DON’T underestimate the brains behind Logan City’s first ever film festival, who have announced the event is returning for 2025 and will be even better.
“We have plans in place to do some extra capacity building for the Logan community,” Ali Strachan, the president of artist-run not-for-profit Assorted Grains, said.
The Underdog Film Festival launched at the Kingston Butter Factory last year.
There were more than 120 submissions and over 300 guests who travelled to the awards event from around southeast Queensland and Australia.
“We had people traveling from interstate – all the way up from South Australia and Victoria – which was great,” Ms Strachan said.
“It was a really highly engaged audience.”
Submissions came from several local filmmakers, including Abdul Mateen, Elise Lamb, Anthony Coleman, Hugh Whitehouse and Darryl Cook.
Abdul Mateen is a filmmaker born in the Middle East to south Asian parents.
His submission, Welcome to the Esh Life was filmed and set in Logan.
It followed Rayan, a sixteen-year-old south Asian boy, who has a chance encounter with a group of Eshays, leading to an unlikely companionship that teaches him a new way of life and its consequences.
Two Logan high school students also threw their hat in the ring.
At the time, Canterbury College student Riley Burton doubled as a passionate filmmaker and competitive swimmer.
His submission to the Underdog festival, a documentary called Stroke By Stroke – A Journey Through the Swimming Life, explored the choices and the work required to become an elite athlete.
Marsden State High School student Xavier Stephen Eliot submitted Leaves – a coming-of-age film exploring themes of identity and culture.
Each film was assessed by a panel of professional, diverse, and award-winning filmmakers, including Douglas Watkin, Mandy Lake, Katrina Irawati and Logan local Lark Lee.
Ms Lee is a Korean migrant mum, writer, director, producer and actress whose stories about migrants and mothers have been screened at multiple Academy Award-qualifying festivals and SBS on Demand.
Ms Strachan said the festival was a community that “champions the underdog spirit”.
“Our mission is to showcase the unique perspectives of diverse storytellers at an industry level, with a prime focus on trailblazing the underrepresented stories of filmmakers from First Nations descent, multicultural backgrounds, and LGBTQIA+ communities,” she said.
“Our festival is accessible and inclusive.
“Our low barrier to entry for underdog filmmakers allows filmmakers from all backgrounds and at every stage in their careers, to showcase their work on the silver screen.”
At this stage, the 2025 festival will be held on 13 September.
Ms Strachan said it would be bigger and better than last year’s.
“We’ve got some workshops lined up already and some more panel discussions, and we’ve also got an exhibition of student films locked in at Logan Art Gallery at the end of the year in November,” she said.
“That will include a visual exhibition of film posters that students create, because what we found is that there are so many different reasons or ways that people want to get involved in the film industry – it’s not always about making films.
“We’re trying to vary that and provide opportunities for ways to get involved.”
