you keep up to date with the latest Australian film releases, you’ve no doubt heard about Christmess. It’s getting a lot of buzz at the moment with sold out screenings on the East Coast, upcoming screenings in Western Australia and Tasmania. There’s national media interest and you may have even spotted a digital billboard for the film on your way home from work. 

If you’ve already attended one of the screenings, you would have heard Heath talk during a Q&A. He’s doing his best to travel around the country with the film which is admirable. This is a filmmaker who backs and believes in his work. 

Heath is one of Australia’s most exciting filmmakers, and there are few filmmakers whose new films I anticipate more than his. If you haven’t seen Book Week, I highly recommend it. Heath’s other films include the crime thriller Locusts and Broke as well as a stack of shorts which have enjoyed success at Tribeca, Flickerfest, MIFF and more. 

Christmess follows Chris (played by Steve Le Marquand), a once famous actor who now performs as a shopping centre Santa Claus after his alcohol addiction puts a pause on his acting career. After bumping into his estranged daughter, he seeks help for his recovery in order to win his daughter's forgiveness.

Christmess co-stars Middle Kids lead singer Hannah Joy in a breakout performance, and Darren Gilshenan in arguably the best performance of his esteemed career. 

Put simply, Christmess is unmissable. It’s the perfect tonic to most of the mind-numbing Hollywood dross currently saturating mainstream cinemas. The Hunger Games Part 47… really?

More and more Christmess screenings are popping up daily, so be sure to follow Christmess on socials to find out where you can see it near you. 

Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #107 | Heath Davis

My guests on this episode are The Rooster writer and director, Mark Leonard Winter, and co-producers Mahveen Shahraki and Geraldine Hakewill.

The Rooster is simply must-see cinema. It’s an experience. The Rooster transcends cinematic boundaries, delving deep into the human experience and illuminating the darkest corners of our minds with a shining light. Mark Leonard Winter’s visionary storytelling proves that he is not just a talented actor, but a genuine filmmaker.

The Rooster follows Dan, a small-town cop. When the body of his oldest friend Steve (Rhys Mitchell) is found buried in a shallow grave, Dan seeks answers from a volatile hermit (Hugo Weaving) who was the last person to see his friend alive. As Dan gets closer to the truth, he must confront his own personal demons and he discovers that hope can be found in unlikely places.

This interview plays as a companion piece to my interview with Mark which I published last year ahead of the film’s screenings at MIFF and CinefestOZ. While that interview was a deep dive into the making of the film, this interview is a bit more playful.

Anyway... enjoy.

Episode #108 | Mark Leonard Winter, Geraldine Hakewill and Mahveen Shahraki

My guests on this episode are The Switchblade Sisterhood writer, director, producer and cinematographer, Davo Hardy, and actor Kieran Hudson, who makes his feature film debut as lead actor in this film. 
  
Regular listeners of the Cinema Australia Podcast will know that Davo is no stranger here. This is Davo’s third time as a guest, and it’s always a pleasure to hear from Davo as his career progresses. 

The Switchblade Sisterhood follows a young woman grieving the death of her mother. Discovering she has a half-sister, bearing a grudge over their late mother’s abandonment of her, the two take solace in exploring the deceased’s belongings; where they find a book on radical second-wave feminism and a literal switchblade.

Both of which are used as weapons of choice in a bitter rivalry about fractured families, gender roles and personal, contemporary and intergenerational politics.

The Switchblade Sisterhood is available to watch now via davohardyfilms.com where you can also find Davo’s previous films including features and shorts. 

Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #109 | Davo Hardy And Kieran Hudson

My guest on this episode is Bill Bennett, the writer, director, and co-producer of The Way, My Way - a charming true story of Bill himself, and one of his many walks on the 800-kilometer-long Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route through Spain. The film is based on Bill’s best-selling memoir of the same name.

Bill is one of Australia’s most experienced and respected filmmakers, having made a ton of feature films and numerous documentaries over a forty-year period.

Bill has received Australian Film Institute Awards for Best Film and Best Director; he’s had two films in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival, four films in Toronto, and had three major international retrospectives.

As usual with this podcast, we go much deeper than just a filmmaker’s most recent film.

Here, Bill takes us all the way back to the beginning of his career and his almost-immediate success with early films like A Street to Die and Backlash.

Bill also shares some incredible stories about making films like Spider & Rose, Kiss or Kill, Two if by Sea with Sandra Bullock, and The Nugget, which he filmed with a very ill Belinda Emmett while 9/11 was happening at the same time.

Regular listeners will know how much I love doing these retrospective-style interviews, so this one was a real treat.

Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #110 | Bill Bennett

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.

Episode #111 | Travis Jeffery

Welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed recording this episode with Flathead writer and director, Jaydon Martin. Originally, this was meant to be a written interview, but as soon as I began chatting with Jaydon, my instincts told me that he was about to share some insights into the making of Flathead that I really needed to capture audibly. And I’m so glad I did.

Simply put, Jaydon’s Flathead is a masterpiece - and it’s already one of my very favourite films of the year. It’s classified as docufiction, a new genre of cinema that even Jaydon believes is a newly coined term. It’s hard to explain what that means, but once you listen to Jaydon’s stories, you’ll understand exactly what docufiction is. 

Flathead follows Cass, played by actor Cass Cumerford. Late in life, Cass is drawn to his long-forsaken childhood home of Bundaberg,
where he finds himself on a spiritual search for redemption.

Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #112 | Jaydon Martin

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.

Episode #113 | Matt Formston & Daniel Fenech

In this episode I’m joined by The Demon Disorder director, writer, producer and special effects artist, Steve Boyle. 

The Demon Disorder follows brothers Jake (played by Dirk Hunter) and Graham (played by Christian Willis). When their youngest brother is believed to be demonically possessed, the estranged brothers reunite to confront a dreadful family secret. Charles Cottier, John Noble and Tobie Webster co-star. In my opinion, The Demon Disorder features some of the best practical effects you’ll see in a modern horror film. 

Working with some of the biggest names in film and television, Steve Boyle has built a reputation for world-class standards in Special FX Production within the industry. 

With over 30 years experience in Special FX, Steve’s credits as a designer include; Fear Below, The Portable Door, Love and Monsters, Daybreakers, BAIT 3D, Mental, Predestination and Jungle to name a few.

In this interview, Steve gives us a great insight into the making of The Demon Disorder while sharing stories from his long career in the industry including his friendship and creative partnership with Michael and Peter Spierig, his time working on Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, and his upcoming work on Kiah Roache Turner’s highly anticipated shark horror, Beast of War.

Anyway… Enjoy.

Episode #114 | Steve Boyle

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.

Episode #115 | Eliza Cox

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

Episode #108 | Mark Leonard Winter, Geraldine Hakewill and Mahveen Shahraki

Cinema Australia

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