Townsville Classic Films is a prolific screener of iconic – and not so iconic – movies from decades past; and the project’s founder Mark Enders will take film-buffery to new heights, screening four films in 10 days during this year’s Pop Up North Queensland (PUNQ).
In addition to an interactive screening of cult classic The Blues Brothers, Mark has chosen to screen three films shot close to home: The Irishman (Charters Towers); Uncivilised (Palm Island); and Travelling North (Port Douglas).
“The Townsville area has a great deal of beauty that is unappreciated in other parts of the country and certainly other parts of the world,” Mark said. “Film is a wonderful way to showcase both creative talent and physical beauty… which makes feature films shot in NQ a good fit.”
Each of the three films earned its place in the program for a different reason.
“I love David Williamson’s work, am a big fan of the film Travelling North, and it was filmed in our part of the world, so it was win-win-win,” said Mark.
“The Irishman is a beautifully made film – they managed to really transform Charters Towers into a much earlier time, and it was produced by a friend of mine and someone I admire… Anthony Buckley. And I like Uncivilised as a historical document: a window [into] what Palm Island was like in the 1930s. It’s not the best film Charles Chauvel made, but I still think it is interesting and worth a look.”
While the movies shown by Townsville Classic Films are by no means new, Mark takes great pride in giving audiences an experience that is new to them.
“They get to see a film outside a cinema or their lounge room in a unique location, they’ll get the audience experience with lots of other film fans, they’ll get to see films they may have never heard of or seen, and they’ll see films that can be hard to find,” he said.
“I’d ask people to suspend their judgment about any of our films. They are all different and don’t have immediate pay-offs like the action films that are polluting our cinema screens … Some films take a second or a third screening before you can fully appreciate them. Some films are richer and more enjoyable after you discuss them over coffee with a friend.”
For the full PUNQ program, visit umbrella.org.au/punq.
For details of Townsville Classic Films’ events, visit townsvilleclassicfilms.com.au
