Category: Anna Brownfield

Writing a new erotic film.

Posted on by admin

Finally, I have found  focus and  begun working on a new erotic film entitled “Screwed in Suburbia”.  It feels great to have something to work towards, as I was feeling lost towards the end of last year and didn’t know where I wanted to go in regards to my next film.  More details on it soon, but we already have at least a US distributor attached who is they love it may take on international distribution!

I’ve been trying to write without putting pressure on myself as I have a habit of wanting to make everything perfect then and there rather than just letting it flow and leaving holes in it that can be reflected upon and fixed later.  Fingers crossed I can push out a draft before I return to teaching this year!

Also, I have begun a collaboration with an amazing script writer, Shanti Gudgeon.  We are creating an erotic thriller together which is very exciting.  I love writing with other people as you can bounce ideas off each other.  The last film I wrote in a partnership was “The Money Shot” with Lance Petrie.  It was great as I would write a scene get half way through loose my focus and pass it to him and he would finish it off.    It speeds up the process dramatically.

Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

Posted on by admin

Here’s a very blurry picture of myself at home just before “Making it Handmade” premiered on ABC2. As you can see I lead a glamorous life, in my tracksuit pants, slippers, the washing drying in the back ground and a knitted nanna rug on my knees (yes I did make it myself) and of course a glass of bubbly in hand.

It was strange to watch it,as I have seen it so many times, so it was very surreal, but I did enjoy the bottle of bubbly…maybe a little too much as I struggled teaching the next day!

Thank you to all 33,000 of you who tuned in to watch it and to the 9000 odd of you who watched it on iview. I was astounded by the numbers considering nearly all of the publicity was done through social media sites of those involved in the film!

The film stirred up some passionate discussion online:

On the films facebook page comments varied from:

Quoting Cheryl Rabe
“Thought the documentary was very disappointing. Not all crafters are activists. I’d like to think the majority of us make tasteful and useful things for others to enjoy, without sending any sort of political message.”

We then proceed to engage in a debate about if the act of making is political in itself!

To:
Quoting KrÌstíÑã Gréeñwõod
Loved it. It’s re-ignited a spark in me. Chronic Illness has taken away a lot of things from me. I have a creative mind and a bit of a wicked sense of humour. This is right up my ally. 😀

Searching online I found so many different response so of them that caught my eye talked about:

– the craft demonstrated was of low quality. This I find interesting as often craft can be elitist and not inclusive. I liked the idea that in the doco, its about giving it a go. After all even if you are now highly skilled, you started off this way and its just been practice that has enabled you to make amazing work that is technically perfect!

– that the documentary was anti making money from craft. To be straight, no I’m not. I actually think that it is amazing that something so lovingly crafted can make you money, especially as in the past it was seen to have no commercial value. I guess I wanted to show that it is a hard road, that its not easy and there is a lot of work involved. Also in my research I was finding lots of women who were experiencing burn out from trying to make a full time living from crafting and giving up on it. However, if you can make a full time living from craft, I think you are amazing and I take my hat off to you all and bow down low in respect of your brilliance!

– Offense. This happened for may reasons, Casey’s work was obvious but that I had left out so many women who make beautiful practical things has come up a few times. I wish I had the money and time to make a whole series on the women and the men I meet, spoke to, interviewed and read about online who are making wonderful, amazing stuff, who are from all walks of life and ages. When I was researching for this film it just kept on growing and growing, but I was restricted by the fact, I had no money to make this doco. I had no funding, it was made in my holidays with the money I’d managed to save from teaching. I shot it over 2 years and then edited it over about 9 months. Thus I had to keep it simple and that’s why all the women are from Melbourne ( which is where I live). I wanted to challenge the idea of how society perceived crafters. I was drawn to women who were using traditional craft but subverting it in someways. From embracing the idea that it was about spirit and giving it a go, not making it perfect, to being craftivists.

– Inspiration This of course is my favorite reaction. I loved receiving posts and email from people who aren’t crafty feeling inspired to give it go, or others who are lapsed crafters wanting to make again.

If you missed it, you can order your own copy on DVD here.

Also there will be screenings happening in Radelaide on Saturday Oct 8th at 6:00pm at the Reading Room as part of the Festival of Unpopular Culture . Check it out the screening and there is a radical craft workshop beforehand.

Or if you are in Western Australia you can check it out at the Soul Highway “Wave Rock Weekender” on from Friday 28th Oct til 30th Oct.

Thanks once again to all wonderful people who helped make the film and also to all the wonderful people who have watched it. Keep crafting.

…and then there were more screenings!

