I hope all is well wherever you are. This year has been a year of consolidation for Light Sound Art Film (LSAF) in South Australia. The company is now neatly set up in the St Paul’s Creative Centre - a fabulous government supported centre in an old church just a couple of blocks from Rundle Mall. We love it here. Please drop by anytime you are in Adelaide. 200 Pulteney St.
We’re focusing on our documentary work in 2021, but are still looking to develop drama for 2022/23. The SAFC and Stan have announced a Development fund for Scripted Series. So if you have anything which might suit filming in SA, we would be happy to discuss partnering.
We’ve reworked our website too.
Muzafar working in the afternoon light at our St Paul’s office.
Hamish Ludbrook has joined our team as ‘king of hard drives’. He takes care of all things editing and his energy and enthusiasm is infectious around the office. We’re especially pleased that he stayed in South Australia. An Adelaide local, he was about to take off to Sydney and the commercial editing world, but watched The Staging Post and chose to join Light Sound Art Film instead. That’s one for South Australia vs the East Coast!
Hamish and Quinn in a recent Mullet-off. It’s length vs strength
In production news, our surf documentary ‘You Should’ve Been Here Yesterday’ received a cinema distribution deal, Provisional Producer Offset Certificate and enough private investment to get started, so Hamish is scanning the original surf films with our partners, Billy Wychgel and Gabs at Elements Post.
The idea is to rescan the ‘lost’ Australian surfing films and to use them to track a different path through the history of surfing - highlighting surfing’s cultural influence on early environmentalism, experimental art and the resurgence of the film industry in Australia.
Hamish with colour grading legend Billy Wychgel scanning and restoring Australia’s lost surf films.
In political terms surfing is one place where the so-called ‘liberal elite’ and the ‘working class’ exist together. This film will prove that we have more in common that we think. Of course, that political stuff is all deeply hidden in some killer Aussie yarns and beautifully remastered 16mm observational footage.
Can’t wait to see it on the big screen in 2022.
Farahnaz is ready for the world, but will we ever give her a chance.
Caroline is on our newest film too, about the Afghan cameleer descendants. When Muzafar, a recently arrived former Afghan refugee, realised that Afghans had been here for 160 years he decided he must photograph document their stories before they are lost. The photos will be exhibited at the Kerry Packer Gallery as part of SA History Week in May 2022, and LSAF is going to film the journey for a documentary film.
Muzafar and his daughter, Shugra.
It’s a deeply South Australian story centred around a small Ghantown in Marree, but it’s one which touches on some of the biggest national and global issues of today; our Aboriginal and White Australian history, Australia’s 21st century multi-cultural identity, the tension between Islam and Christianity, the global colonial legacy, and our role supporting the United States in Afghanistan. The last project we began with Muzafar became a 2000 strong refugee-led education revolution. We’re sure this is going to be another important project. Stay tuned for more news.
In tech news, we have purchased ourselves an Arri Mini package. When we’re not using it, it’s available for rent at reasonable prices for good people like you.
Please drop a line if you have time and hopefully see you in Adelaide soon.
Have a think about the SAFC/Stan opportunity. We are building a production team here and will be looking to move into drama production in 2022/23.
From the LSAF team
Jolyon, Muzafar and Hamish