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Liz Kearney: The challenge for local films in the Hollywood era
(Courtesy of Australian Embassy Jakarta)Bringing local films to the center of attention amid Hollywood domination is one of the most challenging tasks for local filmmakers
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(Courtesy of Australian Embassy Jakarta) (Courtesy of Australian Embassy Jakarta)
(Courtesy of Australian Embassy Jakarta)
Bringing local films to the center of attention amid Hollywood domination is one of the most challenging tasks for local filmmakers.
Australian independent film producer Liz Kearney said there are similar challenges in the film industries of both Australia and Indonesia.
Kearney recently visited Jakarta to attend Festival Sinema Australia Indonesia, in which her film, titled Paper Planes, was screened.
During her stay she had the opportunity to talk about the film industry with Indonesian film producers, directors and distributors.
'It's interesting to find out that we have a lot of similar challenges, such as how do we get audiences to watch a film we've made as opposed to Hollywood films,' she said.
'It's quiet hard to get a film made, and obviously to sell our films and get them seen by audiences overseas, to also get our own audience to come and see our films with their own values, cultures and stories on screen.'
But she said she was also excited such issues did not deter filmmakers, as they kept on finding ways to share their stories through their works.
Kearney said her coming to Indonesia was also to search for local talent.
'The reason for coming here was to look at ways that in the future there could be Australian-Indonesian collaboration. There are so many ways the collaboration could happen, whether it is in filming in either of the countries, or working with talented directors or writers,' she said.
Born in Perth, Kearney found her passion in film. She grew up watching a lot of films, and knew she wanted to be part of the film industry when she was an adult.
'I never wanted to be a director, and I don't think I'd be very good at directing. I don't want to be a writer either because I can't write,' she said.
She looked around to see what other roles she could do in film, and her choice went to producing.
'Plus I'm bossy, and a control freak, and thought that [being a producer] would suit me,' she said, laughing.
Kearney studied film production in Murdoch University, and looked for opportunities to work in the film industry immediately after graduation to get as much experience as she needed.
'I worked my way up the ladder on film projects. When I first started I was getting coffee for people, running around before I had experience in other people's films,' she said.
She worked at a Western Australian film and television funding agency ScreenWest, and at the Film and Television Institute where she managed the production of up to 50 short films per year.
After handling numerous short film projects, she started producing her own short films, before moving on to feature films.
'The writer-director I worked with has written feature scripts and he said he wanted to do that project with me. So it's now or never,' she said.
Her first feature film, These Final Hours, premiered at the Melbourne International Festival in 2013, and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Director's Fortnight section.
'The transition from short film to features can be very daunting because a lot can go wrong; you try to manage all the different aspects so its kind of a juggling act, but at the same time, it was also exciting to make a feature film,' said Kearney, whose favorite films include Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting.
As a producer, Kearney said she liked to involve herself in the creative aspect of film-making.
'What I love about producing is the creativity. I work with the writer on the script, develop it over a couple of years before we film it. I think the most fun part of producing is the creative aspect.'
Creativity is also something she needs when introducing her films to the public.
'To make people want to see my movie is probably the hardest thing about making a film, especially when you have to compete with films with a lot of money to spend on advertising, while you probably don't have money to tell people about your film,' she said.
One of her strategies is to get into film festivals to get the film out in the public, while also using social media to also attract an audience.
Kearney co-produced her second feature film, Paper Planes, with Robert Connoly and Maggie Miles. It grossed almost A$10 million and won several awards, including the Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts for Best Original Screenplay.
Kearney is currently working on a dance film in collaboration with Sydney's Bangarra Dance Theater.
'I'd like to keep making interesting films. They don't have to be successful, as long as they are different and creatively challenging.'