Posted on by admin


Thanks to everyone who came out and braved the crazy Melbourne weather to see “Making it Handmade!” It was a great day and the craft market in the foyer made it an event. To see people come out so excited and inspired was the best review anyone could ever get! Since, i have received emails from people who have felt inspired to get crafting or return to it!

Big thanks to my Mum who helped with the box office, Changa Mole for helping with the door and the beautiful Rayna Fahey for organising the craft market.

The film is traveling to Sydney next on Sunday 2nd October as part of the Object Gallery’s “We Craft this City”. For details and to book tickets check out here!

Also looking into possible screenings in Brisbane, Lismore and Perth, but will keep you informed. If you want to keep up to date with everything that is going on with the film join the facebook page!

Today I checked out the DVD design by my wonderful brother, Richard. It looks amazing so I can’t wait to have one in my hot little hand. Now, I have to get off my arse and record a director’s commentary and what’s more work out how to author it on the dvd…and look after Royce and teach and ………ah the joys of balancing motherhood and making DIY films!

On another note…. I just found out that “The Band” has now sold to France and Korea! I wonder if it will be subtitled or dubbed??? Could make for some interesting watching!

If you missed “Making it Handmade” at MIFF!

Posted on by admin

If you missed “Making it Handmade!” at MIFF, you now have a chance to catch it! Yes I can finally announce that there is going to be not one but two screenings of “Making it Handmade” in Melbourne on Saturday September 4th at Kaleide Cinema at RMIT (360 Swanston st, Melbourne) at 2:30pm and 4pm. There will also be a craft market from 2pm til 5:30pm in the foyer.

You can purchase tickets here.

Its selling fast, so don’t miss out again!

Look forward to seeing you at the screening!

Premiere of “Making it Handmade!”

Posted on by admin


All the Ladies on stage for the Q and A.

The sold out cinema!

Images stolen from Rayna Fahey!

I have to admit this is all still a blur!

To begin with I was running late, ah the joys of trying to get ready and change a newborn didn’t quite go to plan! Royce decided that he was going to unleash a stream of wee onto his clean outfit during his last nappy change before we walked out the door, so what should have taken 5 mins ended up being closer to 15!

On arriving at the theatre I meet up with Megan Spencer who was generously chairing the Q and A and sat down in one of the vibrating chairs at the cinema to give Royce a feed before the film. While sitting there I realised that I had my boob out in front of part of the queue for my film!! Oh well!

Was I nervous? Mmmmm, yes a little, which I hope wasn’t evident during my intro speech!! It was a great opportunity to thank the many people who have been involved in the film. Especially my brother, Richard Brownfield, who designed such beautiful opening titles and who in my placenta brained state had forgotten to add to the end credits of the film!! Please forgive me and I promise it will be fixed before the next screening. I’m hoping I didn’t forget anyone else!

The film seemed to go down well, quite a few laughs, which is always nice to hear….another baby out into the world!

After that I was joined up on stage for a Q and A by the gals whom without there would be no film; Gemma Jones, Pip Lincolne, Rayna Fahey and Casey Jenkins. I loved the fact that they answered most of the the questions and I could just stand there and look crafty most of the time! Thank you sooooooo soooooo soooo much for being a part of this film, and thanks to all those who have helped out along the way, especially Robert Harding for the brilliant sound design and original music, another one to Rayna for being the music supervisor, Carla McConnell for helping out in the early stages, Faythe Levine for giving me the opportunity to interview her, Peta Pledger for being the devil advocate and constantly asking me probing questions about the doco ( i’m so sorry that camera stuffed up and i couldn’t use the footage I shot of you!) and to the Melbourne craft community for letting me stick a camera in their faces!

Also big Yah and thanks to Justine from Mixtape Zine for letting me interview her and for providing Mixtape zines showbags for spot Prizes!

To all of you who missed out on getting tickets…do not fear there will be another screening of the film by the end of the month, so keep your eyes on here or join me on facebook for more info!

“Making it HANDMADE” to premiere at MIFF

Posted on by admin



Photo by Rayna Fahey

Yes finally it can be announced!!

I’ve had to sit on this one for quite a few months….which for me is hard, especially as I was soooooo excited to have it premiering in my home town!

Sorry its taken so long for me to post about this but I’ve been making other things too while I’m been finishing this movie, and finally on early Sunday June 20th after nearly three days of intense labour I pushed out a beautiful baby boy called Royce! One of the hardest projects I’ve ever had to do! Oh well I can now say I’m giving birth to two children in two months, the other of course being a film baby!

Here is the MIFF website if you want to find out more and I’d love to see you all there on Sunday August 1st. Hang around afterwards so you can pick the brains of Pip, Casey, Rayna, Gemma and myself!

