Kate – “We were all at a pot luck dinner at one of our dear friends homes and toward the end of the night after a drink or two Brendan whom I didn’t really know that well then said….’Stroudy, it would be really cool if there was a film festival in Lismore’ and Joel was like, Yeah! Yeah!”
Brendan…”We were chatting about it beforehand and discussing the concept then Kate came in and helped us out with how to do it. She made a poster on the spot.(laughs)”
Kate .… “We just rolled with it. It started pretty humbly and small within our little friend group and slightly extended networks. We had the first two at my place so it was in an intimate house setting. Both festivals we received 14 or 15 films. It was a really positive response. It was this unique model that no matter who you are or what your experience is you can still be involved in it. It’s super inclusive. People who don’t consider themselves to be creative were making some really beautiful films. It was awesome to see them getting this big reward out of it as well.“
Joel – “I’m still blown away by how magic it looked. It’s changed over time but now we give people one week to make a film. At the start of the week we release a theme. The first two were only 36 hours and it was great to see what people came out with. “
Kate – “Obviously there is a little bit of trust that the film’s done in that time frame and you can usually tell. For this particular one we looked at how it could grow. Initially it was just us three throwing in $20 for popcorn and pulling in our resources. People kept suggesting we get a grant. We were like, nobody gets grants. Surprisingly we put one in and we got a small community grant which meant we could employ people and I guess make it more professional. To be able to reward people for their resources and their time was really nice.”
Brendan – “ It was really nice to be able to put this one in a public space. To partner with The Loft was amazing.”
Can you explain the set up on the night for those that missed it.
Kate – “Well you approached the lane and were met with a desk and Gloria who is a 1982 Hi Ace pop top. She is my baby. She’s a hit and she was also our popcorn stall. She starred in a couple of films as well. As you walked down the lane we had a red carpet and four female artists coordinated by the Back Alley Gallery, another one of our partners. They painted live art on the night with a silent auction. Just before the doorway of The Loft we had a pop up burger stall from the Buns and Hops by The Bank Cafe. They sold out. The Loft sold beverages and snacks as well. We had a big mammoth screen, vintage couches and seating and lots of humans. All below beautiful strung lighting.
The night surpassed any of my expectations. You have this vision in your mind of how you’d like it to go but with the space it always evolves and changes. I feel like it was a really magical night. The people who were there were incredible humans we love dearly and some we don’t know yet but will. It was a really beautiful vibe. There was a lot of love.“
Joel – “Special mention to the really nice hanging sign that Kate made.”
Joel – “This year we had 30 registered film makers for the event and they all did amazing work.”
Brendan – “It was a great mix of genres and style and a mix of experience as well. The practising film makers enjoyed the challenge of doing something in a week and the new filmmakers loved it as well. It’s going to be an annual event.”
So what do you three do in your spare time?
Brendan – “I’m almost a Lawyer and I work at the Community Legal Centre. Apparently I’m the document man now. I was really resistant to it but now it’s ok to be document man. These guys produced a lot of magic in a short time. I think we work really well together. I have a passion for film as well, have done a bit of film study and I do love it as a medium. I love that we provide an opportunity for people to tell their story. We had some great films from support agencies around town.”
Joel – “I run a small business which is starting to grow. We make a natural sunscreen in The Northern Rivers and I love it. Im also a support worker in Lismore town so Im involved with the community in that sense as well. I kind of have a business background and I’ve just fallen in love with advertising. I’m like the advert person and I’m also into a bit of graphic design alongside Kate. I’ve always been into photography, not so much film but now Im branching out and finding film is beautiful.“
Kate – “I moved to Lismore to study music so I guess that’s my first love. I grew up entertaining as in hosting. I naturally do that and get a lot of joy creating atmospheres and being in a place where I have brought all these people together and everyones having a good time. That makes me so happy. I also do graphic arts. I’m in love with hand lettering, sign writing and typography. I like making parties.”
Brendan – “The day of the festival I went away to do stuff and the laneway was still not set up. When I came back I was gobsmacked at how beautiful it was.”
Kate – “I had an army of volunteers who were amazing. I looked around it was vision realised. I couldn’t have done it by myself.”
Brendan – “We couldn’t have done it without each other or the volunteers but also the community as a whole.”
Kate – “Joel and I had a moment where you know when you are a kid and you’re having a birthday party. It’s 2.05 and no-ones arrived. You are like nobody’s coming to my party, I have all these lolly bags ready. We had that moment but it was awesome. We do have lots of popcorn left by the way.”