By Archibald McGill (Journalism intern from RMIT University)
“Tonight was meant to be in a drainage system in Brunswick West,” says Elliot Goodyer, also known as RubberAmmo, the independent documentarian and journalist behind tonight’s screening of his new film, North Korea’s God Problem.
“We arrived there in the afternoon, ready to set up with a generator, speakers, projector, the works, and arrived to find it completely flooded and foamed up,” says Goodyer.
The planned location, which featured DJs set to play after the screening, was a no-go due to heavy rains, but luckily a Footscray DIY venue offered up the space for the screening.
“It went from having to lug about 200 kilos’ worth of gear to just using an HDMI cable and an audio jack,” says Goodyer as we shelter from the rain outside a non-descript shopfront near Footscray train station.
The documentary came about after Goodyer discovered a claim in a U.S. State Department report that spiritual shamans were being executed in North Korea.
“I spent a month travelling around South Korea trying to find if any had escaped alive.”
When asked about the message of the film, Goodyer says, “It asks what happens in a country where you’re only allowed to believe in one God, who is the almighty leader.”
The documentary also had a ticketed premiere at Cinema Nova earlier in the week, but the young filmmaker stressed how “lucky it is that venues like this DIY one we’re at will show local filmmakers cheaply”.
Using a pseudonym, the owner of the space, Rae*, asked that the central Footscray venue not be named due to fear of unwanted attention from the council.
It operates in a ‘grey area”, but Rae explains the ethos as being, “respect the community, respect the space, respect each other.”
“We don’t make money. Enough to pay the rent, a little bit more so we can purchase anything we need, and the rest goes to the artists. This isn’t a venture that’s for profit; it’s anti-capitalist, really. It’s for the art, it’s for people to come together,” he says.
The space is used for a variety of events, including screenings, markets, art exhibitions and live music.
“I think it’s important for the western suburbs because it’s historically been a bit rough, and it’s lower socio-economic, you know, so it’s important for accessible spaces like this.”
North Korea’s God Problem is available online.
Follow Elliot Goodyer @RubberAmmo on Instagram
See more of Archibald McGill’s work @01archibald on Instagram.
