Behind The Lens With ‘Kangaroo Island’ Film Director Timothy David

Director Timothy David “wanted to create a bold and philosophical film” and the result is in the much anticipated film, Kangaroo Island. Filmed in the stunning locations of South Australia’s Kangaroo Island the film is not just a work of location art but a heartfelt ‘complex, philosophical film with many layers’.
Hi Fi Way had a chat to Writer/Director Timothy David about the film, the process and actors involved with Kangaroo Island.

Kangaroo Island was written by you and your wife Sally Gifford, how was that process?
The first draft was written by Sally, so was ninety percent her. I added some things and did a pass here and there, as any director would, but for our sanity I saw her as the boss of the script and on set, she saw me as boss of the film. We stayed in our lanes and I think that’s why we stayed in our marriage, lol.

Where did the idea come from to base the story on Kangaroo Island?
Sally and I love KI. It’s our favourite place in the world (we lived in New York mostly and travelled a bit). We knew we wanted to make a film there one day and Sally found inspiration in the wild nature of it. You feel like an animal amongst animals on KI. It really is a zoo without fences. As such there’s a lot of road kill and it made Sally think about the speed and nature of life and death. And the beauty and chaos of life. So she wanted to write a story about characters that have to deal with the hardship of life and do so in opposing ways.

Without giving away too much of the storyline what is the film about?
It’s about a woman living in LA on a downward spiral, who reluctantly returns home at the request of her father (who lives on KI), where she’s forced to confront issues that drove the family apart. But if you ask what is the film REALLY about, then for me it’s about the search for meaning in a meaningless world. For others it could be about the bond between a father and daughter. Sister bond. Romantic heartbreak. Betrayal. Loss. Gain. It’s a complex, philosophical film with many layers and little nods to massive existential questions. That’s what seems to resonate with intelligent audiences.

How important is it to you to have a film made in your home town and state of South Australia?
It was everything at the beginning. We love South Australia. But the process has made us miss New York. In New York everyone wants you to win and is supportive of every brave endeavour. Anonymous US screening surveys show KI has an astonishing 9.2/10 rating. In SA, we’ve also had a great response to the film from government, private investors and locals (ABC radio just gave it 9/10) and yet at lot of local film industry fringe dwellers have deliberately trolled the film, which has not occurred anywhere else in the world. There appears to be a dog-eat-dog mentality within Australian film, maybe because there’s so little international ambition or hope for many projects. But if you truly love Australian film, you praise local efforts publicly and criticize privately. Every filmmaker who attracts investment into the arts here is doing something good, whether you like the work or not. So why go out of your way to damage it? Especially if others are praising it? It’s sad and makes us re-evaluate.

The film has scenes showcasing the beauty of Kangaroo Island, was that something that was deliberate. KI is of course a beautiful part of South Australia after all.
Every film should look beautiful in some way, so I always film with the most scenic lenses and camera. I definitely sought scenic places to shoot on KI but also gritty harsh places if the scene warranted that. The island is a character in the film in many ways, so it’s only natural that it has an appeal. But we didn’t wait for perfect weather etc (couldn’t afford to) and had to pick two locations that weren’t far to travel. Life is beautiful but it’s also brutal. Brutal things happen to all of us at some point. So on the one hand I would show the Kangaroo Island backdrop in its best light. But that was to contrast the other elements – like the shot of a decaying Kangaroo corpse

The film has a cast of some top Australian actors. Did you have anyone in mind before casting?
Not at the script stage, but in casting I was immediately drawn to Rebecca Breeds for the lead and she was the first actor we went out to. We then got very lucky with interest from others. Joel and Adelaide were huge for us and Erik was the icing on the cake. Then you have Louis Henbest who was unknown and is phenomenal. All were great.

Which scene was the most fun to direct?
Such a good question, but oddly hard to answer. I know the one I hated! It was a night scene in a paddock in the car. It was freezing, I was tired, it was taking too long to shoot. It was the only time I said “f – it. I don’t care about this anymore. Nothing is worth this torture.” And then suffered the consequences in the edit. I’d say the dinner scene was the most artistically satisfying. The Jetty jump was amazing because we got to chase off a great white. But honestly, shooting is mostly torture when you have one hundred scenes to shoot in twenty three days. I was lucky to have actors who were also wonderful humans and super talented and a DP (and B cam) who was keen to see my vision through without pushing back. Shooting a low budget film is about fixing everything that goes wrong on the fly. Not much time for fun.

It’s good to see an Australian film on our screens. Was it an easy or challenging process to get this film made?
My investors made it a dream to make. But the industry made it tough to release to the public. As noted all around the world by genuine critics, the global film industry is creatively, ethically and financially bankrupt. From the agenda driven festivals with their “who-you-know” entry system (disguised as a democracy through a website that takes in twelve thousand films a year – do we really believe a jury of ten can watch all those films in two months?) to the business of release and who gets what. The film industry has killed the goose that lays the golden egg. Last year’s Oscar winner declared that if he had kids, he couldn’t afford to make films at all.

The South Australian Film Corp has been involved with some big films in its time. Is it important to continue to have this corporation for the future of films made in South Australia?
Yes. Absolutely. The SAFC has been great and I would love to work with them on a deeper level to create films set in South Australia about Australian life. I think there’s room to expand their influence and help the best local films “pop” internationally where there’s genuine opportunity.

Interview by Anastasia Lambis