Inside the Avalon Film Festival: Ben Welsh’s Diary of Chaos, Creativity, and Cinema #1

Renowned creative leader, author, and former DDB Australia CCO Ben Welsh (pictured) takes us behind the scenes of the Avalon Film Festival in a candid and entertaining diary series exclusive to Campaign Brief. From navigating the chaos of last-minute preparations to celebrating cinematic gems that capture the soul of the Northern Beaches, Welsh documents the thrills, spills, and sausage-making realities of pulling together a film festival. His first entry, penned just days before the festival kicks off, sets the stage for a week of memorable films and community spirit.

DAY MINUS 4

If the Cannes Lions can have a diary I don’t see why the Avalon Film Festival can’t. The show starts on Friday and we’ve moved from ‘fuck, really, how are we going to fix that’ stage to, ‘the die is cast, we can do no more’. That said, here I am attempting to do more.

I’ve never done anything like this before and yet again I find myself feeling guilty – I didn’t appreciate the people who made things happen enough. I thought the idea was the hard bit. I was wrong.

They say you don’t want to watch sausages being made, nor what the camera sees when you are having a colonoscopy for that matter. I’d add film festivals to the list. But let’s start with the final, perfectly barbequed snags before we get into the making of them.

Opening night (This Friday folks)

We have two very different films kicking the event off at the cinema, from 7pm. David Denneen’s movie The Restraint. This is a redoing of a film David wasn’t entirely happy with. He is now. It’s a taught pyscho-drama in black and white starring a young Travis Fimmel amongst others.

The plot: Ron and Dale seek a safe-haven to hide out after a brutal crime has been committed. What they thought was an abandoned mansion is inhabited by a rich agoraphobic, Andrew, who becomes their hostage. Or does he? Who is the victim in this threesome? Whatever you think is right, turns out to be wrong.

It must have been a fascinating exercise to rework something after a good gap.

On the cinema’s other screen, you’ll be able to watch Morning of the Earth. The bloke at the bottle shop was in it, along with a host of carefree surfers who knew how to handle a camera. It’s worth seeing just for the sound-track. And it’s worth reminding all you X and Z generation that Boomers were once cool. Although I can’t say I was ever as cool as these guys.

If you want more recent wave action stroll over to the SLSC for Ben Player’s Far North. Ben is a local lad and was the World Champion Body border three times in a row. He definitely is cool. He’s kindly doing a quick talk before showing his 40 minute tale of big, cold Atlantic waves and near death experiences. This is followed by an Irish surf doco – Between Land and Sea. I should have got Guinness to sponsor it. Maybe there’s still time?

Then it’s off to Bar Elvina for the first of many drinks.

Back to the sausages though. First thing you need to know – nine times out of ten the company that made the film no longer has the rights. My friend Stuart Quin has spent weeks being passed from one mob to another in search of all our titles.

Then there’s the format. Having found the film, the owner of the rights you need the right format – DCP for cinema. Another few weeks go by.

We can’t let all this work be for nothing. Please come and join us.

Secure your tickets at: https://www.avalonfilmfestival.co/#tickets