Heath Davis joins the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss Christmess which he wrote, directed and co-produced.
If you keep up to date with the latest Australian film releases, you’ve no doubt heard about Christmess. It’s getting a lot of buzz at the moment with sold out screenings on the East Coast, upcoming screenings in Western Australia and Tasmania. There’s national media interest and you may have even spotted a digital billboard for the film on your way home from work.
If you’ve already attended one of the screenings, you would have heard Heath talk during a Q&A. He’s doing his best to travel around the country with the film which is admirable. This is a filmmaker who backs and believes in his work.
Heath is one of Australia’s most exciting filmmakers, and there are few filmmakers whose new films I anticipate more than his. If you haven’t seen Book Week, I highly recommend it. Heath’s other films include the crime thriller Locusts and Broke as well as a stack of shorts which have enjoyed success at Tribeca, Flickerfest, MIFF and more.
Christmess follows Chris (played by Steve Le Marquand), a once famous actor who now performs as a shopping centre Santa Claus after his alcohol addiction puts a pause on his acting career. After bumping into his estranged daughter, he seeks help for his recovery in order to win his daughter's forgiveness.
Christmess co-stars Middle Kids lead singer Hannah Joy in a breakout performance, and Darren Gilshenan in arguably the best performance of his esteemed career.
Put simply, Christmess is unmissable. It’s the perfect tonic to most of the mind-numbing Hollywood dross currently saturating mainstream cinemas. The Hunger Games Part 47… really?
More and more Christmess screenings are popping up daily, so be sure to follow Christmess on socials to find out where you can see it near you.
Anyway… enjoy.
