When did you start SUFF, and why? Stefan and I came up with idea to start a film festival in mid 2006 but the first festival was in September 2007. We started it because we felt there was a need for a more alternative/‘underground’ film fest in Sydney as we felt we didn’t really have somewhere to enter our type of films that we were making (not that we wanted to screen our own material – we would never do that – it just highlighted to us that there was a need for it). There was some good galleries and some underground spaces that you could potentially show your work at but no real film festival environment celebrating alternate,experimental, art films.
What got you interested in underground film? I’m not one of those folks that seriously got into films when I was like ten or anything. I think at that age I would have been watching some crud on the TV and I know for certain when Encino Man came out I knew it word for word! However, as I got a little older and my grunge music stage turned into punk music stage I got exposed to films like Bad Boy Bubby, Everynight Everynight, Blue Murder (stronger themed Aussie films) and then Stanley Kubrick films like A Clockwork Orange and Scarface and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s The City Of Lost Children and Lynch’s Eraserhead and then the list just grew from there... and I realised there was a whole world of amazing films out there aside from the often Hollywood drivel. Then the more abstract films fascination actually came from hearing about the Sydney UBU filmmakers while I was doing a small film course at UBS Film School (now grown to become Sydney Film School) and then by the time I enrolled in art school at Sydney College of the Arts I had already discovered an interest and love of experimental art films.
What have been some pitfalls that you've learned from in running a festival like this? Running a festival on no money is hard and especially without a proper office but volunteers (and in my case family too!) and supportive businesses and friends makes it much more pleasant! I just don’t want to go grey before my time! Every year I say I’m not doing it again without a proper office and some more funding... However, here I am again..... Next year I am not doing it without a proper office!!
What have been your highlights? Highlights have included starting off in 2007 very smoothly and receiving comments on the success and professionalism of the festival and how its run, Tin Can Man on opening night 2007, having an ex Iraqi war veteran speaking also in 2007 (APEC was on during the festival weekend), The Miscreants (world premiere) by George Gittoes in 2008 – the fact they gave us the premiere was incredible!, lots of amazing shorts films over the years, Kamahl singing “My Way” at the festival last year and the fact that we are still here (when we were worried we would be a one year pony and in lots of debt!)
Anything else? Anyone with a spare office to donate?
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