Cinema Australia

This is a different episode format than regular listeners will be used to. Here I’ll be chatting with two filmmakers in seperate interviews that were originally recorded for my radio spot on the Community Radio Network. The first interview is with Christine Looby to discuss her new Young Adult coming-of-age adventure film, The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay. An accomplished Assistant Director with 15...

In this episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast, host Matthew Eeles is joined by filmmakers Rowan Devereux and Sophie Saville to discuss two of their new films, feature film Evicted! A Modern Romance - a comedy which follows a group of friends on a seemingly futile hunt for an affordable share house - and Inspire Me - a documentary short following Madeline Stewart’s quest to become the most inspir...

Hello and welcome to Cinema Australia Podcast. I’m very excited to be discussing the wonderfully weird, and outrageously funny The Lonely Spirits Variety Hour with the film’s director and co-writer Platon Theodoris. The Lonely Spirits Variety Hour follows radio host Neville Umbrellaman. When Neville lands in hospital, a group of unexpected performers crash his show, The Lonely Spirits Variety Hour...

Writer and director Kriv Stenders joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his new documentary, Lee Kernaghan: Boy from the Bush. Stenders is carving out quite a niche for himself as a documentary filmmaker following very successful feature films like Red Dog and Danger Close: The Battle for Long Tan. Stenders’ recent documentary work includes Slim & I, The Go Betweens: Right Here, and Brock:...

In this episode Cinema Australia is joined by the makers of new Australian black comedy, Sissy - Hannah Barlow & Kane Senes. Hannah and Kane co-wrote and co-directed the film and Hannah also stars in the film as one of the lead characters, Emma. The film follows social media influencer, Sissy, who is invited away on a hen’s weekend with some old school friends. Little does she know she will be stu...

Tiriki Onus and Alec Morgan join the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss their new documentary, Ablaze. Ablaze is the true story of the first Aboriginal filmmaker, William ‘Bill’ Onus and tells the story of this cultural and political figure who revived his peopleʼs culture in the 1940s and ignited a civil rights movement that would change the course of history. Ablaze is the compelling tale of ho...

How to Please a Woman writer and director Renée Webster joins the Cinema Australia Podcast. How to Please a Woman is a genuine gut-busting laugh-fest. As I tell Renée during this interview, I’ve seen it three times now, and I’m recommending it to everyone. The film follow Gina (played by Sally Philips), a 50-something woman who develops a business idea to launch an all-male house-cleaning service....

Welcome to a very special episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast. So what’s so special about this episode? Well as regular listeners will know, discussions on this podcast are usually centred around a particular film, and it’s not often that I take listeners on a deep dive into an actor’s career. It’s just the way the publicity machine works, and not everyone, particularly busy actors, have the t...

In this episode I’m joined by Jane Castle - the daughter of trailblazing Australian filmmaker, Lilias Fraser. Castle’s new documentary, When the Camera Stopped Rolling, tells the epic tale of her mother’s extraordinary life, her fascinating career and their challenging relationship. Lilias Fraser was the first Australian to study at the National Film School of France who honed her skills on nation...

It’s hard to believe A Stitch in Time is Sasha Hadden’s first film. He’s made two short films and a documentary, and this film cements him as a serious talent and a filmmaker to keep an eye on. Here, Sasha discusses how he developed a passion for filmmaking at a young age thanks to his supportive mother, his love for Australian filmmaking great Bruce Beresford, and how he used this film as a train...

In this episode I’m joined by Mutt writer and director Sam Galloway. Mutt follows Odette, an expecting mother who delves into a criminal underworld to rescue her dog from a torturous death. Samuel Galloway is a kiwi filmmaker based in Melbourne. He is both a director of photography for commercial and narrative work, but also holds a distinctively dark and comedic voice as a writer-director. Samuel...

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to the first Cinema Australia Podcast episode for 2022. In this episode I’m joined by Public Eye writer, producer, director and lead actor Davo Hardy, and his co-star British Flower. Public Eye follows Elliot Sinclaire, played by Hardy in the film. He’s a children’s entertainer and actor whose social and moral standing is severely challenged when his personal li...

