GGG Films’ latest short film, Dodger is now available to stream.
Dodger is a grounded dystopian drama set in a near-future wartime Australia in which conscription has been reintroduced. It follows a young woman, Vic, who must convince her friend Sam to help her get pregnant in order to avoid military service. The film was inspired by global conversations around conscription and the burden it places on young people.
“Growing up in Australia, you tend to think these things won’t happen to you. But in the past few years, we’ve all seen just how quickly lives can change and how extreme events can become normalised,” says writer and director Greta Nash, who became fascinated with the global conversation around conscription in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since then, conscription has only become more topical.
“I thought the reintroduction of conscription would make an interesting backdrop to this story about young people trying to reclaim control over their own individual futures.”
The film was produced by GGG Films, a production company formed by three best friends – Greta Nash (writer/director), Gillian Crosby (writer/producer) and Gabrielle McLeod (producer) – whose first official collaboration, Two Piece, won Tropfest in 2018. Since then, GGG Films have produced a further five short films and developed a diverse slate of longform projects, with a common focus on coming-of-age stories with an edge.
“With Dodger,” Nash continues, “I thought it would be fascinating to explore the murky territory of a young woman choosing to have a baby as a means of self-preservation – the same reason somebody might choose to terminate a pregnancy.” But it isn’t meant to be all doom and gloom, Nash explains. “At its heart, Dodger is a love story about two young people realising that the best way to navigate ‘unprecedented times’ is to do it together.”
“Dodger was an amazing chance to bring back some of our favourite collaborators, like the inimitable Max Walter as our cinematographer, and extremely talented Will McKenna (Heartbreak High, The Messenger) as ‘Sam,” says producer Gabrielle McLeod.
“It also gave us an opportunity to work with new and exciting talent like Jess Lu (Bad Behaviour, Better Man) as Vic. The whole team behind the film was just unbelievable,” says producer Gillian Crosby.
Post-production of the short film was funded by the City of Melbourne Annual Arts Grants.
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