'Westgarth' at Westgarth: student filmmakers premiere film
Congratulations Ollie and Oliver
World Premiere: 7:00pm, Tuesday 12 September 2017
Westgarth Cinema, High St, Westgarth
The first surprise in the gritty new black comedy Westgarth is that there is neither a hipster
nor a slow-drip Southern Columbian single bean short black in sight.
In fact this Westgarth - filmed on location in Westgarth but set in the fictional town of
Westgarth - is peopled with thugs and hit men, and rather than being a ‘foodie’s paradise’,
food comes off a clear second best in this Westgarth (it is not a film for those who enjoy their
steak and onions).
The second surprise is that Westgarth is the first feature-length film by two young filmmakers
Oliver Bailey and Oliver Crawford-Smith, Year 12 and 11 students. The
pair have been making films together since they were nine years old, and already their short
films have been shown and been awarded prizes in festivals and competitions including
Tropfest Jr (in three consecutive years), New York New Filmmakers Festival, London Short
Pole Film Festival, St Kilda Film Festival, Sunshine Short Film Festival and the Adelaide
International Youth Film Festival.
Frank Simmons is a hapless young hit man under the watchful eye of Marvin, an old hand at
the game. Things go horribly wrong when Frank not only hits the wrong target, but the wrong
target turns out to be the son of the notorious Big Bob, who doesn’t take the loss of his son
lightly. In what follows, a finger becomes separated from an old woman’s hand, a McDonald’s
milkshake becomes ‘separated’, and the film ends with a shoot up worthy of Tarantino.
This black comedy pays homage to the films that these young filmmakers grew up watching
together and features a cast of professional and amateur actors as well as an evocative
Melbourne soundtrack with music by Saskwatch, Paul Kelly, and others.
Westgarth is receiving its premiere screening at the Westgarth Cinema, High St Westgarth, on
Tuesday 12 September, in a special event that will see the launch of the careers of two
promising young filmmakers who we are likely to see a lot more from in years to come.
Westgarth trailers: