These photos taken by Paul Henderson at the TAFE Front Room Gallery Screening Hunter Street Newcastle NSW.

The high flying life of a difficult but award winning Australian filmmaker.

Streetsweeper seems to be reaching the end of it’s festival life… But we will keep screening it. Who knows where & when? NM

In about an hours time Streetsweeper will screen in Bridgetown in W.A. – I wish I was there – each small screening feels like a feather in our caps. It’s these events that complete the filmmaking process for me, getting the film seen and not knowing everyone in the audience! Inspiration to get the tour nailed down and in the can… TR

a bridge… in Bridgetown

The moment when Streetsweeper won Best Film (Jury Prize) at Anchorage International Film festival, USA 2008: I was in Alaska to accept the prize, the Golden Oosik–which is a beautiful trophy fashioned from a walrus penis bone, of course!–and somewhere between my chair & the stage I found this fetching hat. No wonder Festival Founder & Director Tony Shepherd is looking like he’s having second thoughts. Best film, worst hat: now everyone should take me seriously as a filmmaker.

A very cool trophy from some very warm people.

No, I am not signing autographs or giving out my hotel room number, I am actually writing out a list of Australian films these smart young Alaskan filmmakers might like to watch: e.g. Summersault, The Caterpillar Wish & the Year My Voice Broke. (Well, at least that’s what I told their mum!) NM

[All these photos copyrighted to Hal Gage AIFF 2008]

* Or “How I got shafted in Anchorage.”

Beauty & the Beast at award announcements, Anchorage, Dec08 [Photo by Hal Gage]

The Bear Tooth Theatre*, most amazing cinema, Anchorage, Dec08 [Photo by Hal Gage]

Festival audience at Bear Tooth*, with grub & grog, Anchorage, Dec08 [Photo by Hal Gage]

“It was great meeting you and I am very happy that your movie won the award. It really deserved it.
Here are a few more pics. Some that didn’t make the edit for AIFF. Toss one on the barbie from me at Christmas.”

Hal Gage, AIFF photographer

*audience pictured might not actually be at Streetsweeper screening.

It ’s a bloody slow burner alright. Streetsweeper will screen in January 2009 at the Bridgetown Film Festival. That’s not Bridgetown the capital of Barbados, but Bridgetown that is just about equidistant between Manjimup, Dardanup and Darradup in the south west of Western Australia. It’ll be the first time that the film has headed west since it’s premiere at Revelation in Perth in 2007.

We managed to make it onto the back page of the Australian today under the title “Poetry of the micro movie”, with an announcment about our award in Alsaka and with a vaguely inflamatory comment, which is good. Yesterday we got a mention in the Herald as “Street Sleeper” and also a spot on the news feed at IF magazine’s website…

I’ve also been passed on a link to this Alaskan Blog called “What Do I Know?” which has some very interesting writing about seeing the film and the very nature of Streetsweeper as a different film experience.

“Streetsweeper can be seen as a visual concert. Just as the symphony is sounds without verbal content, this was a series of visual images (with the added sense of sound). In his visual composition, Mansfield challenges us to look at things so ordinary that they have become invisible.”

The blog also features a 15 minute clip of Neil as silouhette talking about the film. Thanks for the heads up go to Neil’s brother Alan… TR

We’re in the Anchorage International Film Festival, Alaska, USA. Take in a nice breath of cool fresh air… NM

Go to: http://www.anchoragefilmfestival.org