Nobay collaborates with Goodoil Films to celebrate the dreamy world of Byron Bay.
The Byron Bay Film Festival has tapped Marcel Sydney to create a promotional film for the 2017 event.
The Byron Bay Film Festival spans across 10 days at six venues, featuring over 175 independent films and attracting filmmakers and film lovers from all over the world. This year the festival is celebrated by a two-minute short film that pays homage to the unique area that bears its name.
The promotional film Byron was created by Goodoil Films commercials director Justin McMillan who is a Byron Bay resident, and was written by adman and poet, Marcel founder and creative chairman David Nobay.
Nobay says: “I've been bringing my family to the area every Christmas for over a decade. Although I spend a huge amount of my time overseas on jobs, Byron remains the most precious spot on the earth for me. It's utterly unique. I always walk away wanting to stay forever. There's something in the light here, regardless of the season that breathes creativity back into me. It's where I wrote the poem Byron. It's where Justin and I stood on Belongil Beach and dreamed up the idea of seeing my words realised through his pictures.”
For McMillan, a director best known as the co-director of Storm Surfers 3D, this project was made all the more special because it was so local: “Byron is my home. It's where I built a life for my family. It's where I surf every morning. It's where I feel most secure personally, yet most inspired creatively. Funnily enough it was BBFF that brought me to the area six years ago when I was invited up to do a talk about documentary film making after a screening of Storm Surfers. We all fell in love with the Bay that weekend and three months later we moved here.”
The resulting film is a two-minute romp through the entire Byron landscape; from hinterland to ocean. McMillan even leveraged the recent bush fires that raged close to Coffs Harbour to capture incredible footage of the smouldering embers. In all, the shoot took several days, and used up every one of McMillan's local mates and favours.
“The one thing I love about the Bay is that the locals are keen to help out if you're putting something back into the community - and the film festival is something we're all proud to host. I'm really happy that Glen Cassey, Dustin Hollick, Steffan Jose and the few other locals around town all pitched in to make this film happen,” McMillan says.
BBFF festival director J'aimee Skippon-Volke: “I was familiar with Justin's work and so welcomed the opportunity to collaborate, it's such a gorgeous piece, both visually and at the core of its message. We previewed it to a room of long-time locals and a few got just a little bit teary watching it - the heart of Byron I think really resonates with how so many feel about this very special place we call home.”
Byron, which can currently be see on the Byron Bay Film Festival homepage, will be screened at all film festival venues in the lead up to and throughout the festival. Additionally the poet and filmmakers will be holding a Q&A and master-class at the festival. Dates and ticketing information to be confirmed.
