Burn Gently: a film celebrating Australian hip-hop in the genre’s 50th anniversary year
The ascent of local hip-hop music is one of the biggest stories in Australian culture of the past 20 years, but finessing it into a feature-length documentary has proved difficult — until now.
The ascent of local hip-hop music is one of the biggest stories in Australian culture of the past two decades, but finessing its complexities into a feature-length documentary has been difficult.
A Melbourne-based crew of first-time enthusiasts have been chipping away at such a project, and the fruits of their labour will be screened for the first time in their hometown on Thursday.
Titled Burn Gently, the 100-minute film is written and directed by Sensible Antixx, a creative duo composed of Antony Attridge and Kristina Hood.
Featuring interviews with arena-filling Adelaide crew Hilltop Hoods, five-time ARIA winner Baker Boy and major figures including Bliss N Eso, Urthboy and Sampa The Great, the film offers an authoritative insight into a genre once widely derided as “skip-hop”, whose early performers were mocked for perceived attempts at imitating the American art form.
A passion project spanning six years, the filmmakers’ initial idea was to focus on the life of N’fa Jones – the frontman of Melbourne group 1200 Techniques, which was the first hip-hop act to win an ARIA in 2002 – before they decided to widen the lens.
“We didn’t want it to just be a Melbourne story of hip-hop; we wanted it to be a more inclusive and diverse Australian story,” Attridge told The Australian.
Jones still features prominently on screen: it is he who gave the film its title when describing the longevity of his career. “Artists need to think about nourishing their growth, because you can be a flash and burn out fast – or you can last, and burn gently for a long time,” he said.
Supported by grants from the Australia Council, Creative Victoria and the City of Melbourne, the film explores the genre’s early years in the underground to its mid-2000s mainstream and commercial breakthrough that continues today.
Its interviewees speak about encounters with racism, sexism and misogyny, as well as the adverse effects of social media, substance abuse and mental illness.
Following its Melbourne premiere at Cinema Nova on Thursday night, Burn Gently will be screened at cinemas in Sydney (March 30), Newcastle (March 31), Canberra (April 27) and Castlemaine (May 11), with the filmmakers hopeful for a wide release on a streaming service this year.
Despite the long gestation process, there is a pleasing symmetry to be found in its release year, as the genre celebrates its fifth decade of existence since the culture began in New York City in 1973.
“It’s so nice to think that, on hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, we can say, ‘Here’s our contribution’,” said Attridge. “We’re just trying to document history, and show how far we’ve come.”
More Coverage
