Burke & Wills The Movie profile picture

Burke & Wills The Movie

About Me

    The DVD, released by the good folk at Accent/MRA, features interviews with all the principal cast and crew, an audio commentary by filmmakers/stars Oliver Torr and Matthew Zeremes, and DOP Callan Green, a Q&A session with Matt and Oliver, hosted by screenwriter/playwright Stephen Vagg, and an Easter Egg.
    Burke & Wills is not only a great film, but having been made for barely $20,000 and finding theatrical release around Australia, along with acceptance into many prestigious film festivals in Australia and abroad, it is a testament to how to make a successful low budget film. And this excellent DVD package offers some great insights into how aspiring filmmakers/actors can do it. So make sure to check this film out on DVD, and if your local store does not stock it, make sure they order in a copy for you.
    Shot in inner city Sydney, Burke and Wills is about two young men - Burke, a fragile, troubled soul, and Wills, a naïve, talkative dreamer - going through a life transition. The two are thrown together in a share house after Wills outstays his welcome in the home of his girlfriend, and a newspaper classified ad leads him to Burke, who has a room to rent.
    The beginnings of an awkward relationship develop through beer-assisted conversations about cooking, travel, and the importance of satisfactory toilet visits. Common, everyday events lead the two men to open up about their lives.
    When Burke’s much loved grandmother dies, his already fragile mental health is put under serious strain. Burke financially benefits from his grandmother’s death which irrevocably changes his trajectory, shattering his fragile sense of stability and self.
    Burke’s downfall inspires Wills to re-think his life and ultimately leads him to adopt a more conventional path.
    From this point Burke and Wills’ relationship splinters, and the two withdraw into worlds of their own where the other becomes the enemy. The areas the two have tried to keep hidden from the world begin to emerge, creating an inhospitable environment, impossible for both to live in...
    Burke and Wills is a low budget, self-financed film made by two young, aspiring, Sydney-based actors. The acting buddies, who originally met at university and have previously collaborated on a number of theatre projects, decided to self-fund the film and take on many of the films key roles themselves, including the starring roles of Burke and Wills.
    The film’s style is reminiscent of early Jim Jarmusch movies, Down By Law and Stranger Than Paradise. The tone of the film is initially light and comedic, with a series of deadpan fading-out sketches but shifts to being dark, tense and confronting. In tune with this change in tone, the film’s style changes to uncomfortable close-ups, handheld shots and elliptical cutting. Much of the film is shot in single take and there is plenty of static camera work. It is shot on 16mm film in black and white. The soundtrack is unique, using silence as often as sounds of everyday living such as television game shows.

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

People who are interested in seeing the film. We reckon the marker are younger folks, say between 15 and 25, slightly male skewed, but many females in their thirties have really like the film, which is nice. Some people say that the film's themes of dislocation and alienation appeal to kids in rural areas, so get out there kids.We have confirmed theatrical releases in Sydney (April 12), Perth (where it's playing at the Perth Revelation Film Festival in July, followed by a season at the Luna Leederville) and the Deckchair Cinema in Darwin around May. We are just waiting on word from the lovely folks at Dendy Cinemas about picking up the film in Brisbane and Victoria, so fingers crossed.

My Blog

Melbourne...?

Great timing. MIFF is on and we are too. Not part of miff though. Never entered that festival, not coz we don't like it. Just forgot. So anyway B&W opens at Dendy Kino on the 9th of August. Wicked. I ...
Posted by on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 05:10:00 GMT

Perth!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Been a while, but for anyone in Brisbane, the film is screening at Dendy George Street. Check it out, great projection there two. Also this week/end we will be in Perth for Revelation film fest, glori...
Posted by on Mon, 16 Jul 2007 04:45:00 GMT

next screening

Yippee, Burke and Wills will screen at Dungog Film Fest in two weeks (2nd June) Be there we will.Also Dendy is screening the film in Canberra mid June.Yay
Posted by on Wed, 16 May 2007 22:23:00 GMT

Phew

Well the Thursday premiere seemed to go pretty well. Don't know if we managed to get through all the vino or if it was too late to continue... Anyway. Don't forget that the film plays for two more wee...
Posted by on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:09:00 GMT

It begins. Come one, come all.

Only a few short hours till we start. Did anyone hear triple J this morning. What about at the movies? We are all pretty tired here, lots of last minute things to do. But hope people enjoy the film to...
Posted by on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:47:00 GMT

radio? Dave and Marge?

Just letting folks know that our film will be on at the movies tonight. Yipes. Wonder what they think... Also we just did an interview on 2ser (107.3) in sydney and tomorrow morning we will be on brea...
Posted by on Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:41:00 GMT

Sydney opening Thursday....

The ACMI screening in Melbourne seemed to go really well, so thanks all that attended. A highlight was a nice older lady saying that she came to see the film because she thought it was about the histo...
Posted by on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 06:24:00 GMT

news update!!!!! urgent

Hurrah! The trailer is up! Wicked. Much thanks to Katie for the sweet edit work. Let us know what you think of it. Ta ta. Also before I forget the melbourne screening is on saturday at 4pm, come along...
Posted by on Tue, 03 Apr 2007 19:27:00 GMT

hmm invite didn't post... try again

Can't seem to figure it out. Maybe this will work.... otherwise the invite is in the pictures section. Now where are my slippers and the handcrank for the phonograph....
Posted by on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 23:42:00 GMT

melbourne invite 7th april. be there. we will be.

img src="img src=http://a976.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/5/l_45dbab b8035da37f4ac8a8ee91f9b4d7.jpg
Posted by on Tue, 27 Mar 2007 23:40:00 GMT