Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Plaudits coming in as new film is released
Australia-based Stewart’s work is‘LGBT-related drama’
A filmmaker from Carnbroe has just completed his latest release, in addition to taking on some impressive jobs in the film and television industry in Australia.
Stewart Hannah’s new work – which he has written, produced and edited – is entitled Listen, and is described as “an LGBT-related drama about a break-up and the dynamic between former lovers”.
It was filmed at Watsons Bay in Sydney, with 200 actors applying for the roles of Adam and Tom and the footage being shot in just one day on a DSLR camera.
His new project follows on the release of mental health-themed short film Holding the Rain, which was entirely shot and edited on his iPhone in February 2018; and even saw him receive a congratulatory letter from the Scottish Government.
Stewart’s latest work can be seen at listenshortfilm.com, and he told the Advertiser this week: “A lot of the film is based on a relationship I had before I came to Australia.
“I always wanted to make an LGBT- themed short film but struggled to come up with an idea that would resonate, so I wrote about my own experience.
“Listen turned out to be quite an expensive project as it was all about the dramatic dialogue, and I made sure the actors were paid fairly as well as the crew – in comparison, Holding the Rain was shot on an iPhone and was much easier as it had no dialogue and was all about visual storytelling.
“With my campaign hat on, I wished to raise awareness of LGBT [issues] and I feel my short film ends with a positive message to young gay men going through hard times, particularly during a break-up.”
He added: “I never make films for awards or millions of views, I just want people to resonate and feel the emotions of the characters I’ve written.
“With Holding the Rain I targeted the mental health community and the response was wonderful, because it displayed a message of hope; and receiving a congratulations letter from the Scottish Government, highlighting policies being implemented to tackle the issue, certainly made me feel like the film had a voice and it was being heard by the right people.
“Likewise with the LGBT community, Listen has had a profound effect on young people going through a break-up; I’ve had numerous messages from people reflecting on their own heartbreak and that familiar dynamic.”
Stewart has now lived on the other side of the world for two years and works as production coordinator on the Australian version of Mastermind.
He said: “I’ve been kept incredibly busy this past year, so much I sometimes I forget I’m in Australia!
“My career has gone from strength to strength all because of Holding the Rain, and I genuinely believe it helped me get my foot in the door of the industry.
“The contacts I’ve made have certainly helped me climb the ladder, so I’m forever grateful to those I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
Stewart has also recently completed work as the production runner of feature film Measure for Measure with Scottish director Paul Ireland and star Hugo Weaving, which opened the Melbourne international film festival last week.
He added: “It was a phenomenal experience that I won’t forget in a hurry.
“I was kept very busy, with most of the job being looking after the actors, driving them to and from set and general assistance – and I even made a few background appearances in the film.
“Unfortunately I’m yet to see the finished film as we were recording the grand final of Mastermind in Sydney; but I’ve lived through the shooting of the movie and the rushes I’ve seen so far are incredible, and the film will have a cinema release next year.
“At the moment I’m trying to secure investment so I can independently produce and direct my feature screenplay, of which I finished the first draft earlier this year; and I’ve also started submitting Listen to around 40 international short film festivals.”