Chum Ehelepola directing Dead Zone. Photos: Hiromi Matsuoka.
Bega Valley’s Chum Ehelepola has directed three of the 23 films selected for this year’s Far South Film Festival.
Two of the films were developed by students at Sapphire Coast Acting Studio (SCAS) and the other was made by a first-time producer.
Yet directing is relatively new to Mr Ehelepola.
He grew up in Perth and was an actor in Los Angeles alongside his wife Marti Keefer.
“With COVID, we left LA five years ago and moved to the valley because Marti was from there,” Mr Ehelepola said.
“We have set up shop here ever since. It could not be more different from LA.”
The couple started SCAS two years ago, primarily because parents were asking where their kids could get acting lessons.
SCAS is a gateway school for those who want to go on to train in Sydney or Melbourne. It runs classes for five- to 18-year olds.
Marti is walking in the footsteps of her mother, Jan Keefer, who started Bega Valley theatre company In Theatre with two other mothers about 35 years ago.
“Marti has created this legacy of art for young kids in the valley at a very high level for those who are interested in the acting world,” Mr Ehelepola said.
Bridie Dixon (left) on the set of Dead Zone.
SCAS student Bridie Dixon worked on the student-led, written and acted short film Dead Zone.
“I would love to work in film,” Ms Dixon said.
“It is hard in a regional town to find the opportunity to do that, so I am very grateful for the Acting Studio.”
It is a completely different world for Mr Ehelepola, who was a professional actor for 20 years.
“There are no jobs for actors in the valley, but I can direct and that helps with the kids’ productions,” he said.
“Marti trains all the actors so it is great collaborative effort.”
He said it was not easy going from an actor to a director. An actor plays one part, but a director is responsible for the whole story, the set, how the camera moves, lights, sound and everything else.
Dead Zone is a coming-of-age drama comedy about eight teenagers confined in an area like The Breakfast Club.
“In the film we deal with a lot of issues including mental health, same sex relationships, parents’ expectations and your expectations of yourself, but it is all done through the lens of comedy, so it is quite funny,” Mr Ehelepola said.
Ms Dixon said it was a collaboration, with the characters designed by the actors who also put the plot together. She was excited when Dead Zone was selected for the festival.
“It means it goes on the IMDb website,” she said. “It makes the film more professional because it gets a label saying it has been selected for a film festival.”
“I think it was chosen because it deals with very topical issues around teens,” Mr Ehelepola said.
“It isn’t an experimental film, but a legitimate narrative with big stories and big ideas.”
Mr Ehelepola directing Little Jetty.
Bad Date was written by two SCAS students.
“It is a date gone wrong and it is very funny,” Mr Ehelepola said. “It is very quirky, an outright comedy that is very light and a lot of fun.”
Little Jetty is about a neurodivergent boy who is obsessed with whales. Without his mother knowing, the eight-year-old goes out on a boat in search of whales.
Producer Kush Bourke and professional writer Marna Smith raised funds for the independent short film and Mr Ehelepola was approached to direct it.
“We shot it over many, many days and went out on a boat to do the shooting, including of whales breaching,” he said. “We had 30 actors on Merimbula Beach in a crane. It is big and grand.”
Ms Dixon also had a small part in Little Jetty.
“It was such a good experience to be behind the scenes and see how the camera and all the crew come together and then the editing,” Ms Dixon said.
“It just broadened my perspective on how much work goes into short films.”
Mr Ehelepola said the SCAS students were very talented.
“Marti has built up this opportunity for these kids to rise and shine,” he said. “It is really wonderful to see how far everyone has come.”
The Far South Film Festival will be held at The Twyford, Merimbula, from 14 to 15 August.
