Creative Directed by Shaki Prasanna, Heatwaves is a set of micro-documentaries, unveiling the hidden gems of Naarm's arts community.
“When I moved to Australia in 2015, there wasn’t a space for diverse creatives or at least one I was aware of in the film world in Melbourne,” Prasanna said. “I was also hungry to share, hear and create ideas with the minds on the flip side, those who strayed away from the local blueprints in their craft, and those who weren’t heard or heard of – the underdogs shifting the paradigm of the more established creative scene by doing it on their own terms. Most importantly, being outside the box.
“I want to create a warm, nurturing and open-hearted space for newcomers to embrace their authenticity; it’s okay to be different. We must foster these minds to pave the way for new ideas, diversifying the mould of our creative scene.”
Heatwaves episode rundown
Episode 1: Melbourne-based artist A.Kid tells his stories through the painstaking medium of woodblock carving, exploring social commentary and symbolism with his art. Directed by Shaki Prasanna
Episode 2: South London born Footwear Designer Tim Gleig tells his story of how he harnessed the power of dyslexia to create something extraordinary with his hands. Directed by Jack de Bomford.
Episode 3: Japanese muralist Aki Yaguchi paints protection sprits on mundane spaces, causing people to stop, breathe and reflect on life. Directed by Eren Besiroglu
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From the artist’s studio to parks, bedrooms, and cemeteries, season one brings you three highly stylised micro-documentaries, illuminating the diversity of Naarm’s arts community. Including musicians, visual artists, dancers, designers, poets — their lens captures the raw talent pushing boundaries and redefining creativity across the city.
Heatwaves is an anthology series; each episode seeks to bring together a community of passionate creatives, allowing cross-disciplinary collaboration to bring a bespoke visual story to life – creating a platform for collaboration between both filmmaker and subject, creating new connections, bonds and networks within the community. Each chapter highlights a uniquely individual creative based in Naarm, brought to life by a director with their own style of storytelling. Each film showcases diverse, innovative practices across disciplines.
Guests include TWOFIVE footwear designer Tim Gleig, screen printing artist, record label producer and architect A.KID, and singer and multidisciplinary artist Aki Aguchi.
With Sri Lankan roots, cinematographer and creative director Prasanna was born and raised in Kuwait. Hailing from a lineage of multidisciplinary artists from the heart of Colombo, he was the black sheep in the family, couldn’t hold a pencil straight and thought computer engineering was his future. He held a camera once, and it became an extension of his brain, framing art through a lens. It was, after all, inevitable to carry the creative torch of storytelling. Since then, Shaki has been exploring Australia’s underground music scene and POC community.
On Wednesday, October 20th, Heatwaves will premiere season 1 in The Sun Theatre Yarraville cinema at 6:30 PM.
Heatwaves episode 1, 2 and 3 will be available online from 20 October – www.heatwaves.au.
