Welcome to the Curb. This is the podcast where we bring you in depth interviews with filmmakers, creatives, and curators of culture. This podcast is recorded in Boorloo, Western Australia. Support The Curb on Patreon , and make sure to follow us on Facebook . Contact with us via our email . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Melissa Anastasi on the poetry of existence and capturing that life on screen in her films
1 hr 4 min
The following conversation unpacks Melissa's work, while touching on what a future feature film from Melissa will look like. Melissa's work is available to view on her website MelissaAnastasi.com, and I encourage you to dive into the available shorts prior to listening to this interview. I also encourage you to check out her commissioned work too which features music videos with artists like Jane Tyrrell from Elefant Traks and commissioned shorts about mental health. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit our subscription page where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Follow us on Instagram , Facebook , and Bluesky . Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Adam C. Briggs on his latest experiential film Phillip Philadelphia
36 min
Adam C. Briggs is a prolific voice in Australian cinema, with acclaimed films like A Grand Mockery , Boogie Bobby , and his new film, Phillip Philadelphia, arriving over the span of a few years. His films are the result of collaborations with equally vital voices in Australian cinema, whether it be with Sam Dixon who co-directs A Grand Mockery and features in Phillip Philadelphia , or with Sarah Moore, who he made the short film It Flew Once with. Phillip Philadelphia is at once a lurid experience, and yet, a somewhat mournful one as well. It follows Phillip, a Golden Globe nominated British screenwriter who finds himself whiling away his existence with fuckboy boyfriend Antony (Oliver Cameron) on the vibrant Gold Coast. The neon lights of The Pink Poodle bathe Phillip and Antony as they exist in this desperate town that masquerades as a city. Phillip Philadelphia examines colonialism through a modern perspective, with Phillip regularly swilling liquor from the decapitated head of a Captain Cook bottle. There's a garish tone to the film that welcomes you to luxuriate in it, all the while the theme song by Sanfeliu lingers in the background. It's one thing to pontificate over the film, but it's another to ask Adam about the making of it, what his intentions are with the film, and more. I've been fortunate enough to run a couple of Q&A sessions with Adam at Perth's Revelation Film Festival so have an understanding of what kinds of questions Adam likes - or doesn't like - to answer. It's that perspective about how he likes to discuss his work that opens the following interview. We explore the perception of his films, the nose that Phillip has on his face, and engaging with Sanfeliu to create the theme for Phillip Philadelphia. Phillip Philadelphia screens at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 7 & 9 August 2026. Visit MIFF.com.au for tickets. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
While Australian comedies are making their mark on the small screen, they've been moderately absent on a film level, with only a handful emerging over the years - Audrey , How to Please a Woman , Birthright , and now, James Robert Woods acidic comedy The Birthday Trip . This distinct and brutally hilarious comedy follows a group of friends heading out to the prestigious, six-star Lothian Gate for a birthday weekend. Over the course of a couple of days, their relationships become fractured, all the while critiquing the modern state of Australia through cutting commentary on the politic state we live, the culture that breeds within this nation, and the media we consume and have foisted upon us. In this expansive, deep interview with writer, director, editor, cinematographer, and producer, James Robert Woods, we unpack The Birthday Trip in depth. The Birthday Trip screens across Australia from 30 July 2026. Check out where The Birthday Trip is screening by visiting the films website here: https://thebirthdaytrip.film/ the Curb... is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Laura Brogan Browne on starting the conversation about grooming with the powerful short film Allegedly
50 min
