Interviews Archives - Jim Schembri

Facing down the climate emergency through the passion & power of protest in ‘Wild Things’ – interview with director Sally Ingleton

February 18, 2021Jim Schembri

“Somebody else can make a film about the loggers and the miners; this film was really about the world of the environmental activist.” [...]

Lone Wolf Luke: Director Luke Sparke discusses the maverick approach he took in making his sci-fi epic ‘Occupation Rainfall’

January 31, 2021Jim Schembri

“I like being outside the box of the Australian film industry.” – Luke Sparke By any fair measure, Luke Sparke is an extraordinary [...]

‘The Dry’ aims to connect after delays and despite COVID-19: interview with actor/producer Eric Bana & director Robert Connolly

December 31, 2020Jim Schembri

Actor Eric Bana & director Robert Connolly discuss their new film The Dry, based on the best-selling novel by Jane Harper. Adapted by [...]

Using a crime-thriller to confront the tough issues mainstream films avoid – interview with writer/director John Marco Lopez

December 24, 2020January 4, 2021Jim Schembri

“It’s like the old saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’; I feel the same way about independent film.” – John [...]

Taking a deep dive into the one-man free music movement and the disruption it causes; interview with director Ryan Camarda

December 24, 2020January 4, 2021Jim Schembri

“I was trying to shoot for the moon even though the budget was really low for this kind of thing.” – director Ryan [...]

Holding returned Jihadists to account demands looking at both sides of the story says Serhat Caradee, writer/director of ‘A Lion Returns’

December 18, 2020Jim Schembri

Writer/director Serhat Caradee: “Pursuing violence to achieve peace is not a way to go.” The story of a terrorist who returns from Syria [...]

An uncertain post-lockdown movie market greets the plush new 15-screen Pentridge Cinema complex in Coburg; interview with Ben Zeccola, Palace Cinemas CEO

December 13, 2020December 13, 2020Jim Schembri

As host to the new Palace cinemas, the former Pentridge prison is now the place escape to, not from. Irony permeated the semi-grand [...]

Avoiding easy-to-digest cliches, director Pip Kelly aims to honestly portray of a person with disability in ‘Thomas Banks’ Quest for Love’

December 3, 2020Jim Schembri

“Definitely there are some moments in this film that might be challenging for people to watch.” – Director Pip Kelly. The extraordinary short [...]

Androids, controversy & the Streisand effect: director Sandra Wollner speaks frankly about the fuss over ‘The Trouble With Being Born’

December 3, 2020Jim Schembri

“I was searching for a non-human perspective.” – Director Sandra Wollner. By any fair measure, the thoughtfulness and artistry of The Trouble With [...]

How ‘Red Dog’ producer Nelson Woss was transformed by his canine star and became the unwitting star of ‘Koko: a Red Dog Story’

November 25, 2020November 26, 2020Jim Schembri

“We never thought our audience were cinephiles, we thought our audience were dog lovers.” – producer Nelson Woss. The highly emotional payoff to [...]