Also if you haven’t checked it out there is a wonderful article written by Megan Spencer ( who will be chairing the Q and A after the screen of the film) in Frankie Magazine. I’ve always called this mag the “cool kids mag” so I’ve been joking with friends that I’m now one of the cool kids!!! hee hee what a joke, I’m really a bit of dag….and thought I was too much of weirdo to be considered even slightly cool! The above picture I stole from the lovely Gemma Jones’s blog as I haven’t been able to get into my office and scan the article yet!

Hope to see you all at the screening!

The Band nominated for Feminist Porn Awards

Posted on by admin

I’m so thrilled! The Band has been nominated for a Feminist Porn Award! Very exciting. I would love to make the journey to Toronto for the awards but I’m back teaching this week so I’m guessing I’ll have to miss this one. Such a bummer, that is one of the dramas of living on an island at the bottom of the world! But still very excited to be in such good company!

Other good news is that my doco “Making it Handmade!” has a few paragraphs written about it in the most recent addition of IF
(Inside Film) magazine! Does this mean I’m moving from Smut maker to legitimate filmmaker??? Hee hee Like I would care either way!

Also two festivals has asked to have a look at “Making it Handmade!” so I need to return to editing. I’m nearly done, but I need to go and shot some more footage on Thursday. Nothing very exciting, just computer screens and the like, but its getting closer to being a complete rough cut so that is exciting. Next I need to get some fresh eyes to have a look and give me some feedback!

Australia’s sexploitation and erotic filmmaking history!

Posted on by admin

Last week wasn’t as productive as I hoped. The intense and ongoing heat, knocked me out and made it impossible to sleep, but the rough cut for “Making it Handmade!” is still chugging along. I’m finding it interesting to see how over the year or so that I shot this documentary, not only did my interviewing technique improve but also my shooting skills. Yet again making another film has been a massive learning curve for me! I guess that is something that sucks me in…everytime you make another film you learn something new!

Any of you reading this are probably thinking, but what does that have to do with Australia’s sexploitation and erotic filmmaking history….to be honest not much, accept I was working on the film when I spoke with legendary Australian Erotic filmmaker John D Lamond. Like most Australian genre filmmakers you may not know his work but if you’ve seen that great documentary about ozploitation, “Not quite hollywood!” you would probably know who he is. Just to refresh your memory, he is the one being interviewed with a pole dancer in the background or you may have seen some of his film “the ABC of love and sex: Australian Style” and “Felicity”, just to name a few.

I was interested to talk with him but also a little weary as I have found male film makers of that generation to be …..how does one put this…pigs! However, John was anything but! He was lovely, humorous and extremely personable. We talked about the trials and tribulations of making erotic films in Australia, from dealing with censorship issues to trying to find cast who can act and don’t have a problem taking off their clothes. He was as wealth of information and shared so many stories about his filmmaking adventures not only here but overseas. One story that suck in my mind was how he challenged the censorship board in regards to masturbation scenes in “the ABC of love and sex: Australian Style”, inspirational and sad that still as a society that is so inundated with sexual images in our daily lives from advertising to music video clips on TV, we still are more threatened by sex than we are by violence….. It was truly an honour to speak with him and fingers crossed I get to work with him in the future.

I have always felt like I was working in a bubble here, until I went to Berlin last year and meet so many amazing women making films, so it was nice to connect with a fellow erotic filmmaker here in Australia who strives to make good erotic films with high production design, good scripts and acting. I no longer feel so alone!!! hee hee

Must return to the edit suite as I have a strict deadline to have the rough cut finished by the end of Feb. As my dad would say its time to put your head down and your bum up!

Rough Cutting “Making it Handmade!”

Posted on by admin


Knickers Making Day from a Kaotic Kraft Kuties Gathering.

Last week, after an extremely unproductive and frustrating week, I have decided to take a rest from writing “Talk to Me”. It was driving me nuts and I kept trying to do everything else to avoid writing. As one of my music teachers said when I was a child “procrastination is the robber of time and thief of opportunity!” So rather than continue the torture I have put the script aside until I’m once again ready to face it and make a more concerted and positive go of it!

In the meantime, my hands have not been still and I have begun rough cutting “Making it Handmade!” This is bringing me considerable joy and after three days I’m nearly half way through it! Why is making films so much more fun than writing them!!!??

“Making it Handmade!” is the first real documentary I have attempted. I’ve been shooting it for about a year now and the editing skills I learnt while working as an editing assistant under the brilliant Tony Stevens last year has been invaluable. Thanks Tony you rock!

I’m hoping to have a rough cut finished by the end of Feburary, so I must return to FCP and continue.

No doubt I will write again before the end of march….but if not keep an out for an article I wrote on the Berlin Porn Film Festival in Metro Magazine.