interview Archives - Jim Schembri

Spending eight years and a lot of his own money, writer/director James Vaughan wanted his acclaimed debut ‘Friends and Strangers’ to “feel like a film about nothing” – even though it’s obviously not

Director James Vaughan: wrestling with the absurd side of modern, white Australian life. While in Melbourne for the film’s premiere screening at ACMI, writer/director/editor James […]

Making the low-budget drama ‘Cousins’ involved, spirit, community, culture and saying “F.U.” to the establishment: interview with co-directors Ainsley Gardiner & Briar Grace-Smith

High Spirits: co-directors Ainsley Gardiner (left) and Briar Grace-Smith. Says Gardiner: “There is a hierarchical structure that relies on a single person holding the vision […]

Beyond Max – Veteran Joanne Samuel discusses her new film and early TV career: “We saw the best of it. I felt so blessed to be there.”

The muse of Max: Joanne Samuel as she appeared in the original ‘Mad Max’. Jessie Rockatansky now takes her place in the pantheon of 1970s […]

Striving for social impact through drama – Flavio Alves on the battles behind ‘The Garden Left Behind’

Director Flavio Alves: “I became a filmmaker because I was attracted to the dream that I could make a difference in people’s lives.” Before writing […]

Wrestling with life’s big questions on a small scale in ‘The Bestowal’ – interview with writer/director Andrew de Burgh

“L.A. is definitely a superficial city. There’s a lot of nice, down-to-earth, genuine people but there’s also a dark, materialistic, shallow, vain side to the […]

Aiming high while flying low: the exquisite stresses of making ‘Batsh*t Bride’ – an interview with director Jonathan Smith

Flying low: Independent filmmaker Jonathan Smith. Batsh*t Bride is the third feature film from independent filmmaker Jonathan Smith, following his broad comedy Breast Picture (2010) […]

Jim Schembri

Journalist, critic and author based in Melbourne, Australia

interview

Spending eight years and a lot of his own money, writer/director James Vaughan wanted his acclaimed debut ‘Friends and Strangers’ to “feel like a film about nothing” – even though it’s obviously not

Making the low-budget drama ‘Cousins’ involved, spirit, community, culture and saying “F.U.” to the establishment: interview with co-directors Ainsley Gardiner & Briar Grace-Smith

Beyond Max – Veteran Joanne Samuel discusses her new film and early TV career: “We saw the best of it. I felt so blessed to be there.”

Striving for social impact through drama – Flavio Alves on the battles behind ‘The Garden Left Behind’

Wrestling with life’s big questions on a small scale in ‘The Bestowal’ – interview with writer/director Andrew de Burgh

Aiming high while flying low: the exquisite stresses of making ‘Batsh*t Bride’ – an interview with director Jonathan Smith

I Am No Bird – interview with director Em Baker

Exploring the Underside of Australian Masculinity – Interview with ‘Happy Sad Man’ director Genevieve Bailey

Shaping a New Kind of Zombie Movie – Interview with ‘Little Monsters’ director Abe Forsythe

A Daring Debut – interview with ‘Buoyancy’ director Rodd Rathjen