Last week Jason Raftopoulos was in town for the British premiere of his terrific film WEST OF SUNSHINE at the EAST END FILM FESTIVAL. Jason was brought up in Melbourne by a Greek mother and a Cypriot father from Larnaca but has never been to Cyprus and hopes to visit soon – it’s on his list for next year. He spent a few years in New York studying as well as travelling before he returned to Melbourne to fulfil his dream as a film director.
His beautifully crafted first feature tells the story of Jim (Damian Hill), a Melbourne father estranged from his family who is given a chance to spend the day with his young son Alex (Ty Perham) during his school holidays. It is a tough day for Jim who is otherwise preoccupied in raising money for his debts…It is a touching, beautiful portrait of a father, son relationship that flowers in the most unexpected circumstances.
I had the pleasure of spending some time with Jason talking about his film as well as Melbourne – one of the main characters of this road movie – which I was fortunate enough to visit earlier this year:
“The story has some elements that are autobiographical – I was always fascinated by grandfathers’ stories and how they become part of the family’s mythology and how that does have an impact on your life at present. It was when I was about to become a father and I started thinking am I ready? So I started looking at my own father, my dad’s father and I think the birth of the film came from there.”
The performances are excellent and there is a genuine chemistry between the two actors in this deceptively simple film. Leading actor Damian Hill is a charming presence as the father and manages to remain sympathetic throughout the film despite some of his actions:
“Damian Hill did a film a couple of years ago and got to meet him through a friend of mine. After I saw him doing a scene I was quite impressed and became quite friendly with him. He is an interesting person, a beautiful actor and had the right energy for the role. I have done a few short films previously and with my producer and fellow Greek Alexandros Ouzas, with whom I was working on another project, we thought it was going to take a long time and felt we needed something else more quickly, so I developed a script based on a short I did called FATHER’S DAY which I always wanted to make into a feature film.”
“I am really excited to be here for the Festival – they have some really excellent, independent films from across the globe. The people who run it are very knowledgeable and the director is a real fan of the film so I am very proud to be part of it. We also played in Venice at last year’s Festival which was a fantastic experience – a real highlight in terms of my career to have the film officially selected for the competition. It was a real humbling and gratifying experience and to be around people that love cinema – I felt really welcomed. We are releasing WEST OF SUNSHINE in Australia nationally at the end of August and it will also play at the forthcoming Sydney Film Festival. We are still trying for UK distributor.”
I wanted to know more about the music which is not only hauntingly beautiful but it is also underplayed and is never sentimental.
“I was very lucky to get James Orr and Lisa Gerard – well known for her GLADIATOR and THE INSIDER music and vocals. When we first met I told them that I wanted the music to be like a Greek chorus and be the conscientiousness of the film. The two protagonists are male but the women in the film are the most conscious – they are kind of pillars to the story so the music is very important and plays into the narrative of the film.
I was also impressed by the cinematography which beautifully captures the rhythms and gives a good sense of the streets of Melbourne.
“Oh yes Thom Neal is also a first time cinematographer – but a real poet, has a beautiful eye and is a sensitive man. Thom never just shoots – he always looks for meaning within the shot and the way we worked together was really symbiotic.”
Jason is currently preparing for his next feature – a crime thriller set in Thailand – which I can’t wait to see!