Cinema Australia

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 includi

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 wa

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 h

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 M

In this episode I’m joined by The Big Dog writer and director, Dane McCusker. The Big Dog follows Richard Morgan, a stockbroker, suburban family man - and secret findom addict. On the morning of his son’s graduation party, Richard discovers his dominatrix has cleaned out all of his bank accounts including the money for the graduation present – a new car.  Now over the course of one Saturday, Richard must try and recover the $76,000 without his wife discovering his secret life. Dane McCusker is a writer, producer and director of award-winning content across multiple mediums. Originally hailing from Bathurst, NSW, he moved to Sydney in 2009 to participate in the Australia Film Television and Radio School. With a film debut as good as The Big Dog is, Dane is certainly a filmmaker to keep an eye on. Anyway… enjoy.

Georgia Eyers is an Australian actress from Brisbane who has gained some serious recognition recently following her impressive lead role in the supernatural horror film Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism alongside Dan Ewing and Tim Pocock. Prior to Godless, Georgia appeared in the WA film, The Xrossing, and recently reunited with that film’s director, Steven Mihaljevich, for his surreal and unsettling psychological drama, Violett. In Violett, Georgia plays a sick Mother who fears unspeakable evil will soon snatch her 11 year old daughter. With both The Xrossing and Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism now available to watch via different formats, a brief cinema release was recently announced for Vioeltt here in WA via Halo Films. Screenings for other states are set to be announced early next year. In this interview, Georgia takes us back to the beginning of her career and how she got started in the industry. She also discusses being embraced by the horror community, and tells us about the impact making two psychol

Hello, and welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. My name is Matthew Eeles. In this episode I’m joined by actor Jordan Fraser-Trumble who gives an outstanding performance in The Cost which is written and directed by Matthew Holmes. Matthew was a recent guest on this Podcast also discussing this new white-knuckle thriller. In The Cost, Jordon plays David - one of two ordinary men intent on dispensing their own brutal form of justice after abducting a felon who committed a horrific crime many years before. Jordan is a great actor whose career I have been following for many years now since his debut feature film performance in Holmes’ The Legend of Ben Hall back in 2017. Jordan’s other feature film credits include West of Sunshine, and Freelance and Love, Tea and Epiphany which Jordan discusses here also. This is a shorter episode than usual as this interview was originally recorded for my radio segment on the Community Radio Network. The Cost is available to rent now across the usual VoD platforms, an

In this episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast, I’m joined by director, writer, co-producer, co-cinematographer, editor and visual effects supervisor Jack Dignan to discuss his latest film, Puzzle Box. Jack began his career as an Australian film journalist, publishing written reviews across multiple platforms while working on his own DIY short films. In the lead up to After She Died, Jack spent some time working on high-profile Hollywood productions such as Thor: Love and Thunder, Furiosa, Elvis, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in various roles. Puzzle Box follows substance abuser Kait who flees to a house in the woods to self-rehabilitate, while her sister Olivia joins to document the process. Following their arrival the house's layout begins to change, trapping them inside an inescapable puzzle box. When I interview a filmmaker like Jack, I’m quickly reminded why I started Cinema Australia. To me, there’s nothing quite like interviewing an independent filmmaker at the beginning of their career

Hello and welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. My name is Matthew Eeles. This episode is one of those “other” episodes of the Cinema Australia Podcast where I bring over two of my recent interviews for the Community Radio Network and publish them here. These interviews are much shorter than usual, but just as enjoyable. Filmmaker Paul Goldman kicks things off as he joins us to chat about Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story. Following that is Robert and James Farnham, the two son’s of Australian music icon John Farnham, who discuss their father’s new documentary, John Farnham: Finding The Voice. Anyway… enjoy.

Episode #100 | Gabriel Carrubba by Cinema Australia

This episode is a little bit different than our usual episodes in that it features two interviews with two very talented filmmakers - Matt Vesely who has directed a neat sci-fi thriller called Monolith, and Callan Durlik who has made a very funny romantic comedy called It Only Takes A Night. Monolith which follows a headstrong journalist, played by Lilly Sullivan, whose investigative podcast uncovers a strange artefact, an alien conspiracy, and the lies at the heart of her own story. It Only Takes a Night follows four best friends on a girl's night out who end up on a path none of them expected and find out it really does only take one night to change your life. These two interviews were originally recorded for my radio show on the Community Radio Network, so they’re not as in depth as the usual Cinema Australia Podcast episodes, but there’s still plenty covered for each film. Anyway… enjoy.

