Megan Spencer for Revelation Film Festival

A guest at Revelation 2005, Newcastle filmmaker Neil Mansfield spoke of a feature he intended to make called Streetsweeper. Inspired by “the great ‘street films’ of Antonioni, Godard, Jarmusch, Tati and Wenders”, he would make it outside of the traditional Australian funding system.

A lot of blood, sweat and tears later, Mansfield remains true to his word. Streetsweeper premieres at this year’s 10th Revelation Film Festival.

Co-written by and starring WAAPA graduate Marin Mimica (Fresh Air, Erskineville Kings), Streetsweeper is a poetic film about an eccentric loner. With his trusty trolley – filled with brooms, rags and the detritus of the everyday – Mimica’s streetsweeper polishes the world and collects found notes. Journeying on foot through a sunburnt urban landscape, he sees the world through a poet’s eyes, musing on life and it all it has taken from him. It is at once a visceral, mythic and moving portrait of a man dispossessed.

Privately sponsored via a tiered “length of the road” donation system (from “Tarmac” at $50 through to “Hot Mix” at $500), equipment was begged, borrowed and donated. Shot on HD over a grueling three-day schedule, the crew of 20 trudged 20 kms alongside Mimica and his trolley. Filled with beauty and banality, Streetsweeper is a testament to tenacity, madness and the power of film to say something ‘about us’ that really counts.

Phillip Adams from ABC Radio National

Well, I saw Streetsweeper. Very elegant. As clear and sharp and pristine a film as I’ve seen in a long time…. My compliments to the chefs.

Anna - audience member

It is now several weeks past, so not as fresh, but still carries an impact. This lasting impact seems to be the rawness of the film - very gritty but soft humanity that people seem to be scared or even embarressed to present to the world most of the time. I did cry a couple of times during the film! I do think it spoke particularly about men, but definitely touched me too! The structure too, I loved - the physical images, moving between the absolute closeness of things and then out the the vastness and the distance and the whole - very beautiful. The structure of the film as a whole - of the continuing, on and on, through ups and downs, but continuing on - I thought this to be strong and succesful too, it seems to find strength in the continuing. Even with the ending as it was, the film very much keeps the sense of continuing for me, rather than end.

I’m in a public library now, with lots of distractions and time running out, so I really hope that comment makes some sense. It’s hard to put things into words - but great to see the film, guys, and one I won’t forget!

Tony Sheppard from Anchorage Film Festival

I thoroughly love every aspect of your film. You must be very proud of it. It’s completely mesmerizing and provoking. Every single frame is a stunning composition of light and movement, and the poetry feels profound. The world sure could use more movies like Streetsweeper.

Dreadlocks1407 comment on IMDB

I loved so many of the shots in this film; the look of them was incredible. The composition and aesthetics of the shots were awesome. The film was also very enjoyable because I could recognise locations throughout the film. I thought the cinematography was great and had a gritty feel to it which I liked.