Our friends at 3CR interviewed writer and director Sarah Watt in her new Australian film ‘My Year Without Sex’. Starring Matt Day and Sacha Horler, if you are looking for a laugh, the humour is wry and infectious.

‘My Year Without Sex’ comes out in Australian cinemas on the 28th of May. How are preparations going in the lead up to release? Is anticipation building?

Yeah, I think so. We had some preview screenings this weekend. So, people are starting to see it, which is very exciting – and nerve wracking!

I happened to catch one of those preview screenings and I’m happy to report that there was a lot of laughter in the cinema – at all the right parts.

That’s good! That’s very good.

The title of the film came from the fact that you didn’t want to direct another sex scene – why is that the case?

It came out of a joke about directing sex scenes. I think they’re very hard to do well. Often, they’re done really badly. It’s hard not to be clichéd so; I didn’t want to try, because I don’t think I’m a good enough director. But then, how do you make a film without a sex scene in it? You just call it, ‘My Year Without Sex’! So, it was kind of a joke at the start but in the end it worked really well with the content and the themes that I wanted to explore about consumerism and anxiety and all those things. Sex kind of belongs in there.

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Warwick Thornton loves the nervousness and adrenaline in putting together a film. Warwick has won a number of awards including Best Emerging Talent; he also won Best Short Film at the 2007 Inside Film (IF) awards in Queensland as well as the 2008 Best Short Film award at the prestigious Berlin International Film festival for his short film ‘Nana’. Warwick Thornton is currently preparing for his first feature film to hit the big screen, Samson and Delilah which features in cinemas around the country on the 7th May 2009.

Where did you grow up & where do you hang your hat?

Alice Springs

In your own words, what do you do?

Work to fill my fridge.

Where did you learn your craft?

On the job at CAAMA in Alice Springs. Then studied Cinematography at AFTRS in Sydney.

Who inspires you?

Inspiring people.

Childhood Memories:

TV Show – Captain Harlock, Astro Boy

Hobby – Moto cross desert racing

Food – Soya chicken

Fear – High places. Low places.

People – Drunks & dope heads.

Defining moment – Realising I can do whatever the fuck I want.

Schooling memories, chore or cherished?

Chore: Evil teachers
Cherish: Angel teachers

Where is the most beautiful place in Australia you have visited?

Coober Pedy

From the hours of 9am to 5pm, what do you get up too?

Get up, have a coffee, take my daughter to school. Work a bit, make lunch, wander ‘round. Work a bit more, sometimes. Pick my daughter up from school.

You seem to have a passion in making movies about your community & sharing this on the big screen. What messages do you want people to digest?

No messages – just that we all belong on the same planet and should look out for each other.

Love is the most important thing. And survival. It was really important in Samson & Delilah that they survived through their love for each other and that they saved themselves and solved their own problems.

Who are your favourite film personalities? And is there anyone we should keep a look out for in Australia?

I don’t really have favourite film personalities. The little girl in My Year Without Sex is pretty cool.

Where can people see your work?

In cinemas from May 7th – Samson & Delilah.

For love or money?

I love money.

What future endeavors are in the pipeline?

Breath, eat, drink.

Shooting and directing a doco series Art & Soul about Aboriginal art with Hetti Perkins.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Alive, happy, older.

If you could invite 3 people to chat over coffee, who would they be & why?

My wife Beck, daughter Luka and producer Kath and all their split personalities.

Coffee or Tea?

Bushells Leaf Tea, two white sugars and powdered milk.

You can also check out our film reviews written by two of our young writers.

Samson & Delilah – Film Review by Hayley Van Es

Samson & Delilah – Film Review by Ryan Nance

Two Flat Whites caught up with actress Clare Bowen. Clare recently starred in the feature film ‘’The Combination’ which explores the lives of Lebanese youths and their struggle with violence, racism and social identity. Clare was a shining light starring along side George Basha and guided extremely well by David Field in his first film as a director.

Where did you grow up & where do you hang your hat?

I grew up all over the place. My parents both worked for Qantas when I was little, and so smuggled me along with them most of the time. Childhood was spent between overseas, Sydney where I went to school, and down the South coast of NSW, Stanwell Park, which was home. I’ve moved further down the coast since and now live on the Minnamurra River.

Tell us a bit about your latest movie – The Combination?

Well, it seems to have caught people’s attention for a few different reasons! It’s not a timid film. It’s a love story about honour, family, the choices you have to make, and the reality of consequence. David Field and George Basha portray a beautiful facet of the culture in Sydney’s Western Suburbs that a lot of people don’t get to see, but they don’t shy away from showing the audience how rough life can get, just because of the colour of your skin. David unearthed a group of very talented individuals to play the boys – some of whom are first time actors! They brought a beautifully unique dimension to the film.

What inspired you to become involved with The Combination?

Inspired? Well I nearly expired when I got a call from David Field offering me the role of Sydney! Couldn’t believe it, rang him and John Pirrie back twice to make sure they weren’t pulling my leg. It was just the type of thing that happens to other people. I never imagined that I’d have the opportunity to work with such an exceptional group of people as the cast and crew of The Combination.

I had a lot of fun playing Sydney. She’s not a typical fatalist – she’s awkward, flawed, occasionally ignorant, but at the same time very forward thinking and independent. She’s comfortable in her own skin, but an obvious black sheep in her family. Sort of like a puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit. Displaced, not so unlike the Lebanese characters in the film, who get called Aussie in one environment, and Wog in another. I can only hope I did her justice. David Field gave me the opportunity of a lifetime when he offered her to me.

Tell us about the cast & crew. What was the vibe like on set?

Always exciting! It was my first time on a film set, but I didn’t even get the chance to be nervous because there were so many seasoned professionals around me like Toby Oliver, Doris Younane and David Field, who were so wonderfully generous with advice and guidance. The cast was hilarious, the crew was hard working but easy going, there was never, ever a negative vibe on set. Everyone hung out with everyone – very much like family, but without the crazy uncle no one talks about.

There were many themes including racism and violence. In your opinion, what were the major messages portrayed by the movie?

Because the film employs such realism, ultimately it’s left to the audience to make up their own minds about the story they’ve just been a part of. But the film shows the futility of violence, it throws the every day injustice of the real world right at your feet. The heartbreak and fury I’ve witnessed different audiences experience whilst watching some scenes in the film is indicative of a common understanding. The film’s moral standing is organic, like life – lots of grey areas.

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