by Simon Sellars ‘An Introduction to Subterrain’ was originally published in Subterrain magazine #1, December 2005. In modern welfare work, it’s rapidly becoming clear that ‘homeless and marginalised’ people need more than simply food and housing. Everyone wants to find meaning in their lives, to find freedom of speech – to find a voice. Artistic [...]

by Simon Sellars ‘Free Radicals’. Originally published in The Big Issue, #228, May 2005. It was quite a sight to watch sibling activists Jeff and Jill Sparrow launch their latest book recently. I wanted to chat to Jeff after his rousing speech but the path was blocked by a massed wedge of grannies, groovers, suits [...]

Melatonin, photo: Kirsten Bradley by Simon Sellars Originally published in RealTime Magazine, #62, August/September 2004. I’m told “sleep music” is a new genre: music to listen to while dozing off. Emboldened by this, I visited Bus Gallery with palpable excitement. I’ve often yearned for a club that, instead of inducing forward motion through hyper-accelerated beats, [...]

Jonathan Nix, ‘Hello’ by Simon Sellars ‘The Intricate Making of Animators’. Originally published in RealTime magazine, Aug-Sep 2004. Australian animators are a hardy mob. Working in an industry that’s noticeably cramped, they are largely under resourced and mostly undervalued. I recently talked to a range of animators from around the country who have had one [...]

by Simon Sellars ‘The Making of a Tasmanian Film Industry’. Originally published in RealTime magazine #61, Jun-Jul 2004. In RT58, I interviewed a group of Melbourne directors and producers about the environmental factors that influence their films. Besides the weather, the main aspect cited was Melbourne’s distance from Sydney: geographically and financially (most of the [...]

Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 16 May 2004. SUBSTANCE D (mors ontologica) tames smooth muscle spasm (commonly known as the “Black Shakes”), as well as split-brain syndrome resulting from information overload and post-capitalist inertia. SUB DEE provides effective relief in patients of all ages, also combating subsidiary BS ailments such as: hyper-motility of the gut, [...]

The Claw Girl: photo by Beatka Provis by Simon Sellars ‘Life’s Journey: In Search of the Real Japan’. Originally published in the Age newspaper’s Travel supplement, 15 May 2004. Two years ago I visited Tokyo. I was in Japan to see my friend B—–, an English teacher in the northern port of Ishinomaki. We hadn’t [...]

by Simon Sellars Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 1 March 2004. Over the past year, a sweet little film about a strange little man has been getting a lot of attention. Harvie Krumpet, director Adam Elliot‘s 23-minute claymation, is up for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. And right beside Elliot on Oscar night [...]

by Simon Sellars Originally published on Sleepy Brain, 25 November 2003. Trevor Blainey is enjoying himself. In 2003, the former accountant’s first film as producer, Matthew Saville‘s Roy Hollsdotter Live, won everything in sight, with awards for best screenplay, best short film and best cinematography. But filmmaking in Australia is notoriously tough, and while awards [...]