Multi-hyphenate talent Laura Brogan Browne is the voice behind the powerful short film Allegedly , an impactful story about Clover (Bailey Spalding), a high school graduate who participates in an anonymous survey she's sent by her high school mentor and former teacher. What initially presents as an innocuous student-teacher relationship transforms into a predatory experience for Clover. Allegedly is based on true events and stands as an important conversation starter for the impact of grooming and predatory behaviour in society. The narrative envelopes you alongside compelling performances from Bailey Spalding, Laura Brogan Browne, and Benjamin Mathews, each of whom draws you in to engage with the film with empathy and understanding. In this interview, Laura talks through her creative process as a storyteller both in front of the camera and behind the camera, why she needed to start the conversation about grooming on screen, and how she manages the mental and emotional process that comes with engaging with heavy or triggering material. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Unpacking Oi, Aussie voices, and queer identity on screen with Sophie Serisier & Laneikka Denne
1 hr 3 min
For regular readers of the Curb..., you'll no doubt be familiar with the admiration and respect that I have for Laneikka Denne and the cohort of filmmakers and storytellers they've worked with over their career. The pinnacle of that admiration came in 2024 with the short film Oi , directed by the equally great Sophie Serisier. That film sat comfortably at the top of my Best Australian Films of the year list, a statement that's been further cemented over time. Both Sophie and Laneikka have worked alongside David Robinson-Smith on films like Mud Crab and We Used to Own Houses , films that aren't the result of a singular vision, but rather echoes of a landscape, divined into existence through the communal efforts of creative folks who have infrequently seen themselves on screen. In this expansive interview, Laneikka and Sophie unpack Australiana, queer identity, their collaborative work, and the depth of Oi , plus much more. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brandon Daley's $Positions has the makings of a cult classic. Nerve shredding at times, before hollowing you out with giddy laughter at others. It screens at Revelation Perth International Film Festival on 13 & 14 July 2026. Tickets are available via RevelationFilmFest.org. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Alana Hunt is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores history through a forensic approach to research. Her work mines the history of Australia, often utilising archival material to navigate the violent, colonial past. In her 2023 work, Surveilling a Crime Scene, Hunt navigates the materialisation of non-Indigenous life on Miriwoong Country in the town of Kununurra. That exploration brings forth the often violent terminology utilised to demean and dehumanise First Nations people of the region. In her latest work, Displacement and Replacement: A Remixed Narrative of Western Australia, a film that utilises the archived work of Bryan Lobascher to present the manner that violence permeates through the landscape, films that utilise terminology to suggest that there is nothing of value living on and with that land. Lobascher's work presents in a beautific and adoring manner a level of cruel environmental destruction that has continued over the decades of Western Australia's mining existence. Hunt's work asks viewers to sit with that violence, understand its place in the present and to reconsider the past. These remixed films are interspersed with harsh sounds that inflict a sensory impact that leads us to further question the status quo. In the following interview, Alana discusses her processes as an artists, how she explores an archive and draws stories out, and more. Displacement and Replacement: A Remixed Narrative of Western Australia screens at Revelation Perth International Film Festival on Saturday 11 July 2026. Tickets are available via RevelationFilmFest.org. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vonne Patiag has been forging a path in film and TV as a writer, director, and actor on shows like Halal Gurls and The Unusual Suspects , and films like Here Out West , Too Many Ethnics , and his new short film Homo , which has its world premiere at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival on 10 July 2026. As you'll hear in the following interview, I found the film utterly beautiful and sweet in the moment, but hours later, I felt myself moved to tears by the memory of Rem and Mark's interactions. As a short film, Homo is stunning, but as a template for what Vonne's feature film will look like, it's one heck of a calling card. In the following interview, Vonne unpacks the exploration of identities in Homo , while also exploring what queer Australian cinema looks like right now. Homo screens at Revelation Perth International Film Festival alongside On the Road on 10 July and 17 July 2026. Pick up tickets at RevelationFilmFest.org. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
e-Mum Director Jess Londono on motherhood in the age of AI
45 min
