The CinefestOZ Podcast

Jack Byrnes is a Melbourne director and creative visiting CinefestOz with his insanely brilliant action packed short film, “Unstoppable.” The first ever Australian action flick with the leading man kicking ass and taking names in a wheelchair. Jack and Joel sit down to discuss the creation process of wanting to create an unknown entity in the action genre, a chair bound action hero who not only crushes the bad guy but takes the audience on an action epic in the ilk of bad asses gone by. “Die Hard,” “John Wick” and “Upgrade” all came to mind while watching the breath stealing sequences and there’s far more potential where that came from. Jack and Joel go on to discuss the ambition needed and practicality necessary to deliver on a bold idea while discussing authenticity, heart and collaboration in the creative process.Hosted and Produced by Joel JacksonStarring Jack ByrnesRecorded at CinefestOZ 2024CinefestOZ is supported by Supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries through funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Our Premium Festival Partners are City of Busselton and Screenwest, and we acknowledge strong support from Screen Australia, and Lotterywest.

Renee Webster captured the attentions of Australia like none other recently with her feature, “How to Please A Woman,” stealing box office limelight and the hearts of the country, and deservedly so. Her experience as a writer and director with a growing list of exceptional credits tells a story of a creative on a mission and in the booth, we discuss just that. How do you champion your voice across different mediums, remaining flexible to the style or genre you’re working inside and what it takes to make something great on page breath an exceptional life of its own off the page. It’s a short chat due to Renee’s schedule but alas, still a very worthy one and we thank her for her time and brilliance. A great episode for those filmmakers looking for a healthy dose of inspiration from an experienced creator who is at the top of her game.Hosted and Produced by Joel JacksonStarring Renee WebsterRecorded at CinefestOZ 2024CinefestOZ is supported by Supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries through funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Our Premium Festival Partners are City of Busselton and Screenwest, and we acknowledge strong support from Screen Australia, and Lotterywest.

Honny is the fearless, intelligent, brilliant and creative leader of the CinefestOz 2024 Short Film Program. The individual responsible for ticking that box that makes sure your short film screens at the best festival in the West. Joel’s intention to get her into the booth was to ensure we heard about the selection process for all budding filmmakers to get a better understanding of how it all unfolds and how to ensure you too can get your film into the festival. But it turned into a deep dive into a chat about how one of the most thoughtful, caring and loving creators filters through the 100’s of short films to select, curate and create an experience for audience members who have travelled from overseas to view the short film program. We chat more about how Honny found her way to CinefestOz and the importance of a short film remaining authentic to the vision and voice of the creator. It was really quite special, and I think you’ll enjoy it. Not to be missed this one

“Sundowners”, writer, co-director, producer, star (Jay), Bailey co-director and producer join the booth to chat about their nominated Best WA Short Film. We chat everything from low budget filmmaking, creating on the fly, their creative process as long time collaborators and how to find the perfect unknown lead. The film is a raw, unfiltered and honest depiction of sleeping rough and surviving through optimism with moments reminiscent of “Nomadland” and “Paris, Texas.” We talk creating an atmosphere to capture authenticity and how to follow your gut instinct despite the monetary difficulties of creating in what is increasingly a monetised industry. But also, how to have fun while creating difficult work. It’s a corker.Hosted and Produced by Joel JacksonStarring Bailey Parkinson and Jay PeardonRecorded at CinefestOZ 2024CinefestOZ is supported by Supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries through funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Our Premium Festival Partners are City of Busselton and Screenwest, and we acknowledge strong support from Screen Australia, and Lotterywest.

This short film is not for the faint of heart, because my friends it’s bound to steal it. The colour, comedy and raw empathy that filmmakers Travis Jeffery, Shannon Ryan, Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor and executive producer Ari Haralambis (all in the booth) turn out for this short is incredible. There’s no question as to why it was nominated for Best Script, Best Short Film and Best Direction at the CinefestOz Short Film Awards. Jeremy Lindsay Taylor ended up taking home the gong for Best Director. But we’re in the booth, we sit down with this insanely talented and humble team to chat about building the world of Dusty, the rehearsal process, the writing process, the logistics of snorting copious amounts of fake cocaine and how that impacts the lead and your scheduling, plus what it means to survive a harrowing personal experience with grief and how the team found a way to turn it into a universal message that audiences could connect to. Special stuff, enjoy.Hosted and Produced by Joel JacksonStarring Travis Jeffery, Shannon Ryan, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor & Ari HaralambisRecorded at CinefestOZ 2024CinefestOZ is supported by Supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries through funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Our Premium Festival Partners are City of Busselton and Screenwest, and we acknowledge strong support from Screen Australia, and Lotterywest.

Alex Williams is a fellow CinefestOz ambassador and student of the mini series biopic having played more factual individuals than fictional characters in his lifetime as an Australian heartthrob. Alex’s ingenuity, creative curiosity and sheer intelligence has seen him wrangle the podcast world creating “They Might be the Giants,” the much loved and fan favourite deep diving podcast sharing the history, passion and love of football to the masses - so much so that the AFL took notice and awarded him a Media Award for it. The booth chat wanders through his acting process to his current challenges as a creator, voice actor and all round weapon, but it’s a great chat for those looking to garner some inspiration and excitement from a voice that we should all get used to hearing much more of.Hosted and Produced by Joel JacksonStarring Alex WilliamsRecorded at CinefestOZ 2024CinefestOZ is supported by Supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries through funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Our Premium Festival Partners are City of Busselton and Screenwest, and we acknowledge strong support from Screen Australia, and Lotterywest.

Travis Jeffrey may just be Australia’s hardest working character actor. From country Victoria to the sound stages of Disney epics, Travis’ work ethic has seen him brush shoulders with some of the most elite filmmakers, actors and directors in the industry. In the CinefestOz podcast booth, Travis and Joel discuss auditioning for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, how acting in a Disney epic differs to a homegrown indie feature film and Travis’ creative journey til now. If you’re a fan of discovering more about an actor’s process, understanding the humility that sustains success at a high level and some quality banter - tune in.Hosted and Produced by Joel JacksonStarring Travis JefferyRecorded at CinefestOZ 2024CinefestOZ is supported by Supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries through funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Our Premium Festival Partners are City of Busselton and Screenwest, and we acknowledge strong support from Screen Australia, and Lotterywest.

Audrey is primed to set the world on fire! The film was one of the four features vying for the coveted $100,000film prize this year at CinefestOz 2024 and the scale, madness, hilarity, sexuality, joy and brilliance of the film truly set it apart. It’s already sold out audiences internationally and will surely tickle more than just your fancy but your heartstrings too. In the booth for this episode is the humbly magnificent Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor and the sublimely charismatic Hannah Diviney to talk about the creation process, the onset antics that goes into creating a family wrapped in chaos onscreen and just how incredible it feels to go where no-one else dares. Trailblazers and a terrific conversation, enjoy!Hosted and Produced by Joel JacksonStarring Hannah Diviney and Jeremy Lindsay-TaylorRecorded at CinefestOZ 2024CinefestOZ is supported by Supported by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries through funding from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Our Premium Festival Partners are City of Busselton and Screenwest, and we acknowledge strong support from Screen Australia, and Lotterywest.