Calan Mai and Alvy Willa.

90-year-old Ron West, an organ player at The Majestic Theatre—the world’s longest-running silent movie theatre—bares all in Last Man Standing.

This short film is directed by musicians and filmmakers Alvy Willa and Calan Mai, who have crafted a deeply moving and intimate portrait of self-acceptance, told by Ron with humour and grace.

Cinema Australia spoke with Alvy and Calan about their new film, the impact Ron’s story has had on them, and the power of telling deeply personal stories steeped in the world of music.

Ron West.

“Ron is a musician who uses his music to service an underlying story. And I think no medium is more powerful in storytelling than music.”

Interview by Matthew Eeles

How did you two meet?

Calan Mai Alvy and I are both musicians. When I moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2020, I heard a song he wrote called 21 Days and I loved it. I messaged him on Instagram and asked if he’d like to write a song together. That was the start of our creative partnership.

Alvy Willa We lived in the same town, so we organised a day to make music together. From the get go I felt like it was a special collaboration and I remember in the early days Cal saying things like, “I really believe we’re going to do some cool things together.” Who knew it was going to be in the film industry though!

That collaboration evolved into the music duo Willa/Mai. How did that evolve into filmmaking?

CM Very early on in our friendship, Alvy and I talked about the other creative mediums we were interested in. We always made little sketches and silly videos – and sometimes those took priority over the music we were meant to be making. Ultimately, Alvy and I are both drawn to any medium that lets us tell a story. We decided to start making short documentaries, as this would allow us to tell stories without the high cost of making a fictional narrative film from scratch. We also recognised that there are amazing stories everywhere you go.

AW I have a videography company on the Sunshine Coast and my love for storytelling was coming through even in my corporate videos. I showed Cal what I was doing for some brands and he suggested we do that for local people around the coast that people might find interesting. Our plan was to make five little documentaries to learn how to make one and then try do a “proper” doco. Last Man Standing was our second documentary, so we felt like we weren’t ready. [Laughs]. We’re just really grateful we got to tell his story.

There are obvious synergies between music and filmmaking which also plays into the narrative of Last Man Standing and Ron West’s story. Did having a background in music contribute or help with the making of this film?

CM Possibly. Certainly in the sense that we both know what it feels like to escape into music. Ron spoke about becoming part of the film when he plays the organ. Alvy and I very much understood this point of view. Music is a world unto itself and it’s incredibly enticing to live in that space of music making the way Ron does. So, I think this did inform a part of our approach. But at the same time, Ron being a musician was not the most interesting thing about him. We were drawn more to his attitude, his humour and the bravery with which he told his story.

When did you first come across Ron West?

CM The year before we shot the doco, we were filming a music video in the Majestic Theatre and met Ron. He talked to us about the history of the space for more than an hour. When it came time to find a documentary subject, my partner suggested we approach Ron.

Ron West.

I love how Ron describes his work as “the biggest dead end job in the world” but obviously it has had a huge impact on a lot of people, including yourselves. Describe Ron as a person.

CM Ron is a performer at heart. He loves to be the centre of attention. He’s okay with being self-deprecating, he doesn’t mind being the butt of the joke. Underneath all of that, Ron is a storyteller. His stories are well rehearsed, with a thick layer of varnish on every word. But when he speaks, he takes you back to another time and you can see it in his eyes – the truth of it. He has an impeccable memory and a huge passion for the arts. I mean, he gave us the end of our film! He instructed us exactly how to end it. That’s why we included it – not only because it was a great ending, but also because it revealed who Ron is. He knows the secret to an impactful, memorable performance.

AW Ron is a showman. He loves the spotlight but plays it very cool and acts like it’s no big deal, he’s larger than life and has a lot of charisma. His ability to tell a story is a skill that not many people have nowadays. The way he pauses, lowers or raises his voice to add dramatic affect is unmatched today. You can tell that back in his day, telling a story with words was one of the only ways as opposed to now with everyone having cameras on their phones to show what they did on the weekend.

Ron has humour and grace. He’s articulate and poetic and his personal narrative has an emotional depth. Does Ron turn it on for the camera, or did it take some work to coax him out of his shell?

CM No, Ron doesn’t turn it on for the camera. He turns it on for whoever he’s talking to! Whether he’s presenting a film on stage, talking in front of the camera, or speaking to a patron before they leave the theatre – he is the same man every time. I suppose the only thing that required some finessing on our part was approaching the confessional aspect of the film, which detailed areas of his life he hadn’t covered publicly. However, even in those areas, Ron was incredibly insightful and poetic. We never had to get him to ‘jazz it up’. He knows how to pull a listener in.

AW Ron definitely knows when it’s showtime, yet he seems to always carry the same charisma and presence. Some of the stories he told us on camera we had heard a few times again off camera too. [Laughs]. Whether it’s one person in the room or a hundred, I think Ron is the same larger-than-life character. Pre-recording, Ron was unsure wether or not to reveal his secret on camera, this moment is a tricky one on our behalf and often feels like a dance – you have to be incredibly sensitive and try to create a safe place. I think he eventually came to the conclusion that he wanted to share his story like he did in our film.

In the film, there’s a moment where Ron talks about feeling like he’s inside the film when he’s performing. He mentions that it “sounds weird” to say, but many film lovers can probably relate since we’ve all had moments where a movie feels so immersive that we feel like part of it. Do you relate to that feeling Ron describes? And in what other ways do you feel connected to him?

CM Absolutely. I think it’s my favourite part in the whole film, because it doesn’t sound weird at all. When Ron speaks about the connection between film and music, it always touches my heart. When I was a kid, movies were a huge part of how I connected with my family and how I understood the world. But the films also contained music and so many of my favourite songs were found through films. In Ron, I see a kindred spirit – he’s a musician, yes. But more than that, he’s a musician who uses his music to service an underlying story. And I think no medium is more powerful in storytelling than music.

AW I think what Ron is explaining here is the “flow state” – a place where time almost doesn’t exist. I’ve felt that when creating music many times as well as editing videos.

Can you talk to us about the theatre itself? How popular is this place? Have you attended any events there?

CM The Majestic Theatre is situated in Pomona on the Sunshine Coast. It is apparently the world’s longest continuously running silent movie theatre. It has been there for more than 100 years and is insanely popular. The place is always packed out. We have attended a few events there now, both for silent film showings. The last film we saw was an Abbott and Costello picture – they were door-to-door salesmen selling Christmas trees. It was amazing! They showed it after we premiered Last Man Standing there. Ron got a standing ovation. Not something I’ll soon forget.

AW Like Ron said, It really is a time warp in the theatre. It feels like you step back in to the 1920’s. Especially when Ron walks out in his pin striped suit. We premiered our film at the theatre where Ron came out of retirement for one final show and he got a standing ovation after the film! It was an amazing experience.

Ron retired in 2024. Have you kept in touch with him, and is he kept up to date with screenings of the film?

CM Yes, we keep in touch with Ron. He’s aware that the film has been screened a few times now. I still need to let him know about Stellar Short Film Festival. Thank you for reminding me. [Laughs].

AW After the filming of Last Man Standing, Ron took us out in Pomona to a cafe for some cake and tea.

Last Man Standing will screen at the Stellar Short Film Festival on Saturday, 1 March. Details here.

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