In this episode I’m joined by the frighteningly talented filmmaking duo, and twin brothers, Danny and Michael Philippou to discuss their new horror film, Talk to Me, which is already making waves around the world and has caught the attention of filmmakers like Jordan Peele and Steven Spielberg, as well as author Stephen King. Talk to Me follows a group of friends who discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand. They become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world, forcing them to choose who to trust: the dead or the living. Danny and Michael Philippou, who some of our listeners will know better as YouTube sensations RACKARACKA, are online purveyors of comic horror and action. Their Youtube videos have been watched over 1.5 billion times and amassed over 6.6 million subscribers. In 2015 their channel was awarded Best International YouTube Channel at the 6th Streamy Awards. Named one of Variety’s 2016 Fame Changers and ranked 5th on Fina

In this episode, I’m joined by Rampage Electra writer, director and producer Hassibullah Kushkaki who takes us on a deep dive into the making of this independently produced, action thriller gem which was shot throughout many Perth locations including the historic Fremantle Prison where a majority of the film was shot. Rampage Electra follows an outcast teenager Hannah who finds herself framed as a violent delinquent owing to the undisclosed history of her family’s troublesome past. As 17-year-old Hannah is coming to terms with the revelation of her mother’s circumstances, she witnesses the untimely death of her father. A story of wrong doing and revenge, Hannah’s longing for a maternal kinship fuels her arbitrary decisions and drives a revolt into an uncontrollable rampage. In this interview Hassibullah discusses the making of Rampage Electra as well as his move to Perth four years ago, the cultural impacts of growing up in Germany and the US, and how Rolf de Heer’s Bad Boy Bubby and Alex Lorian’s Good For

Alena Lodkina’s Petrol will stick to you like glue. If you dive deep enough into the film's subtexts, and if your experience with this film is anything like mine, it will take weeks to shake. In this episode, Alena joins me to take a very deep dive into the making of Petrol which follows Eva, an impressionable film student, who befriends an enigmatic performance artist named Mia who quickly takes hold of Eva’s imagination. Petrol is Alena’s second film following her debut, Strange Colours. If you haven’t already that film, then I recommend putting it at the top of you must-watch list. Anyway… enjoy.

Hello and welcome to the Cinema Australia Podcast. My name is Matthew Eeles. In this episode I’m joined by writer, director, co-producer, director of photography, editor and composer Ivan Sen and actor Simon Baker to discuss their masterful new film, Limbo. In Limbo, Simon Baker plays Travis, a jaded detective who arrives in the remote outback town of Limbo to investigate the cold case murder of local Indigenous girl Charlotte Hayes 20 years ago. As truths about the murder begin to unfold, the detective gains a new insight into the unsolved case from the victim’s fractured family, the surviving witnesses and the reclusive brother of the chief suspect. A poignant, intimate journey into the complexities of loss and the impact of the justice system on Aboriginal families in Australia. Anyway… enjoy.

In this episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast, I’m joined by Perth filmmaker Scott Quayle to discuss, The Grey Line - a powerful, eye-opening WA-shot documentary which tells the story of Helen Dwyer, also known as Ellen Collard. Taken from her parents during a time when Aboriginal children were removed from their families through Government mandated policy, Helen was raised by a middle-class family in the suburbs of Perth and believed she was their biological daughter until the age of 14. Despite being raised by a very loving foster family, Helen has never felt like she truly belonged. Not white, not black, she walks a very lonely grey line. This is her story of hurt, a longing to find her true self and to finally be accepted for who she is. As you will hear in this interview, Scott is a relative newcomer to documentary filmmaking of this scale. Scott has released two short films previously: the 2019 documentary, Coming Home: Isle of Man TT, and the short documentary SHIL about a public speaker with a s

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.

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

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.

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.