We made the film, against the odds — and we thought it was a festival film, but now it’s obvious it isn’t — so we are going to tour & screen the film ourselves, soon-ish, in make-shift fly-by-night grass-roots venues. From Brisbane to Adelaide. Any ideas where & for whom?

Nm

brisbane international film festival have sent us our last australian rejection. beautiful one day perfect the ¬¬ ˚ ˚˙ ˙˙ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……………………………

Footy players & their girlfriends posing for photos on the red carpet in designer clothes = Australian Film Culture!? Nm

We got rejected by Melbourne International Film Festival yesterday. I’m used to it by now. Radio National had a bit on their film show about how much competition there is between Scurvy Sydney and Miserable Melbourne film festivals. Turned out largely to be about who showed what first - because they all want the same hot films from European festivals… and to dig up some good films from the past for their repertory screenings. Guaranteed bums on seats I gather. All the best hits from the 60’s 70’s and 80’s anyone?

Three nasty clowns who don’t like our film!

It seems we sit between the devil of the big corporate festival and the deep blue sea of the ramshackled underground.

Our last screening in Melbourne was at Melbourne Underground Film Festival last year. I was really excited about the festival and went down to attend the screening. It was a cold wet night and we went to a cool small place called the Glitch Bar… Things seemed to be shaping up well. No-one was around from MUFF, so we had a beer and settled in to wait for the play - on before the films - to finish. As it the place emptied of theatre patrons the fellow from MUFF arrived. He was flustered and wet and had raced from another screening to get there and start the session.

He had, however, forgotten to bring a copy of our film - or the film we were a double bill with…! I was surprised, but dug through my bag to find a copy of Streetsweeper to hand him. We got the fifteen or so punters in the door and started the film… he stayed for a quick beer and left! I was disappointed with the quality of the projection, (a bit of a greeny purpley hue) and disappointed with the sound, (low and muffled) - but at least they took a chance on us and screened the film - unlike the cursed Dreary Dungog, Miserable Melbourne and damn Scurvy Dog Sydney.

Festival Tally:

44 Rejections
4 Invitations - Revelation 2007, MUFF 2007, This Not Art 2007 and Filmstock 2007 in the UK

We’re still waiting on Moscow, Brisbane, (both similar I know) and a couple in Italy… We’re bound to get one! Aren’t we? TR

My uncle, George Fordham, passed away on the weekend & I will miss him. He was a bloody good bloke… (And I will share some [loosely “cinema” related] stories about him here soon.) Nm

I love the idea of film festivals. The romantic idea that they are a place where cinema might matter.

We are waiting on a final few before completing the festival cycle - but we have had 43 rejections. No interest at all from any “local” film festivals. Dungog and Sydney both rejected the film. I called and emailed SFF, and was not even replied to. We had a last minute glimmer of an offer from Dungog, but they seem content showing mostly films that have been in general release at Hoyts.

More and more I feel that the festival circuit is a pile of shit. The open entry system appears to be merely a paper pushing facade for an actual selection process that depends entirely on whom the filmmakers, and more importantly their distributors know.

I’ve wasted an enormous amount of time learning this and entering all these festivals. I don’t mind that they are a commercial and corporate concern, but I wish that they would drop the charade and simply select the films that they are lobbied to do - be open and transparent in their festival marketing and branding exercise. I would be shocked if any festival accepted our film now. It’s a good film. Real Australian Cinema. Audiences like it, and I am the harshest critic.

At least I know that the next film we make should be gently inserted into the rectum of the festival director over a long lunch - and then we’ll be getting somewhere… TR

“The route you take lies parallel to the words along these walls you slide along in search of that which might be said each step assured or bored or trembling to discover finally only that one foot has followed the other.”
Fiona Hall

Toby & I have recently been working flat out on other things - building a family home & shooting stuff - but we still have our mind on the streetsweeper job & will keep you posted. The tour? Looks like we’re just gonna go to Deniliquin & Braidwood!? Nm (Off to shoot something now.)

So, we made the best film we could & we honestly thought that it had a fairly good chance of screening here & there on the international film festival circuit. But, alas, this was not to be (The best comic figures are often deluded!). We did not make a festival film after all: it seems like every unAmerican filmmaker in the world is now compelled to use the festival circuit to get their films seen, and we had some mighty competition. Next, the tour. Nm

I recently got invited to an “industry” (ha, ha, ha… ha, ha… ha… er…) shindig:
“Dungog Film Festival is the only 100% Australian Film Festival that operates in a non-competitive environment. We are having launch in Newcastle to promote and encourage Newcastle participation in this event….”
Funny that… Um, against all odds, we actually made a truly independent (100% local) feature film, in Newcastle, and do you think they wanna screen it?
Mediocrity triumphs again (?) Nm