Rolf de Heer and Mwajemi Hussein on the set of The Survival of Kindness.

Legendary Australian filmmaker, Rolf de Heer, joins the latest episode of the Cinema Australia Podcast to discuss his new film, The Survival of Kindness.

My first introduction to Rolf de Heer was in the mid-nineties when I was a teenager. A friend and I were sitting in his parents’ shed smoking cigarettes and drinking beer when my friend told me that he had been to the dump that day and found a stash of VHS tapes.

One of those tapes was de Heer’s 1993 cult classic, Bad Boy Bubby. 

We sat up for hours that night watching Bad Boy Bubby back-to-back, such was the affect the film had on us. 

On the set of The Survival of Kindness.

I had heard of de Heer at that stage of my life, but as my obsession for Australian cinema and Australian filmmakers grew, I rapidly realised just how prolific de Heer is and the impact that he has had on cinema both in Australia and around the world. 

Over the past few weeks I’ve been asking friends and family if they’re familiar with de Heer’s work and the answer is usually that they’ve seen Bad Boy Bubby, but little else. 

If you’re like those people, but you’re interested in exploring more of de Heer’s films, then I implore you to check out films like Charlie’s Country, Ten Canoes, The Tracker, The Quiet Room, Dingo and The King is Dead!, which I revisited recently and absolutely loved.

And don’t stop at just those films. Watch everything that de Heer has made. 

I would have loved a few hours with Rolf to discuss his entire career, but this interview was part of Rolf’s press junket for The Survival of Kindness, so our interview time was limited.

In this episode, de Heer discusses his young crew, seen here on the set of The Survival of Kindness.

Written, directed and produced by de Heer (Dingo, Bad Boy Bubby, The Tracker), The Survival of Kindness uses allegory to analyse race and privilege, as it follows protagonist BlackWoman (South Australian Mwajemi Hussein), abandoned in a cage in the middle of the desert.

Following her escape, BlackWoman walks through pestilence and persecution, from desert to mountain to city, only to find more captivity.

Filmed across various stunning Australian landscapes in South Australia and Tasmania, Survival of Kindness is led by Australian producer Julie Byrne (AACTA Award winning The Babadook) alongside de Heer, and is co-produced by Ari Harrison (The Furnace).

The Survival of Kindness was invited to Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize.

The Survival of Kindness will release in cinemas nationally on May 4, distributed by Umbrella Entertainment. The release will follow a series of special event and Q&A screenings around the country. Tickets available here.

Anyway… Enjoy.