By Kaleem Aftab
Australian writer-director Jason Raftopoulos was overcome by the five-minute standing ovation that greeted his debut film West of Sunshine after its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
“So much of filmmaking is conducted in a bubble – you never truly know what you have until it’s shown. So to have the Venice audience respond in the way they did just blew me away,” he said.
The critical response to the film was also warm. Trade magazine
Variety called it an “impressive feature debut”. The Guardian said its “down-at-heel Aussie vibe prompts one to set it alongside other recent bawlers and brawlers, such as Kriv Stenders’ Boxing Day or David Michod’s Animal Kingdom”.
West of Sunshine was shot over 18 days in Melbourne’s west and is based on Raftopoulos’ award-winning 2011 short film Father’s Day.
It stars Damian Hill as sad-sack Jim who is given one day to pay off a $15,000 gambling debt to a violent loan shark. His efforts to raise money are complicated by his compulsive gambling and the fact he has to look after his young son, who is on school holidays.
West of Sunshine was a family affair for Hill, as playing his son Alex in the film is his real life stepson Ty Perham. Both Hill and Perham were in Venice for the premiere.
“He’s been with me for about eight years,” said Hill of his 12-year-old stepson. “So that made developing the relationship between us easier.”
“On the first day, I felt like a dad on set, but after the first day he wanted to be with other people in the crew.
“It was kind of weird because it was like working and parenting to a degree, but he was beautiful and everybody indulged him.”
The film is a contender for the Orizzonti Best Film Prize, to be announced on Saturday evening in Italy.
Co-starring Kat Stewart, Arthur Angel and Tony Nikolakopoulos,
West of Sunshine is scheduled for an Australian release in August next year, after playing at more major film festivals.
The Age