Filmmaker Jess Londono's short film e-Mum is a slightly satirical, completely engaging exploration on motherhood in the age of AI. Emma lives a solitary life with no partner or kids, a point of contention between her estranged mum and her. As an intrusion on Emma's life, her mum delivers an android daughter for her to look after. In Emma's eyes, this AI creation is a mere tool, something that exists to do the tasks that she has no interest in undertaking herself. Emma finds herself gaining a connection with the robot, something that's jeopardised when it goes on the blink and she's left with a human shaped ornament rather than something she can engage with. In the following interview, Jess talks about her vision as a filmmaker, where the idea of e-Mum came from, and her hopes to bring a Colombian sensibility to Australian films. This interview was recorded ahead of e-Mum 's screening at the 2026 Flickerfest, and is being published ahead of the upcoming screening at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival on 12 & 14 July 2026 as part of the WA Off Kilter Shorts line-up. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Read Kate Separovich's Australian in Cinemas newsletter. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Lint is the first feature film from Boorloo-Perth polymath David West. It's a hyper independent West Aussie film about Iris (Melissa Coci) and Susan (Courtney Swartz), colleagues who work at an environmentally friendly dry cleaning company who conspire to bring down their sleazy boss Vincent (Tom Camp). Along the way, they get distracted by dinners with friends, tennis lessons, and more, all the while their exploits are interspersed with sultry shots of Vincent against the backdrop of sunsets. This interview with David was recorded in May 2025 after Lint screened at the WA Made Film Festival and has been sitting, waiting to be birthed into public existence ever since. What better time to release it than ahead of the VHS Tracking Presents... screening of Lint at Goolugatup on 17 June 2026 between 6:30pm - 9pm. Tickets are free and available now, so if you're around, head along and support Aussie cinema. The interview starts as you might expect: with a conversation about goats. David's Zoom profile picture was that of a goat, which spurred a discussion about how great goats are. What happens after that, well, you'll discover as you listen. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Miley Tunnecliffe on building tangible horror in her feature film debut Proclivitas
1 hr 3 min
West Aussie filmmaker Miley Tunnecliffe makes the shift from shorts to features with her debut feature length film Proclivitas. This familial horror-drama film features Clare (an impressive grounded performance from Rose Riley), an addict in recovery who returns to her hometown to tidy up her mother's house after her sudden death. Returning home, Clare connects with her old flame Jerry (a superb George Mason), and the two bond over an unresolved trauma from their youth. As Clare's time at home continues, the demons that plague her mind and memories start to re-emerge. The following interview with Miley sees her talking through her process of working in comedy and then shifting to horror, the grounded nature of the film, and more. Proclivitas recently opened the 2026 WA Made Film Festival where Miley and producer Kate Separovich were in attendance. The film opens in Australian cinemas on 19 March 2026. I'll be hosting a Q&A session at Luna Leederville on 24 March 2026 with Kate Separovich and actor Hayley McElhinney in attendance. For Perth locals, we have five double passes to giveaway for the Q&A screening. Simply email us at thecurbau@gmail.com to be in the running to get your name on the list. If you want to find out more about the work we do on The Curb, then head over to TheCurb.com.au, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky @thecurbau. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe, where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Filmmaker Jordan Giusti's Floodland is an impactful documentary that takes audiences to the flood-prone landscape of Lismore, NSW. Thousands of people call the region home, and yet, due to the climate crisis and government inaction, they find themselves in horrifying situations where their homes are swept away, they lose friends and family, and pets and livestock end up as collateral damage for an ongoing emergency that has no solution in sight. Resilience is a word that's used for those who call Lismore home, the flood capital of Australia, but Jordan's documentary shows that there is a way to solve this crisis. Shot with an immediacy and the level of compassion and understanding that elevates the crisis at hand, Floodland is a powerful document for the region, the people who call it home, and their future. The following interview sees Nadine Whitney, someone who lived in the region, interview Jordan and producer Rachel Forbes about making the film. This interview was recorded ahead of the films screenings at the Sydney Film Festival, and is being published now ahead of Floodland 's release around Australia this week. For screening dates and information, visit Floodland.com.au. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sophie Hyde and Aud Mason-Hyde on the queer kaleidoscope that is their stunning film Jimpa
