Poetry and passion unite in new film for the 2017 Byron Bay Film Festival via Marcel, Sydney

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BBFF_1.jpgMarcel Sydney has launched a new promotional film for the 2017 Byron Bay Film Festival.

The Byron Bay Film Festival, which started 11 years ago, much like the town itself, has grown up a bit since then. Today, it spans across 10 days at six venues, featuring over 175 independent films and attracting filmmakers and film lovers from all over the world. This year the festival is celebrated by a two-minute short film that pays homage to the unique area that bears its name.

The promotional film Byron was created by acclaimed commercials director, Justin McMillan of Goodoil Films; himself now a Byron Bay resident, and written by adman and poet, David Nobay; the founder and creative chairman of Marcel.

For both men, it was clearly a labour of love.

Says Nobay who has worked with McMillan on many advertising projects: “I’ve been bringing my family to the area every Christmas for over a decade. Although I spend a huge amount of my time overseas on jobs, Byron remains the most precious spot on the earth for me. It’s utterly unique. I always walk away wanting to stay forever. There’s something in the light here, regardless of the season that breathes creativity back into me. It’s where I wrote the poem Byron. It’s where Justin and I stood on Belongil Beach and dreamed up the idea of seeing my words realised through his pictures.”

But for McMillan, a director best known as the co-director of the hit big wave film Storm Surfers 3D, this project was made all the more special because it was so local: “Byron is my home. It’s where I built a life for my family. It’s where I surf every morning. It’s where I feel most secure personally, yet most inspired creatively. Funnily enough it was BBFF that brought me to the area six years ago when I was invited up to do a talk about documentary film making after a screening of Storm Surfers. We all fell in love with the Bay that weekend and three months later we moved here.”

BBFF_2.jpgThe resulting film is a luscious, rich and mercurial two-minute romp through the entire Byron landscape; from hinterland to ocean. McMillan even leveraged the recent bush fires that raged close to Coffs Harbour to capture incredible BBFF_3.jpgfootage of the smouldering embers. In all, the shoot took several days, and used up every one of McMillan’s local mates and favours.

Says McMillan: “The one thing I love about the Bay is that the locals are keen to help out if you’re putting something back into the community – and the film festival is something we’re all proud to host. I’m really happy that Glen Cassey, Dustin Hollick, Steffan Jose and the few other locals around town all pitched in to make this film happen.”

Says J’aimee Skippon-Volke, festival director, BBFF: “I was familiar with Justin’s work and so welcomed the opportunity to collaborate, it’s such a gorgeous piece, both visually and at the core of its message. We previewed it to a room of long-time locals and a few got just a little bit teary watching it – the heart of Byron I think really resonates with how so many feel about this very special place we call home.”

Byron, which can currently be see on the Byron Bay Film Festival homepage, will be screened at all film festival venues in the lead up to and throughout the festival. Additionally the poet and filmmakers will be holding a Q&A and master-class at the festival. Dates and ticketing information to be confirmed.

 

Festival Dates – October 6th – October 15th 2017

For schedules and ticket information please refer to BBFF.com.au.

Client: Byron Bay Film Festival


Festival Director: J’aimee Skippon-Volke

Creative Agency: Marcel Sydney

Poet: David Nobay


Executive Producer: Holly Alexander

Production Company: Goodoil


Director: Justin McMillan


Director of Photography: Tim Tregoning

Director of Water Photography: Stefan Jose

Executive Producer: Glen Casey


Executive Producer: Sam Long


Producer: Justin McMillan


Production Manager: Dustin Hollick

Post Production: Heckler


Editor: Andrew Holmes


Head of Production: Aborah Buick

Producer: Amy Jarman

Creative Director: Garry Jacques

Grade: Greg Constantaras

Design: Kyra Bartley

Sound House: Nylon Studios

Sound: Simon Lister

Composer: Michael Yezerski

Voice: Lee Perry