The sounds of the creatively fuelled circus that is Fringe World can still be heard faintly as you walk behind Metro City towards a more industrial venue. Amongst a collection of shipping containers, my companion and I worried that we were lost before being found by one of the many extremely friendly employees of The Bakery Black Box.
Looking like a set from a Guy Richie film, The Black Box had a grungy feel to it that suited an underground film festival perfectly. The venue itself remains the highlight of the evening and is definitely worth a trip, for one of the few Fringe shows left this week preferably.
The screening takes place inside a confined space adorned with black theatre curtains, a projector screen, and a series of ramshackle seats that range from couches, to folding chairs, to small stools covered in fake grass. After a quick word from the presenter who bristled with delighted excitement, handing out hand-written audience favourite ballots, the festival got started.
For opening night, we only saw Programme A, and hence my review is limited to those short films. All are West Australian made and there’s a sense of enjoyment in that. You recognise landmarks (Hyde Park and The Moon Café make appearances), revel in an Australian accent instead of the typical American, and even laugh at the classic slang that defines our country.
Unfortunately, the quality of films wasn’t always at the same level. A few suffered from post-production issues but festivals like Outpost are the first step in ironing these out. Overall, the screening was enjoyable and contained a few very heart-warming shorts, standout ones include “Blue” by Keir Wilkins and “Picnic” by Grace Macri.
Outpost Film Festival is the new kid on the block. From the very start, the team behind it stated that they hoped to not just be limited to Fringe World and to continue throughout the year. It’s a festival that has a lot of heart and a lot of promise, particularly with Western Australia having such an understated amount of film talent currently. If you’re after something with thousands of dollars worth of funding and high definition quality, try Tropfest, but if you want something with a lot of potential and a ton of personality, dig a little deeper to The Bakery.
Outpost Film Festival is showing at The Bakery Black Box every night until Thursday, February 21st.
