Grassroots Brisbane movie wins attention at Sydney’s prestigious South by Southwest film fest
A full-length feature film made on a shoestring budget by young filmmakers from Logan and Redland has been screened at the prestigious South by Southwest film fest in Sydney.
A group of young filmmakers from Logan and Redland has completed a full-length feature film on a shoestring budget and had it selected to screen at the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney film festival, throwing a rare national and international spotlight on life south of Brisbane.
The film, 100% PURE RAGE, was written, directed, and edited by 21-year-old Mount Cotton filmmaker Haruki Ryles.
He began developing the project at 17 while working part-time as a waiter.
The first two acts were shot over 12 months with a budget of roughly $500, relying on high-school friends and fellow film students from Logan, Redland, and surrounding areas to fill cast and crew roles.
Max Johnson, also 21 and a Logan resident, served as the film’s lead actor in the dystopian action-comedy set in Brisbane and Logan, depicted in the film as “The Void”.
The story follows a 23-year-old amateur writer who gets dragged into a dangerous game with a masked vigilante and a charismatic ex-convict scheming to take down a doomsday cult.
It successfully combines action and comedy into the film which is a fictional look at youth experiences in modern Queensland.
Following early screenings at the University of Queensland Film Production Society, the filmmakers launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised additional funds to complete the final act.
The production ultimately spanned about 23 months, including editing and three months of visual effects work.
Additional crew members came from Griffith University, USQ, QUT, SAE, UQ, and TAFE Queensland, making it a collaborative effort across multiple Brisbane institutions.
The film’s selection for SXSW Sydney, which screened on October 15, is a significant achievement for the emerging Queensland filmmakers.
The festival is one of Australia’s largest, providing independent films and new talent with a high-profile platform.
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