David's Roots
Appeared in Issue 18 of Scoop (Summer 2001/2002)
Writer: Liza Beinart

Sunset Cinema's Grass Roots Film Festival may have been designed to attract WA filmmakers whose only way is up, but "grass roots" is certainly not the way to describe Better Than Sex star David Wenham who's scheduled to host the festival in February. Having judged the ScreenWest Awards a few years ago, David says he's amped get back to Perth and sees a shining future for the WA film industry.

"I had such a fabulous time and I could really see the potential for emerging talent in the film industry," David says. "I also found [WA] an incredibly beautiful place. I was only over there for two or three days and it certainly appealed to me and I'm looking forward to coming back."

A veteran of short film involvement even before the genre had garnered the respect it enjoys today, David says he has fond memories of working with independent filmmakers on low to no-budget films. That should make him an ideal host for the festival, which is designed to give first-time and inexperienced filmmakers the chance to have their work viewed by the public. And as far as David's concerned, we've got the locations it takes to make some great films.

"[Perth is] unlike anywhere else in Australia; it has incredible appeal geographically and it's very distinctive and so beautiful. In terms of location, it's unparalleled. It isn't up there with Sydney at the moment, because Sydney has a studio and WA doesn't which makes it slightly difficult for films to go over there, but that gap could be bridged at some stage." So with all this praise, would David ever make a film in Perth?

"If the script was a wonderful script and I was asked to and it was an appealing project, absolutely."

Give the local industry the support they deserve on February 28 at Sunset Cinema in King's Park - see p. 120-121 for more Sunset Cinema details.