Rafael Star.

Australian filmmaker Rafael Star is stepping into territory rarely explored on home soil with his micro-budget feature Manhunt, a tightly wound paranoia thriller that stands out in a local industry not often drawn to the genre.

Set against the backdrop of sunny Queensland, the film follows Max (Harry Duckworth), a successful young property developer whose life appears to be falling neatly into place. 

With a supportive girlfriend, Courtney (Stella Duncan), a promising future mapped out by his boss Andrew (Robert H. Wainwright), and a close relationship with his mother (Christina Star), Max seems to have it all.

But when enigmatic investor Ernesto (Rafael Star) enters the picture, that sense of certainty begins to unravel, forcing Max to question not only his career, but who he can trust.

Cinema Australia recently caught up with Star to talk about the film, its themes, and why he was drawn to bring a paranoia thriller to Australian screens.

Manhunt will screen at the Gold Coast Film Festival tonight, Saturday, 2 May. Details here. 

Harry Duckworth in Manhunt.

“With Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympics it is easy just to focus on the glamour of that but I felt it was important to highlight there are a lot of people doing it tough due to the cost of living and the rental crisis.”

by Matthew Eeles

Paranoia thrillers aimed at mature audiences are rarely made in Australia. Off the top of my head, I’m struggling to think of the last one made here. Was this something you were aware of going into the making of Manhunt? If so, what drew you to this particular genre?

I was aware that I had never seen a movie like Manhunt made in Australia before. Which made me excited to make it. I also really enjoy genre films especially those from the 1970s and I strongly believe it takes just as much skill to make a quality genre film as it does a drama. But also, with my very limited budget I felt I could craft a more compelling and entertaining story and reach a wider audience if I created a genre film. But it was important to me that Manhunt was a distinctively Australian genre film.

The film deals with heavy themes relating directly to the current political landscape in Australia, including the housing crisis, cost of living, and even Indigenous displacement. Why was it so important for you to explore these themes?

Well, firstly I believe it’s part of an artist’s role to comment on society. Also, I tried to base Manhunt in reality so dealing with all those themes seemed totally relevant and important to me. Additionally, with Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympics it is easy just to focus on the glamour of that but I felt it was important to highlight there are a lot of people doing it tough due to the cost of living and the rental crisis. And as someone who rents I can fully relate to those struggles. Plus, I had never seen a genre film that dealt with social issues such as homelessness or the rental crisis so I thought that by dealing with those themes I could make Manhunt original, add some extra meaning whilst still be entertaining for audiences.

Cast and crew take to the beach on the Gold Coast set of Manhunt.

What was the extent of your research into the business world that Manhunt takes place in?

I come from a background working in sales so when I was writing the script I just drew upon my own personal experience, so that was very helpful. But with regards to researching the business world in Manhunt, I gained a lot of knowledge by simply following the news about construction in Queensland, and just researching development across the Gold Coast and Brisbane. As a result, a lot of the statistics mentioned in Manhunt are factual. 

Manhunt is quite the family affair, with your mum, Christina, and your sister, Vanessa, contributing to the film in various capacities, including starring roles. How important were these two in the making of this film, and what was it like working with them both on Manhunt?

My Mum and my sister were absolutely integral to making Manhunt. In addition to both of them having starring roles they also both co-produced Manhunt with me. To put it simply, without their creative and financial contributions Manhuntwould simply not exist. Prior to making Manhunt, I had worked with both my Mum and my sister on nearly every short film that I’d ever made, so it was a dream to work with them both on my debut feature film. Sadly, my Mum passed away before I could complete Manhunt which makes her involvement in the film even more special to me.

Harry Duckworth and Rafael Star in Manhunt.

You wrote, directed, produced, shot, and acted in Manhunt, among many other roles. But I’m particularly interested in your editing work here because the film is exceptionally well-paced. Can you talk us through the editing process, as well as working alongside Shaun Smith in a consultancy capacity?

Thank you! That’s a great compliment. A lot of work went into editing Manhunt and getting the pacing right. But to be totally honest, I have to give a lot of credit to Shaun Smith regarding the pacing. I have worked with Shaun for a number of years and this is our ninth project together where he has been my editing consultant. I consider Shaun a mentor and I really value and appreciate his feedback. Our process generally involves me sending him the script before I start preproduction on a project. We will then discuss the script and if I have any questions about camera coverage I will ask then to make sure I get enough coverage when shooting. Alternatively, we may discuss the script’s themes or certain techniques we could incorporate in the edit which may lead to other creative ideas. Once principal photography started on Manhunt, Shaun and myself didn’t have too much contact. I should also mention that Shaun lives in Melbourne and I live in Brisbane. But once principal photography was complete I then assembled a rough cut and sent that to Shaun. We would then have some lengthy phone conversations where Shaun would provide his feedback and make some editing suggestions. I would then make those changes and we would work together like this until we have refined the edit. But getting the pacing correct was something that Shaun felt was integral to making Manhunt work.

Considering there are so many exterior scenes in this film, I’m wondering how much of it was shot guerrilla-style, or whether you applied for permits, which I know can have an unwanted impact on a film’s budget.

So, I did work with Brisbane City Council who were great and very accommodating and granted me permits to film at a number of locations. I did have to take out the required liability insurance but because I had such a small crew (generally myself plus one or two crew and the talent on any given shoot day) it meant my filmmaking activities were considered low-impact by authorities. However, I also do come from an indie filmmaking background and quite a lot of scenes were shot guerrilla-style. But before making Manhunt I did some research and was pleasantly surprised to find that a number of big budget Hollywood films were also partly shot guerrilla-style. 

Harry Duckworth and Rafael Star in Manhunt.

Did you experience any challenges shooting in so many public spaces?

Due to my limited budget, I could not lock down and block streets or footpaths. So sometimes you do just have to wait for no members of the public to be around. To save time, while we waited I would try and get my close-up shots done so that by the time there is no one around I could do my wide shots. It’s a very fluid situation when filming in public areas and you do need to adapt quickly and think on your feet. This is one of the reasons why I deliberately did not storyboard a single shot in the movie because I wanted to be open to the possibilities that naturally arose.

I know a lot of independent filmmakers will want to learn more about your access to the high-performance vehicles How did that access come about?

Manhunt prominently features a 1965 Ford mustang fastback. I had access to this car because it is my car! I own it hence why it was written into the film and why I was also the stunt driver in the movie. I’m a car guy so that is why a Lamborghini and a Ferrari also appear briefly in the film although those shots were online stock footage shots. All helicopter shots were also shots I found online. While writing Manhunt I did a lot of online searching to see what stock footage shots were available so that I knew what I could incorporate in the movie and write the movie around those shots.

Manhunt is your first feature film, following numerous short films. What was the biggest lesson you learned making your first feature that you’ll take into your next film?

The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that selecting who you choose as your crew and cast is such an important part of making a movie. After making Manhunt I can now totally understand when some directors compare the filmmaking process as if they are preparing for a battle. Filmmaking requires a very collaborative effort and enthusiastic team approach with everyone working towards a common goal.

Manhunt will screen at the Gold Coast Film Festival tonight, Saturday, 2 May. Details here. 

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