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Benson Wu, Director, Taiwan Film Festival in Australia
“The festival is edgy,” said Benson Wu, Director of the Taiwan Film Festival in Australia. On a recent Zoom call, Benson said he’s all about bringing more diversity into film, whether it’s Asian representation in Western film or LGBT films to Taiwanese audiences. “We have around 12 films in the full programme and there are […]
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Oizoioi. Build a bridge, start a conversation
We are a third culture. Our parents were immigrants. We are seen as foreigners even though we were born here. We’re stuck between two worlds and still don’t quite know how we fit in Australia. Our fashion is a bridge. Our brand is Oizoioi – people ask us: How do you say that? What does […]
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The Grande Dame arrives
Last week I wrote about my Beale going to a new home. Well that sure did happen and I was texting photos like this to Hanna saying, “They’re taking it now!” Later, she sent back… I’ve said before that buying the Beale felt like putting down roots in Australia – I wouldn’t buy an acoustic […]
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The Making of ‘Giants’, a film by Eddy Bell
Sydney-based filmmaker Eddy Bell took a weekend trip to a polocrosse event in Narrabri, New South Wales. It became an 18-month journey with a farming family facing the harsh reality of unrelenting drought. Eddy witnessed their luscious green landscape evolve into an arid dust bowl, and the result is his short film ‘Giants’. While empathising […]
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Creatures of the Half Sleep – John Reeves Trio
Step into the world of jazz pianist John Reeves, who is releasing his first CD ‘Creatures of the Half Sleep’, a collection of original compositions arranged for accordion! Here, we geek out over his beautiful instrument, and his journey with it so far. The John Reeves Trio has Helen Svoboda on double bass and Aaron […]
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‘Origins’ by EASTMODE
‘Origins’ is the first music video from EASTMODE, a collective of Brisbane-based Asian Australian rappers. I love that they’re writing, defining, collaborating, making an artistic statement. They care. They’re beautiful. They brought me into The Fam, and I’m humbled by it. Videographer and rapper David Deggs Fischer even included me in the video. When I […]
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Bao Pham, Founder, Team Bliss Esports
This is an unexpected Fam story. I met Bao Pham at a recent music video shoot for Eastmode, and I really liked talking with him. He’s got a well-established flower business, and on the side he’s building a enterprise around his passion – esports! So here is something about Bao Pham and his Team Bliss […]
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Tristan Barr
Continuance
Pictures
Tristan Barr is co-founder of Continuance Pictures, alongside his business partner David Gim, who is based in Melbourne. Tristan and David are about identifying what different creators bring to the table, and finding the best ways to elevate their work. “Having faced my own mortality, I realise life is very short. I don’t want to […]
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Sian Laycock – creating the reality
In ‘Jacks’, we’re living in a stylised environment: a heightened reality in terms of the colour palette. The set is bold and the lighting is vibrant, with lots of neon. It’s almost retro-inspired and could be a set from any time in the last 20 or 30 years. Sian Laycock, Production and Costume Design, 13th […]
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I am Yang
Above: From JACKS [2020] a Visul and 13th Street Films production. Cinematography: Trimedium This is my first time in a short film! My friend and actor Sen Shao called me and asked if I wanted to cast for the role of Yang in ‘Jacks’, which is a crime comedy written by Joel Stephen Fleming. Sure […]
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Sen Shao – if looks could kill…
Actor Sen Shao plays ZHI, a cold-blooded professional killer in crime-comedy short film ‘Jacks’. Sen is tall and lean; kit him up in black and he’s the quintessential assassin. ‘Jacks’ is written and directed by Joel Stephen Fleming, and is a collaboration between 13th Street Films and Visul production company. Above: From JACKS [2020] a […]
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Joel Stephen Fleming – 13th Street Films
Award-winning Brisbane-based writer director Joel Stephen Fleming has a new short film in the works. His company 13th Street Films is in collaboration with producer Derek Griffiths, and here’s how Derek announced it on Facebook via his Visul brand. Once I have the idea I don’t write anything straight away. I let the idea tell […]
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Barber Q
Above: Quang Le by Akira Le When you meet Quang Le, or ‘Barber Q’ as he’s known, you think: this is a cool dude. He’s got the skills, they got the music going at Crooners Barber Shop, you can talk to him about the tracks and the fades. Just relax and smile, you’re in good hands […]
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Andre Bonetti
Above: Andre Bonetti in Greshka at SCHEMA Festival 2019. Photo by SCHEMA Collective I write about Andre Bonetti every year. I’m mad about his 17-piece metal jazz big band Valtozash Bigband, and have likened him to enfant terrible Django Bates who unleashed a deliciously cacophonous British jazz orchestra called Loose Tubes upon an unsuspecting world […]
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The SCHEMA Collective
SCHEMA Festival 2019 was in November and I went there to write a review for Scenestr. Some of the SCHEMA Collective took time out to chat, so here’s more about them. Rashid Alkamraikhi is a co-founder of the Collective, and bass player in bands Massic and Doctor Parallax. His amazing name is Welsh translated into […]