Dubbo filmmaker Erifili Davis to attend the International Mobile Film Festival

Representing the project and Dubbo filmmakers, Ms Davis said it was a "fantastic opportunity" to learn from filmmakers around the world.

"I will also get to learn more about the film industry from people working in the heart of it," she said.

'Fell Purpose' is a dark fantasy adaptation of Shakepespeare's 'Macbeth'. It was shot on smartphones, specifically, the iPhone 11 Pro Max and 13 Pro Max.

IMFF is the premiere mobile film festival in the world, and the first to feature only films shot on mobile phones since 2009.

The trip has been partly supported by local businesses and not-for-profit Dubbo Filmmakers, with Ms Davis to facilitate workshops on her return to share what she has learnt with local creatives.

Growing up in Wollongong in a migrant family, Ms Davis fell in love with the black and white sound and pictures on their first television. She watched everything the limited programming had to offer, from 'Seasame Street' to old musicals starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.

She dreamed of making her own films, but in the 1970s, filmmaking equipment was expensive, and instead she became involved in the Wollongong community theatre as an actor, writer and director. This included the opportunity to play Lady Macbeth in a Wollongong Workshop Theatre production of 'Macbeth'.

"I've loved the play since that time," she said.

"But I feel Lady Macbeth, like many Shakespearian women, was not given the character arc she deserved. That's where the idea for 'Fell Purpose' came from."

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The short film has women at the centre and in control, both in terms of the story and production.

The project was supported by the 2022 Country Arts Support Program through Orana Arts. The key production team consisted of Ms Davis as producer and director, Milena Sallustio as Director of Photography and actors Milla Ross, Kalina Davis and Georgie Saunders.

"Even the small budget the CASP grant provided meant we could create the world of the story through things like costumes and sets," Ms Davis said.

"Which makes a huge difference in the production values of the film. It also meant I could commission an original score from local musician Wez Thomson."

The film has been officially selected by film festivals around the world, including nominations for best score, and a win at the 2022 Independent Horror Movie Awards for post-production sound mixer Michael Davis for Best Sound.

"Making a film is very much a collaborative process and everyone from the extras to the sound recordists to the runners were critical in making it possible," Ms Davis said.

'Fell Purpose' will be competing against 18 other short films from around the world at the International Mobile Film Festival with the winners announced the night of Sunday, April 30 (San Diego time).

The film is also screening at the Transparent Film Festival in New York in the same week, with actor Georgie Saunders nominated for Best Actress.

"Some sectors of the film industry still look down on movies made on smartphones," Ms Davis said.

"However, films made on smartphones are gaining wider acceptance, including the critically acclaimed Australian film 'One Punch' that won best feature at the International Mobile Film Festival last year.

"Mobile phones make filmmaking within reach of more people, and to me that can only be a good thing."

Ms Davis is currently in development for her first feature film, which she hopes to produce in Dubbo with local talent.

"It's a dystopian action film along the lines of 'The Handmaid's Tale' and 'Black Mirror'," she said.

"I'm seriously considering shooting it on mobile phones, and practising some of the things I've learnt working on other productions and learning from other filmmakers."

If you want to follow Ms Davis's journey at the International Mobile Film Festival, you can follow the Dubbo Filmmakers on Facebook.

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