22 min
Sophie Hyde's films have often explored identity, self-realisation, and the path to finding your place in this messy, mucked up world. 52 Tuesdays sees a child growing to understand the gender transition that one of her parents is going through, while Good Luck to You, Leo Grande sees Emma Thompson's 55-year-old Nancy reclaim her sexuality. In Jimpa , Sophie's finest and most mature film yet, we follow Aud Mason-Hyde's Frances, child to Olivia Colman's Hannah and Daniel Henshall's Harry. Frances is finding their place in the world as a nonbinary queer kid, eager to push out of the restrictive boundaries of Adelaide and engage with queer culture that they feel part of and as if they can grow within. A trip to Amsterdam to meet Hannah's father, Jim (John Lithgow), has Frances feeling that his proudly gay lifestyle and advocacy for gay rights would make for a suitable place for them to spend a gap year, growing, learning, and studying.In the following interview with Sophie and Aud, we talk about that kaleidoscopic nature of the film, what it's like to grow up with a parent like Sophie Hyde, and finally, what it's like to have a story captured on screen by the stunning cinematography of Matthew Chuang. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit our subscription page where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Follow us on Instagram , Facebook , and Bluesky . Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Haydn Green on ten years of Hear My Eyes and conjuring sensory experiences by combining films with new live music compositions
34 min
Haydn Green has been the creative force of Hear My Eyes , a sonic-visual, hybrid experience which blends film and music in creatively intriguing and boundary pushing ways. As the founder and artistic director of Hear My Eyes , Haydn reaches out to contemporary musicians to craft new scores for pre-existing cinema. Collaborations include Sampa the Great rescoring Céline Sciamma's Girlhood , The Murlocs putting their spin on Gregor Jordan's Two Hands , while Springtime and Mick Harvey explored a new sonic landscape for Andrew Dominik's Chopper . For its tenth anniversary, Haydn Green has tapped Belgian electronic musician Peter Van Hoesen, powered by the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio, to reimagine the music of James Cameron's iconic sci-fi classic, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (the original theatrical cut). Visit HearMyEyes.com.au for all tickets to the screenings taking place on the below dates: Melbourne: Feb 25-28, Hamer Hall Sydney: March 7, City Recital Hall Canberra: March 18-19, Canberra Theatre Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This interview has been a long while in the can, waiting to be published. This in depth discussion with filmmaker, creative, and fearless storyteller Lucy Coleman was recorded early in 2025 and due to reasons you'll hear in the long intro (recorded in the foyer of Luna Cinemas Leederville, a home away from home), it's now finally being released into the world. Lucy Coleman is the creative vision behind films like Hot Mess and Lean In , both featured in the best films list of their respective years, with Hot Mess getting a mention in the Best Aussie Films of the 2010s list. These are biting, searing comedies that tear apart what we think Australian comedy can or should be. Then, there's Lucy's Stan. series Exposure , a change of pace, a drama which she wrote. This powerful series follows Alice Englert's Jacs Gould as a photographer returning home to find out why her best friend took her life. It's powerful, but also flips the script of the routine and tired 'cop returns to his country town home to solve a murder that he discovers is linked to him'. It's always a man solving these crimes. Always small town. Exposure changes that: it's not a murder, but a suicide. It's not a woman trying to figure out what's happening, but a friend, a very close one at that. It's a devastating series that left me hollowed out by its end. Exposure , like Hot Mess and Lean In , is an experience which lingers in my mind, changing how I see the next film or TV show that I watch. This interview, like those works, hasn't left me. And now, I'm releasing it into the world. Enjoy. Thank you Lucy for your patience with me getting this into the world. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Damien Power on the brotherly rivalry of his docu-drama short Return of the Champ
30 min
