Over here in these eastern states, it’s easy to get stuck in our own little bubble and shut off from the west. There’s a bunch happening in the W.A region, and they’re ready for us to come and experience it all.
When someone says W.A, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking of it as just Perth. But there’s much more across the almost three million square kilometres. The Busselton / Margaret River region gives the city of light a run for its money, and with the new Melbourne to Busselton flight recently starting up, it makes it even easier to head over there and check it all out.
The region recently being home to the CinefestOZ festival, a celebration of all things movies. The weeklong festival kicking off with a premiere screening of a Film Prize nominee, Seriously Red.
Four films were up for the annual $100,000 prize, with screenings across the duration of the festival. An all-star panel, consisting of Richard Roxburgh and Emma Booth, among many more, who attended each screening and voted on the top film of the festival.
Seriously Red started CinefestOZ on a happy note, a Dolly Parton inspired film starring Krew Boylan, Daniel Weber and Rose Byrne, an energetic crowd response taking place at various spots throughout the screening.
Much of CinefestOZ took place in Orana Cinemas, a small country cinema that truly transformed into a mecca for industry personnel and actors from across the globe. Orana Cinemas seemed to be the perfect metaphor for much of Margaret River and Busselton, a space ready to take on anything, they’ll make the most of tourists in town for the festival.
CinefestOZ was great in championing the region, if they needed to hold an event, it would be in one of the best venues in the region and involve local businesses and musicians. On top of the movies, the music was a noticeable highlight of CinefestOZ, Busselton / Margaret River being a small town, but one with a vibrant music scene.
We’re pretty lucky here in Melbourne, we’ve got more venues than you can shake a stick at, and even more performers lobbying to play in the spaces. Margaret River’s scene is obviously smaller, but it’s got a similar energy to Melbourne, the music scene is a community, everyone’s there to support one another.
On both sides of the scene, the enthusiasm is energetic, there’s just as many people trying to give musicians opportunities as there is musicians. With Settlers Tavern, The River, and Kevin Parker’s Wave House Studio, the spaces keep coming, and it’s only going to get bigger, the Margaret River region definitely has the makings of a live music hub.
Orana Cinemas held each of the 4 Film Prize screenings, each of which were followed by an In Conversation session, which would involve members of the film joining fans in a Margaret River winery or in a trendy Busselton brewery. These sessions involved attendees establishing a bit more of an understanding about the film process.
Events like this were truly a highlight of CinefestOZ, enjoying some high quality Western Australian produce with great people, up close and personal with some of Australia’s most talented performers in the film world.
But when you’re in a spot as pristine and picturesque as Margaret River, enjoying some great food and drink, it’s hard to find anything wrong, the team at CinefestOZ do a great job in making each person has a perfect experience.
Of An Age was the next film to premiere, a heavier drama, detailing the journey of a young man on his path to homosexuality, much of the film taking place in the confines of a car, a stylistic choice that truly made Of an Age sit apart from the rest of the Film Prize nominees.
As the week progressed, and the festival rocketed through their over 250 events, one of the most notable things was the honour that was paid to the Aboriginal people of the region. Starting with the Welcome to Country from the native Wadandi people, all the events across the week started with a significant acknowledgement of country, something that doesn’t seem overly common here in Melbourne, things happen with no reference to the original owners of the land.
The festival featured a number of Aboriginal movies too, Sweet As was a Film Prize movie directed by Nyul Nyul / Yawuru woman Jub Clerc, in her feature debut.
It was a coming-of-age film starring a young cast set in the stunning Aussie Kimberly., The film received arguably one of the biggest reactions of the festival, multiple standing ovations and clear admiration from the cast and crew involved.
The final film of the Film Prize nominees was Transfusion, a heavy action thriller starring Matt Nable, Sam Worthington and Phoebe Tonkin, about a veteran who tries to raise his son after his wife’s death. The acting work from Nable being one of the best throughout the festival.
The Film Prize premieres culminated in the Gala Night at the Orana Cinemas, where everyone adorned their greatest garb and hit the red carpet. Once again, you wouldn’t feel like you were in a sleepy country town, Busselton truly became a hotspot to nightlife during the Gala Night.
The night was hosted by Aussie late-night alum Rove McManus, who was as energetic as ever, the perfect choice to close out the festivities. This night saw a lot take place, most notably, the awarding of the Film Prize, which was given to Of an Age.
A staple of the last 15 CinefestOZ has been the Screen Legend award, which has been given to such icons as David Wenham, Joel Edgerton, and most recently, Isla Fisher.
This year’s was given to Richard Roxburgh, star of films like Elvis, Moulin Rouge, and TV show Rake. His speech inspiring the young actors, actresses and budding industry workers in the crowd, and making us all a little bit more hopeful for the future in the arts industry.
Check out more info on CinefestOZ here. You can head to Busselton via Melbourne with Jetstar. Check out more info here.