Filmmaker Brendan Fletcher joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his new series, Firebite, which he co-created and co-directed with Warwick Thornton (Sweet Country). In this episode Fletcher reflects back on his Mad Bastards and what he’s been up to since, and obviously we chat everything Firebite including how he was introduced to Thornton, moving from film to television and much more.

WA-based filmmakers Samantha Marlowe and Frances Elliott join the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss their latest documentary, Girl Like You, which, over six years, follows a couple that battles to stay together as one of them transitions genders; confronting the effects of new body parts, changing gender roles as well as navigating their own evolving sexual identities.

Filmmaker Kiah Roache-Turner joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss Wyrmwood Apocalypse - the highly-anticipated followup to his explosive zombie thriller, Wyrmwood Road of the Dead.

Catherine Hill is an accomplished and admired individual who has worked as an actor, script editor and story consultant. As well as being an award-winning theatre director, Catherine has been employed as a case manager and a crisis worker for over two decades, working with individuals managing complex issues and often experiencing homelessness. Drawing on all these experiences Catherine wrote, pro...

Director Justin Kurzel and writer Shaun Grant join the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss their latest collaboration, Nitram. Nitram is a brilliant but highly disturbing film, that will no doubt divide audiences. It depicts the events leading up to one of the darkest chapters in Australian history - the Port Arthur shootings. Kurzel and Grant have been making movies together since 2011 as directo...

Erik Thomson is one of my favourite actors. I’ve enjoyed most of Erik’s work, with Packed to the Rafters, Aftertaste and The Furnace being among my favourites. Thomson is one of Australia’s most beloved actors, becoming a household name thanks to mega-popular shows like All Saints and Rafters. In this episode we take a deep dive into Eric’s career and discuss everything from Pacific Drive to High...

Iconic Australian filmmaker, Nadia Tass joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss her career, including the making of two of her most well-known and much loved films, Malcolm and The Big Steal. Nadia Tass is one of Australia’s most respected filmmakers. Known for those films I just mentioned, Nadia also directed Pure Luck, an American film starring Martin Short and Danny Glover. Nadia’s later...

Screenwriters Arka Das and Bina Bhattacharya join the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss their new anthology feature film, Here Out West. Synopsis: A baby is kidnapped from a western Sydney hospital by a desperate grandmother. Her flight sets off a chain of events that brings together complete strangers over the course of one dramatic day. Arka, who wrote the chapter titled BROTHERHOOD, is a writ...

Filmmaker Matthew Walker joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his new documentary, I’m Wanita. I’m Wanita is the story of Wanita - a renegade country music singer from Tamworth, hell-bent on realising her childhood dreams of stardom. Self-crowned as ‘Australia's Queen Of Honky Tonk’, Wanita is still waiting for the recognition she knows she deserves.

Director Josh Reed joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his tense, claustrophobic drama, We're Not Here to Fuck Spiders. Reed describes Spiders as found footage noir. The film is set in a drug dealers house, and is constructed from found surveillance footage. There’s not much we can tell you about the story without giving too much away, but it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted. The fi...

A Family is one of the most unique locally-produced films I’ve ever seen, so I was thrilled to be chatting with director Jayden Stevens and cinematographer Thomas Swinburn. These two very talented filmmakers also co-wrote and co-produced the film. Jayden Stevens is a director and photographer from the Gold Coast. He is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, where his short film Between T...

Martin Wilson joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his new shark thriller, Great White. We love taking a deep dive with filmmakers about their movies, but this interview was originally recorded for our radio segment on 2RRR, so you will notice this is a much shorter interview than usual. Regardless, this is still an insightful chat with Wilson, who talks about the making of Great White an...

Director Molly Reynolds joins the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss her stunning new documentary, My Name is Gulpilil, about one of Australia’s most important actors, and one of our most significant cultural and artistic icons, the unparalleled, David Gulpilil. As you’ll hear in this interview, Molly has known David for many years. As the partner of Australian directing legend Rolf De Heer, Reyn...