One of the standout films from the 2026 batch of Flickerfest shorts has been Damien Power's docu-drama Return of the Champ . With this excellent hybrid experience, the stand up comedian turned director spins the cameras on his relationship with his brother, Will Power, a world champion and Indy 500 winner, who spins a story about a crash that he once witnessed. It's a story that Damien hadn't heard before, and within Return of the Champ he utilises that story to explore sibling rivalry, masculinity, and what it means to be vulnerable or open with one another. If I'm painting the film to be a deep experience, the rest assured, it definitely is. What Damien has crafted here is something that will stick with me for quite a while, with the resulting film creating a fascinating and memorable nexus points of the quiet space of ocker comedy, reserved masculinity, loud cars, laughter at stand up comedy gigs, and frustration about fathers. There's a lot going on under the hood of this flick, with the film simmering along at a neat 18-minutes and creating a lasting impact. Amplifying the vibe of the film is cinematography by Julian Panetta which is both immersive and observational in tone, pulling viewers into the Power's brothers world. Equally amplifying the tone is the score by Adrian Diery which adds a rather chill and contemplative backdrop to the whole experience. Return of the Champ is the first film by Damien Power, and if this is the style of film we might get from him, then I'm looking forward to seeing where his filmography takes us. This interview was recorded ahead of the films world premiere at Flickerfest 2026. Keep an eye out for it as it rolls out through the festival circuit. You'll not want to miss this one. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tuesday Tuesday director Lianne Mackessy on honouring the lives of people living with dementia in her short film
25 min
Lianne Mackessy is a multi-hyphenate creative whose work spans from acting in front of the camera in films like 2025's Smoke, to writing and directing her own work, like her 2026 drama short film Tuesday Tuesday. Making its world premiere at FlickerFest 2026, Tuesday Tuesday follows a young support worker, played by Jillian Nguyen, who spends a final day with her long-time client, played by Peter Phelps, who lives with younger-onset dementia and will be shifting into a care facility the following day. Co-written with Emily Sheehan, Tuesday Tuesday is a tender and considered film about what it means to be a support worker, helping someone live a life where they may not even recognise you the very next day. In the following interview, Lianne talks about her own experience as a support worker, the process of building the characters with Peter Phelps and Jillian Nguyen, while she also talks about her work at Bus Stop Films. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Addition Director Marcelle Lunam and lead Teresa Palmer on bringing Toni Jordan’s book to life on screen
18 min
Addition is the latest film from director Marcelle Lunam and actor Teresa Palmer. It's a screen adaptation of the novel by Toni Jordan, telling the story of Grace, a woman who counts everything because numbers hold her world together. Yet, when she meets Seamus (Joe Dempsie), her world is thrown upside and her ordered life becomes disordered. In the following interviews, recorded ahead of Addition 's release in Australian cinemas, Nadine Whitney talks to both director Marcelle Lunam and Teresa Palmer about making the film and respectfully presenting neurodivergence on screen. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Stellan Skarsgård as Gustav Borg in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value is a man who is searching for connection with the two daughters, Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) he effectively abandoned when he split from their just deceased mother. The once storied director turns up at the funeral for his ex-wife and one of the first things he does is to reclaim a set of speakers from the home (a longstanding character in itself) that has housed members of his family for generations. Gustav is opinionated, arrogant, funny, and awkward. He’s written a screenplay for Nora, who is now a respected theatre actress, to star in but she doesn’t want anything to do with it or him. The quiet truth is that Nora and Gustav are two similar souls who both struggle with connection and loneliness. Art is their form of expression but it can also be a burden they don’t know how to negotiate. Nadine Whitney speaks with Stellan about how Gustav sees Nora and longs for her to return the recognition. the Curb is a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. Visit thecurb.com.au/subscribe , where you can support our work from $2 a month. Paid subscribers get access to our monthly competitions, exclusive interviews and articles, and more. Sign up for the latest interviews, reviews, and more via https://www.thecurb.com.au/subscribe/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
