A Woodend medical doctor’s short film was selected to be screened at ACMI next month for an international phone film festival.
Hosted on Friday, November 8 at Federation Square, the Mobile Innovation Network and Association (MINA) in partnership with SmartFone Flick Fest will screen 11 short films shot entirely on smartphones.
One of these is Hungere Nao by Woodend medical doctor and amateur filmmaker Greg Coates and his nephew Bea Brozek, which depicts the day in the life of a Solomon Island man as he goes fishing to feed his growing family.
Coates said he has been travelling to the Solomon Islands for 30 years and has a strong connection to the nation.
“I’d always wanted to portray what I’d witnessed all these years, which is subsistence village life, the resourcefulness, and just the sheer beauty of the place,” Coates said.
“The other theme was a young man feeding his young family … that’s what I wanted to show … he wasn’t out there fishing for sport. No catch and release,” he said.
“It is about the people. They are very welcoming … easy laughter … very relaxed, which is a contrast to my busy life here.”
Filmed over two weeks on a smartphone, Coates said using a simple setup helped to not interfere with the daily life activities he captures in the film, and used local Solomon Islands talent for the music composition and editing.
Coates said that he returned to the village where he shot the film to show people involved, which received a great reaction and created a sense of pride – with the children involved excited to see themselves on-screen.
Coates said that the title Hungere Nao is a Pijin phrase that loosely translates into English as ‘hungry times’.
Hungere Nao will be screened on Friday, November 8 at ACMI in Federation Square as part of the MINA and Smart Fone Flick Fest joint festival.
The short film is also available to watch on YouTube.
Details: www.youtube.com/watch?v=quSFC1WGLlE
Oscar Parry
