What would you do if you discovered potentially problematic behaviour while developing someone else’s photography film?
This is the main concept explored by emerging Victorian filmmaker Thomas Broadbent in his short film Negatives, which will be showing this week at a North Bellarine Film Festival (NBFF) event at the National Wool Museum on Thursday, October 26.
Broadbent said the idea for Negatives was inspired by the resurgence of 35mm film photography in recent years.
“Around the start of 2018 I picked up my parents’ old Olympus OM-10 and started shooting 35mm film, and the more I shot, the more I explored the resurgence in Melbourne of independent film stores and film labs,” he said.
“From that point I began wondering what it would be like as a film lab technician to be given someone else’s photography to develop, and therefore be given an intimate window into their life.
“From there I wondered what one would do if you were confronted with photography that challenged your morals. The idea for Negatives pretty much evolved from that core concept.”
The short thriller, which has featured at a number of festivals in Australia, the US and India, is one of eight short films on display at NBFF’s dinner and film night.
Including comedy, romance and drama films from Australia, Canada, Chile, Kazakhstan and Sweden after a two-course meal and Q&A session with Broadbent at Black Sheep Restaurant, the evening promises something for filmgoers of all sorts.
“I’m really excited, I’ve never actually spoken live about my film, so that’s going to be a first,” Broadbent said.
Visit www.geelongaustralia.com.au/nwm for complete program and event details.
